Restaurants in Elizabethton

The brainchild of two husband-and-wife teams, Mark and Jenny Henegan and executive chef John Daniel Schwalje and his wife Dara, The Asheville Public fills its rotating menu of gourmet gastropub fare with locally grown produce, grass-fed beef, and other quality ingredients. Six kinds of house-made sausage encase meats and seasonings from around the world, from the far-flung merquez sausage’s morroccan-spiced lamb and the boerewors’s south african-herbed beef to the jambalaya’s local mélange of marinated pork, all-natural chicken, crawfish, and chow-chow. Served alongside rich breakfast and brunch dishes or a la carte on an organic bun during dinner, sausages don house-made condiments and compete with organic greens and all-natural Angus beef burgers and steaks for stomach real estate. The Asheville Public’s low-key interior fosters a homey vibe with wooden tabletops, chandeliers crafted from empty bottles, and armchairs wearing sweatpants.

The chefs at Rosettas Kitchen whip up delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes stuffed with local, seasonal produce. The eatery's menu combines various vegetarian cuisines, including korean barbecue tempeh and tofu-infused wraps. Slender tables set against a brick wall facilitate nighttime nourishment as late as 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. During its 10 years of life, a flurry of benefits, art shows, and musicians have filled Rosettas with spontaneous glee and more creative energy than a neutron with a liberal-arts degree.

At Bandido's Burritos, a chalkboard emblazoned with colorful script announces an ever-changing roster of burritos, tacos, and sandwiches, each forged with ingredients from the gardens of local organic farmers. Owner Justin Smudde, who flaunts nearly two decades of culinary experience and has never tangled his chef’s hat in low-hanging branches, keeps the menu flexible to incorporate seasonal ingredients and hormone-free meats from animals butchered on-site. The air fills with scents that hint at the culinary adventures underway in the kitchen, from jalapenos shedding their tough skin over flames before blending into crema for tacos to locally caught trout smoking slowly.

The cooks embrace a myriad of culinary restrictions, including vegan and gluten-free diets, beneath the eatery’s avocado-hued walls. Street carts rumble away from the shop, supplying pedestrians with tortilla chips made in-house each day in the shape of popular dirt-bike ramps.

The sandwich artisans at Frank's NY Deli cull inspiration from The Big Apple as they stack high-quality Boar's Head meats and cheeses between bread or toss them into fresh romaine lettuce alongside crisp veggies. Their hearty menu of Frank's favorite sandwiches includes hot pastrami and reubens, and diners can create their own sandwiches by pairing various ingredients. The staff precisely slices the same meats and cheeses at the deli counter so that patrons can recreate hearty handhelds or shrines to the first hoagie at home, and cater parties with platters overflowing with sandwiches, veggies, and cheeses.

At Sogo Fusion, monkey rolls come arranged in tidy rows across a square plate, piled high with mounds of tempura seafood that lend the rolls the appearance of squat, tiny huts. The monkey roll is just one of dozens of artfully arranged platters. Chefs strive to match their creative presentations with equally inspired ingredients: tempura-battered seafood stars in many of the rolls, a crisp and savory batter complementing the bright flavors of mango and kiwi. In addition to sushi, they grill up Japanese hibachi entrees and simmer spicy Thai curries, which ensure that chopsticks stay too busy to assist with diners’ walrus impressions.

The sandwich maestros at Old School Subs and Deli stack their subs with Boar's Head meat and fresh produce purchased at WNC Farmers' Market. Sating early-morning cravings as well, the chefs griddle breakfasts of belgian waffles alongside egg-and-cheese sandwiches made with Eggland's Best Eggs. At lunch, guests can blindfold themselves and point to one of 15 signature sandwiches, landing on favorites such as the black-forest ham with Boar's Head baby swiss cheese. Adding a regional touch, each sandwich is prepared with bread baked fresh by Carolina Mountain Bakery.