I have missed you, my dear food blog.

I am now living and eating in Portland, OR. I can’t wait to bring you good tales and poor pictures of new places.

But first I have to tell you about the TIGER WINGS at the East Village Grille in Asheville, North Carolina.

My dear friend Amanda is a vegetarian and has been ever since I’ve known her, for nearly a decade. When she suggested we go for wings I assumed she would eat one or two fried vegetables while I worked through several chickens. Not the case. After a bad break up last winter Amanda started going on solo dates to the East Village Tavern and in a matter of weeks she was chowing down on chicken. It’s important to note that this is the sole exception to her vegetarianism and that, my friends, is saying something because Amanda is a woman of conviction!

The tables are vast and comfy. They even have old gossip magazines on the tables!

The menu includes an wide selection of items, but as I understand it, everyone knows that you go to the East Village Grille for one reason. . .TIGER WINGS!

We ordered a basket of fried mushrooms and a basket of onion rings. I noticed the garlic Tiger Wings on the menu so we ordered 8 original Tiger Wings and 8 garlic. We each ordered a beer and I rarely drink beer but if Amanda was willing to make a dietary exception so was I!

The fried veggies were great, especially the mushrooms. The onion rings were not really rings, they were  basically shredded and very messy to eat – that’s not a complaint, I eat lots of messy things. . .including wings. On a second visit we opted out of the onions and replacd them with potato skins. Go easy on me people, I was moving and clinging to food like a blanket. I promise I’m working it off in Portland!

Okay, the wings are outstanding. Aaron has dubed them the best in North Carolina, maybe even the world! They have a zesty citrus flavor and a spicy element similar to Mae Ploy sauce, but different. They are tender and saucy, messy and sticky, they are glorious handfuls of everything that is right about bird consumption.

Special thanks to Amanda for suggesting this place. I love that she turned meat consumption in to broken heart therapy. . .and dogs, she also turns dogs in to therapy.