WTE 2 : HCMC & Asheville

The Appalachian charmer pairing beer with big ideas

A visit to Asheville used to center on hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains and super hop-heavy IPAs at the town’s many craft breweries — and that’s still true, but now there’s a strong dining scene to go along with the beer. Especially in West Asheville, known for indie shops and hipster hangouts, a new crop of culinary talents is making names for themselves. Elsewhere, more exciting projects are on the way, like Top Chef competitor Ashleigh Shanti’s upcoming spot, Good Hot Fish, and Areta’s Soul Food by chef Clarence Robinson. They join a scene already enjoying national acclaim, thanks to seasoned restaurateurs like Meherwan Irani (Chai Pani) and Katie Button (Cúrate, La Bodega) bringing home James Beard Awards. There’s lots to explore, and not just in the mountains. — Erin Perkins

Map: The 18 Essential Asheville Restaurants

Along with being an Eater Young Gun in 2019, a 2020 finalist for the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year award, and a Top Chef competitor in 2022, Ashleigh Shanti is also a champion of the Asheville culinary scene. Here are a few of her own favorite places and people around town.

A heaping radicchio salad with thick dressing on a bright red tabletop.

From above, paper-lined baskets of tacos, containers of salsa, and a bottle of Coke on an illustrated tabletop.

Get Ashleigh Shanti’s take on the Asheville scene

The crafty neighborhood bar

The eclectic wine spot

The rising star to watch

The late-night venue

The hot spot

A vegetable vendor on the street flashes a peace sign to the camera as traffic zips by beyond.

The Vietnamese boomtown embracing startup fever

Crossing into Ho Chi Minh City’s Phạm Viết Chánh area is like skipping across time. Locals peruse fresh seafood at wet markets next to ultramodern cafes, old apartment buildings sit beside experimental pizzerias, young crowds listen to DJs at cocktail bars on balconies high above groups sharing local beers on plastic chairs in the street. But the neighborhood is just one microcosm of a citywide boom. Fueled by low rents and the startup fervor of early 2000s Brooklyn, aspiring entrepreneurs in Đa Kao, Thảo Điền, District 3, and Yersin Market stuff food and drink businesses into the metropolis’s hidden alleyways and apartment blocks, bringing new energy to the shophouses and street food stalls that continue to hold down their communities. As a strong Vietnamese economy continues to fuel new ventures, HCMC is set to become a financial and culinary lodestar. — Linh Phan

Compared to minimalist banh mi in Hanoi, the version in Ho Chi Minh City goes big with copious meats, herbs, and condiments. The bread is slashed with three slits that allow maximum expansion while baking, creating a thin crust that shatters when you bite into it, and a light, airy crumb. Inside, highlights include a variety of quick-serve thịt nguội, Vietnamese cold cuts, like pork liver pate, chả lụa/giò lụa (steamed sausage), and giò thủ (head cheese). Embrace the extravagant spirit by ordering yours đặc biệt, meaning “the special” or “the works.” — Austin Bush

Learn more about HCMC’s big, beautiful banh mi

Map: The 31 Essential Ho Chi Minh City Restaurants

A cart for serving banh mi beneath an umbrella, with a glass case displaying ingredients, and a menu written below. A worker sits on a motorbike to one side.

A server holds a plate of pasta topped with a full crab.

A smoking bowl of rice topped with fruit and a spoonful of caviar.

Plastic stools and tables for a restaurant’s street seating, the red tables overturned and resting against a wall.

The display case of a banh mi restaurant printed with the name Bánh Mì Bảy Hổ.

A banh mi lying open on branded wax paper. The fillings include pork floss, cucumber, cilantro, and radish slices.

A diagram showing the components of a banh mi sandwich.

The Golden Pineapple

Different Wrld

Cultura

Silver Iocovozzi of filipinx restaurant neng Jr.’s

Leo’s House of Thirst