Kathmandu Cafe, Asheville

While Kathmandu Cafe's cooks are fast asleep, their tandoori specialties marinate overnight in a blend of ground spices, herbs, and housemade yogurt. Once it's ordered, these appetizers—from seasonal veggies to jumbo shrimp—get roasted in the kitchen's clay oven. Though they incorporate Indian elements, Kathmandu Cafe's chefs actually specialize in traditional Himalayan dishes crafted from local organic fixings and ingredients imported directly from the Himalayas. Here spinach curries lend zest to cuts of boiled chicken breast, dashes of garlic flavor housemade cheese, and spiced onion and coconut sauce smothers tender lamb. Complemented with organic wines and beers, feasts unfold amid Himalayan-inspired decor such as paintings and wooden crafts.