Background: Ancient astronaut theorists suggest that aliens landed in Asheville during 2013 and shared with chefs and co-owners Jason & Carolyn Roy the secrets to the best biscuits in the world. They now have two locations in Asheville and plan to open up a third in Greenville, SC in 2016.
Order this: The pulled pork biscuit with jalapeno pimento cheese, bacon, a poached egg, and maple syrup. There are no words for how great this tastes, and it's without a doubt yet another gift from the aliens--right after they finished Stonehenge, duh. If you're not a carnivore, then try the fried green tomato biscuit with brie, tomato, two poached eggs, and a smoked tomato hollandaise sauce. Also, PSA: while we aren't typically the biggest fans of gravy, their local pork sausage gravy can and should be eaten with a spoon. They have an entire bar filled with a wide assortment of butters, jams, and hot sauces. Definitely eat those with a spoon, too. Top two: cherry amaretto jam and banana habanero hot sauce.
Dessert: They have biscuit donuts, and while they're good, they're not the best thing going here--save room for the OG biscuits (with extra-extra jam), and the Bacon of the Day.
Drink: They have a wide variety of gourmet coffees, teas, freshly-squeezed juices, and mimosas. We didn't do any early morning drinking, but on our next visit we're going to try the sake Bloody Mary with house-made pickles.
Atmosphere: Be prepared to wait. When we got there around 9:30am on a Sunday, the wait was a line about 30 minutes out the door. You order at the counter and they give you a number, at which time you stake out a table and hoard up on jams and butters like your life depends on it (after 30-45 minutes of thinking about biscuits it basically does).
Southern Hospitality: The service is awesome--even though the wait is out the door, they don't make you feel rushed when you finally make it to the counter. This trip, we wanted to stock up on condiments and t-shirts, and they were very patient as we figured out what they had/what we wanted. They also bring around samples as you wait outside.
Frankie's Notes: Aliens painted the Sistine Chapel; gravy flights are a thing; tip of the cap to our vegetarian friends; knowing your vegetarian friends will never know the distinct joy of a Bacon of the Day (BotD); successfully carrying 7 tiny paper cups of jam at one time; waiting outside in a line to eat biscuits reflects the deepest and most central part of our shared humanity.
Ollie's Note: Habaneros can improve the experience of eating a banana 112%.
Parking: They have a lot behind the restaurant which normally costs money, but they will give you a validation ticket once you order. Otherwise, you are left to forage for street parking.
Ranking: 4 out of 5
Et Cetera:
733 Haywood Rd.
Asheville, NC 28806
Tuesday - Friday 7:00 am - 2:00 pm
Saturday - Sunday 8:00 am - 3:00 pm