Dining out: Asheville, NC, Cúrate

We recently traveled to Asheville, NC, to visit the Biltmore Estate. I had been encouraged by a friend not to miss the opportunity to dine at Cúrate in downtown Asheville.  Please click on the link to learn more about this fantastic restaurant and Chef Katie Button.  Cúrate is a Spanish Tapas Bar which features "small plates."  You won't find chicken fingers, ranch dressing, or a salad bar here. What you will discover is the adventure of trying small portions of many types of food that may be foreign to you. 

The building was originally a bus depot in the 1920s.  There is an open kitchen which dominates one side of the restaurant where patrons at the bar watch the frenetic line cooks preparing one delicious dish after another.

On the opposite side of the restaurant are a 40-foot marble bar and the area where the Spanish cured hams are sliced where diners can watch.  More on those hams later.

From Cúrate's menu:  Cúrate is a proud ambassador of Cinco Jotas Iberico products in the U.S.  Obtained from acorn-fed, 100% Iberico-breed pigs, we're excited to introduce you to the unforgettable flavor.

Our server, Hernandez, was perfection. We told him we were excited to try anything and everything but weren't sure where to begin. He suggested we let him take us on a "Taste of Spain" and he would prepare a sampling menu for us to enjoy.  We happily agreed, and he asked several questions regarding our likes, dislikes, allergies, and just how hungry we were! 

We knew we wanted to start our meal with sangria, so he suggested the following:

Sangria Rojo:  A fresh and fruity blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo, macerated for several weeks with citrus, stone, and red fruits with spices.  $6.00  This was my choice, and it was slightly sweet, but tart and paired well with all the menu items we were offered.

Sangria Cava:  Perelada cava, salignac cognac, Tanqueray gin, triple sec, and fruit.  $8.00  Sweet Harold's gin of choice is Tanqueray, so he gave this cocktail two thumbs up.

Now we get to enjoy the first of our small plates for the appetizer portion.

The Iberico hams are offered singly, with a selection of all three, or a charcuterie board with cheese.

We chose the selection with all three cured hams.

Here are the descriptions of the hams left to right:

Jamon Iberico de Bellota.  From Cinco Jotas, hand-cut 100% pure Iberico pigs, from the Jambugo region, acorn fattened and free range, giving it a unique and exceptionally nutty flavor. 

Paleta Iberica de Bellota.  From Cinco Jotas, the shoulder cut from the same famous 100% pure Iberico piggs from Jabugo.

Jamon Serrano Fermin from the white pigs from Salamanca

These were all incredibly flavorful, and it would be difficult to select my favorite. If pressed, I would choose the one on the far right, Sweet Harold's choice was the far left, and we both enjoyed the middle selection. Tiny crispy breadsticks were served alongside. The meat was sliced paper thin, and we had fun comparing the different flavors and textures. You could definitely tell the difference in each. $28.00

I've never met a blue cheese I didn't like.  Until this one.  And I didn't like this one at all.  I LOVED it.  Cabrales blue cheese is made with cow's milk, and this version literally melted in your mouth. It was so smooth and creamy and eaten along with the Iberico ham selection, it was a marriage made in tapas heaven. $4.00

Next, we had tomato bread. This isn't just a piece of bread with diced tomatoes on top.  From their cookbook: "In Catalonia, every Spanish meal starts with pan con tomate:  toast with olive oil, garlic, and of course tomato. It can be eaten alone with a glass of wine or served as part of an appetizer board that includes charcuterie, anchovies, and cheese. 

Our version was a toasted baguette, topped with ripe tomatoes, garlic, a good extra virgin olive oil, and fleur de sel. The Manchego cheese slices are a must to eat along with this bread. (Tomato Bread $7.00 / Manchego $3.00)

And now we're going to enjoy the main course(s).  Pincho Moruno is marinated lamb skewers.  With this dish, the flavors of the Moors are the star:  cilantro, parsley, garlic lemon, garam masala, thyme, sweet paprika, and arbol chiles.  The lamb was cooked perfectly. The sauce was flavorful and full of warm heat. $14.00

Now let's talk about those homemade cucumber-onion pickles! The sour crunch of the pickles cuts through the richness of the lamb and the marinade.  I could have eaten a plate of these!

Served with the lamb skewers was the Pimentos de Piquillo $9.00.  Again, a perfect pairing of sweetness to offset the richness of the lamb.  These delicious sweet red peppers are wood fire roasted and then peeled.  Did I mention they are stuffed with goat cheese?  

If this meal wasn't fantastic enough, we're going to have another version of the Iberico ham.  Yes, we inhaled the appetizer version, but here it makes a presentation as the main course. Grilled to perfection with fresh rosemary and thyme.  $22.00  This was one of my favorite dishes of the night.

Served alongside the grilled Iberico was Setas al Jerez which is a variety of sauteed mushrooms with a splash of sherry $10.  The different types of mushrooms, each with a different texture, made this side dish perfection.

Finally, we have reached the desserts!

Sweet Harold chose the Tarte de Queso $9.00.  This is a burnt basque cheesecake with a roasted strawberry tempranillo compote, and sheep's cheese whipped cream.  Let's go through this step by step.  The cheesecake itself would have been one of the best I've ever eaten. If you're not familiar with Tempranillo, it's a black grape variety widely grown to make a full-bodied red wine it is native Spain.  Add that to the roasted strawberry compote....oh my.  And if you've never had a sheep's cheese whipped cream, well, it's not that sweet which is just what the richness of this cheese is waiting for.  Everything came together in one delicious bite.

I chose the Brazo de Gitano $8.00.  The picture is deceiving as this beautiful dessert was served in a bowl, not a plate. This is an almond and goat cheese roulade with torched meringue, with a browned butter thyme crumble, lemon curd and blueberry sorbet.

The almond and goat cheese roulade would have been a fantastic dessert on its own. The beads of lemon curd offset the sweetness of the roulade. The butter thyme crumble added a wonderful texture to the dish. The blueberry sorbet should be packaged and sold nationwide! The meringue was spooned around the edge of the bowl and then torched. Oh, my goodness.  So many layers of flavors and textures. This was the perfect ending of a fantastic meal.

There are so many other menu options that I wish we could have tried.  But you can only eat so much at one sitting!  Sauteed shrimp with sliced garlic, patatas bravas Galician style octopus, house-made sausage, roasted clams, paella.....the extensive list is mouthwatering.

Our dining experience lasted a little over two hours.  We never felt rushed. Hernandez was spot on perfection with is service.  Just as we would finish one dish and sit back in contentment, the next course was presented.

As you can see from the pictures, extreme care is given to the attention to detail of each dish. Beautiful presentation from one course to the next.  

We had such a memorable meal and can't wait to return to Asheville to try more of their excellent tapas.