And we had my sweet friend Sharu (in green) join us as well.. This was her first “Sushi” experience.. OOhhh what fun!!

We quickly got into talking about the kind of rice we used and how to cook it. I used the generic “sushi rice” from the local Asian store. I tend to go with the ratio of 2:2.5.. So I used 2 cups of rice to 2.5 cups of water.

Recipe to make Sushi rice


2 cups of short grained Sushi Rice
2.5 cups of water

Seasoned Vinegar

2 Tbsp unseasoned vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tsp Kosher or sea salt

We also made a delish Sesame seeds encrusted and seared Tuna with a tangy dipping sauce..

 Thanks to all those who came out and “cooked” with me! What a blast.. We need to do this again 😉

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Well actually it’s strawberry lime-aid 🙂 (Aid to help my sick mom, as per my son.. )

Pinch of salt and black pepper
4 Fresh large strawberries..
1.5 cups of water
1/2 cup of ice.

Blend all together till mixed and frothy..

My dear hubby (Krish) and I are big foodies 🙂

We are known to “travel” to great distances to eat good food.. Right from our days in college, where we made about $6-10/hr, we took trips to Blowing rock, NC, a small mountain town to eat at our favorite BBQ join “Woodlands” and listen to some good ole’ live country music. Then it was Charleston, what I call “My second home”, since we go there atleast twice or thrice a year….. We would just drive after work, eat dinner and come back.. (That’s 6+ hrs total driving BTW)..

Since we had our son, we kinda slowed down for obvious reasons. On our recent trip to Charleston (no surprises there), My hubby asked me what I wanted for my birthday.. I didn’t skip a beat and said ” I want to eat!”… He smiled and said , …”Ok?!!”… I continued to explain what I meant by that..

So a pact was made!! We shall “travel to great distances and eat the finest” 🙂 TA-DA!!!!

So this blog is dedicated to our first “destination-eating” experiences.

My husband was introduced to the Artisanal through an ex-colleague and friend of his, whose girlfriend (fiancee’ now) used to intern there. Krish suggested starting with this as it was close enough to make a day trip out of and well had good reviews courtesy of his friend. So.. a plan was made to “Do this”….

We drove to Banner Elk, a small mountain town via Blowing Rock for our great “Dinner Escapade”.. Thanks to my sister and family for babysitting our son and humoring us on this little adventure of ours.. Since it was about 3+ hrs drive, we chose to wear casual clothes and carry our “fine-silks” in the car.. The restaurant prefers a jacket for the guys and well, I always look for a reason to wear my fine-silks 😉

On our way there, we managed to get caught up in a hail storm (even though we were experiencing temperatures in the 103-106 degree range).. Awesome start to our trip, I must say 🙂
We took shelter couple of times through our drive to avoid hail , heavy thunder and rain. We finally made it to Blowing Rock and changed into respectable dinner attire at the local outlet mall’s restrooms.. I know classy 😉

We then proceeded to go to our restaurant.. We drove through meadows and valleys (ok so not that cinematic but after Charlotte, it felt like I had reached the setting of Sound of music) , till we got to the “place”.. First impression.. Wow.. Very different and very beautiful.. Set in an old barn, it really felt like a little rustic oasis. I smiled at my husband and said “Good choice”..  🙂 He beamed with pride..

Right from the start the service was impeccable. I really enjoyed the decor and the attention to detail when it came to the ambiance and our “food-weapons” aka the cutlery.

So after starting with some bottled water, I had their house Prosecco and Krish had a table red wine.
We started with a couple of small plates to share.

We shared a bowl of tomato soup (chilled) with lobster meat and a Sardinian olive oil. (Look below).
First bite and the freshness of the tomato just hit the palate. Light, refreshing and just perfect for a summer evening. Lobster was sweet and fleshy. The oil added a nice touch of luxury to the tongue which was a perfect compliment to the lightness of the soup itself.

Last but not the least we ordered dessert.. After going through the menu and finding the usual cobblers, chocolate cakes and mousses, we decided on the doughnuts below. They came a whopping 6 to a plate!! Served with a lemon curd and a blueberry sauce.

Always remember. Food is a great leveler; Respect It, Cherish it, Share it

To serve 2
You will need :
1.5 cups of boiled and shucked corn kernels
2-3 Tbsp of cornstarch
1/2 medium chopped red onion
2 cloves of garlic smashed
1 jalapeno or 2 small green chillies chopped fine
2-3 scallions chopped fine
2 Tbsp cilantro leaves chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt, pepper and red chili flakes to taste

Make sure the corn is drained and dry before cooking.. Rub the cornstarch into the corn to coat well. Keep aside.

Sautee the garlic and onions till the onions turn pink in a tbsp of oil. You can also use raw onion instead of cooking them. Add the jalapeno/ green chillies and the scallions and cook for a couple of minutes..Add another tbsp of oil and heat through.. Add the corn to the pan and sautee on medium high heat till the corn develops a crispy exterior..(about 9-10) minutes..season with salt, pepper and red chili flakes.

Remove from the stove and toss with the lime juice and cilantro.. Add a pinch of chat masala if available.. Enjoy!!

You can also add chopped tomatoes, cukes and avocados to make a delish dip for chips. 🙂