Restaurants in Asheville

The canvas ceiling ruffles slightly as a belly dancer twirls, creating a slight breeze with her upraised shawl. Lantern sconces cast shadows over the band while their hands pluck strings, pound drums, and blow raspberries. On the walls, ornate Middle Eastern patterns and silhouettes of onion domes surround the audience—their eyes flit to another dancer's fingers, now walking the edge of a golden sword. The spectacle has distracted them from the aromas at their table: scents of Syrian spices, housemade tahini sauce, and pomegranate molasses mingle in the air and only draw the diners back to their meals once the dancers have taken a bow.

These performances typify Friday and Saturday nights at Jerusalem Garden Cafe, a venue that strives for immersive authenticity. Incorporating cuisine from Istanbul, Lebanon, Cairo, and other locales, the menu whisks patrons away to the Mediterranean. Skewers of beef fillet and chicken breast depart the kitchen alongside lamb, salmon, and shrimp, whose seasonings build on the flavors of housemade hummus and baba ghanouj. Vegan and vegetarian options are also on hand to sate herbivorous appetites.

The son of a Greek immigrant from the small village of Nostimo ("delicious" in Greek), Tommy Tsiros spent his youth surrounded by the aromas of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and olive oil—all of the essential ingredients in Greek and Italian cuisines. Tommy’s love for the homestyle dishes of his childhood led him to open his first restaurant, a downtown deli that soon became a popular lunch spot among locals. Though his 10 years at the deli established his reputation for delicious Italian fare, it was not until he left the deli and opened Pomodoros Greek & Italian Café that he was able to follow his true culinary passions.

Those passions are manifest in the dishes Tommy grew up with and that chefs now cook to perfection in his restaurant—dishes that include homemade spaghetti bolognese, grilled wild salmon, and veal piccata. Greek and Italian cultures contribute heavily to Tommy’s vision, and the balance between the two is apparent on the menu as well as in the warm staff and the togas draped across each table. No Mediterranean feast is complete without wine, and the café’s wine list proves its worth with a selection that has won numerous Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence.