Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company

Our first order of business today was going to the Visitor Center in Asheville, turns out it's right downtown.  Big space with a lot of information about what to see and do in the area. For those who are aware of it, Biltmore House and Gardens is here but we won't be going.

One of the reasons we chose this area is the number of breweries that are located here.  Right off the bat in the dining section we found a brochure for Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company, my first reaction? Lunch!  Pizza and beer?  YUM

After we gathered all the reading material we wanted we headed out to locate our lunch spot.  According to Ethyl it was less than 10 minutes away.  As we drove down the street it was located on, I spotted a Trader Joe's...I can't remember why, but I want to stop there....they sell something we need.  Can't remember what but I'm sure we'll remember...

We arrived at the Pizza Joint and I must say it's an unusual looking brewery.  Eclectic, I'd say.  I didn't bring a camera so no pictures.  But I could have spent an hour taking pictures of murals on the walls, tiles on the floor, the ladies room....it was all fun to see.

Of course we both had a beer, Jim had a 'fire escape' made with roasted jalapenos and I had a 'stuntman' with hints of hazelnut and chocolate.  I think Jim was hungry and opted for the buffet which included pizza, salad and desserts.  I noticed they had Daiya cheese (vegan) so I ordered a pizza.  We both enjoyed our lunch and I brought half of my pizza home.

After lunch we headed back to Trader Joe's and Harris Teeter.  For some reason they're right across the street from one another. We talked during lunch and decided to head home and read the tourist material.  So picking up groceries was our last stop of the day.  We ducked into Harris Teeter first where I found some corn on the cob that looked very fresh, plus other food items.  Then we went to Trader Joe's because I knew I'd find something I needed there...I just needed to remember what.

When we were in Tallahassee we bought Cowboy Bark at TJ's and we both said we needed to remember (memory is the first thing to go) that.  Well we wandered around the store trying to remember this and just as we were leaving I saw it!  At the checkout there was a display so we grabbed a bag, paid for it and left.  One item....

If you've never had this you must try it.  "Luscious dark chocolate covered toffee, pretzels, joe joe cookies, peanuts, almonds and a touch of salt"  It's a good reason to shop there, but only if you can remember what to buy!

Now we're heading home.  It's about 1300 and you cannot believe the traffic!!!  East and west bound, all the exits and on ramps, bumper to bumper traffic...at this point we don't have a clue why, so we're just creeping along.  Even the last leg of our trip had 10-12 vehicles taking the same road as us.

Later we were told it was just holiday traffic! I guess everyone got off work early and all the schools let out early.

For dinner we had the corn on the cob, I  had pizza and Jim had pasta salad.  I should have bought more corn it was that good.

Jim has read all the tourist stuff and I need to paw through it.  Not sure if we're doing anything tomorrow, not sure I want to head into Asheville if traffic is going to be a problem...