Surely diners in the throes of love can find romance anywhere, but there’s something sadly prosaic about concealing a diamond engagement ring beneath a hamburger bun or a slice of pizza pie. These five superlative restaurants make high-class chow that’s worthy of a proposal; indeed, much of it is so mind-blowingly good you might find yourself on your knees in the kitchen, begging for the cook’s hand.
Fig
What better way to demonstrate you’ll treat your honey with care, tenderness and respect than by patronizing a place that takes the same approach to its food? Fig is where local chefs wine and dine their lovers, and with good reason: Its unfailingly delicious French menu, served in an intimate dining room on the east end of Biltmore Village, re-energizes classics like duck confit salad and filet bordelaise.
18 Brook St., Asheville/277-0889
Carmel’s
You simply must have the crab cake. The pillowy cakes, coddled with a spicy coconut-cream sauce, will—in just one bite—make crab your favorite shellfish. But don’t make the mistake of ignoring the rest of the menu at this elegant new addition to downtown: The kitchen also does wonders with starters, turning out grilled Caesar and BLT salads that make even carnivores weep for joy.
1 Page Ave., Suite 129, Asheville/252-8730
Savoy
It’s tough to get a decent steak in Asheville, a problem proprietor Eric Scheffer recently tried to solve by introducing a classic chophouse menu featuring shrimp cocktail and beef accompanied by creamed spinach and hand-cut fries. If the foray proves as successful as past experiments, start sharpening your steak knives now: Savoy’s fresh fish and pastas have earned nods from Southern Living and The New York Times.
641 Merrimon Ave., Asheville/253-1077
Gabrielle’s
Richmond Pearson, who more than a century ago built the opulent estate that now operates as the award-winning Richmond Hill Inn, would probably be very proud of the inn’s signature cherry-walled dining room, where men wear jackets and women are always served first. The dishes served at Gabrielle’s don’t exactly break new ground, but the unerringly correct presentations of seared tuna and chocolate truffle cake are almost as impressive as the attentive service.
87 Richmond Hill Drive, Asheville/252-7313
The Market Place
The white-tablecloth dining experience is usually worlds away from a lively farmstead, with its yapping animals and manure-strewn fields. The Market Place’s owner and chef Mark Rosenstein is on a mission to shrink that distance by serving regionally produced meats, vegetables and cheeses. Rosenstein, an active supporter of the Slow Food community, has been buying local since the 1980s; with creations like black walnut crusted Sunburst Farms trout and sweet potato agnolotti with Benton’s country ham on the menu, you’ll want to put your mouth where his money is.
20 Wall St., Asheville/252-4162
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