by: @EatDrinkCarolinas
The best $14 you’ll spend on a dish is at The Asbury, a saucy spot in Uptown Charlotte. The order is this: Spicy Tempura Cauliflower and it’s notable in lots of ways. I am not one to order a vegetarian lunch and yet, I cannot stop thinking about Chef Matthew Krenz’ cauliflower. This gets funnier when you learn that Chef Krenz comes from a family of ranchers and features his family’s beef, Krenz Ranch of Marshville NC, daily in steak cuts (and an epic-looking burger).
But the NC Chef of the Year has game with the veg too and it’s apparent with this cauli dish. Atop cucumber cream with harissa beets and mint, the fried cruciferous is adroitly soft but toothsome, savory, spicy and dumb satisfying.
This block of Uptown is filled with foodie stops (Capital Grill, 5Church, The Daily) but The Asbury and its bar at The Dunhill Hotel are my favorite and worthy of a spot on your #BucketDish.
