Best of: Eats: Romantic eatery
1st placeZambra
With low, flattering lighting and hidden nooks overflowing with pillows upholstered in plush fabrics, Zambra tapas restaurant and wine bar simply oozes sensuality.
Best Romantic Eatery: Zambra Photo by Jonathan Welch
Co-owner Peter Slamp says that several couples have gotten engaged at the restaurant, and plenty of anniversaries have been celebrated at the romantically lit dining room. And occasionally, to the chagrin of the quiet lovebirds canoodling over their wine — or absinthe drip as the case may be — a rowdy bachelorette party has been known to break out.
What is it that makes Zambra the place to celebrate love in Western North Carolina? Slamp says that his restaurant "just has a dark, romantic feel to it." Discreet places to steal clandestine kisses don't hurt either. Semi-private rooms, painted in luscious purples, reds and earthy oranges, owe their palette to sultry-hot Spain and the sumptuous fabrics of a Moroccan bazaar.
And what of the food? Chef Adam Bannasch and team have crafted a selection of food as sexy as the interior of the restaurant. There's indeed something romantic about nibbling from a cheese plate together, sampling a dish of ceviche or sharing dates dripping with honey. The staff even makes an appetizer of pig's head somehow hot. And the sex-on-a-plate that is the flourless chocolate torte? Check please.
— Mackensy Lunsford
