Great Experience at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Asheville

Last December, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Asheville opened their door to public in Historic Biltmore Village Asheville. I has been telling myself that I need to check it out and taste the steak. Last night was the night! We had an awesome special Chef Tasting Dinner at Ruth's Chris.

We tasted 5 different courses of appetizers.

First one was Seared Ahi Tuna. What I can say is WOW to the taste. The tuna was perfectly seared, but it still kept the tenderness. The sweet-sour taste Asian style salad on the side applied the freshness to my tastebuds.

Second, was a Mushroom Stuffed with Crabmeat, which is made with a broiled cap with jumbo lump crab stuffing and sprinkled with Romano cheese. For me, that was a perfect combination.

Third course was Barbecued Shrimp, which is my favorite! The sauteed shrimps with white wine, butter, garlic and spiced sauce made the dish so tasty and special.

Forth, was Veal Osso Buco Ravioli. In fact, I am not a ravioli fan, but this veal ravioli was truly delicious. And now I may change my mind and become a ravioli eater after all.

The last appetizer course was Lobster Bisque, which is one of the soups served daily on their menu. As a seafood fan, I love this soup.

For the entree, we were served the famous Ruth's Chris Filet Mignon. The filet was very tender, the temperature was right, the taste was awesome. After finishing the filet mignon, I kept telling myself that I want more! Also, three side dishes were served to us by our server Daniel, who was very friendly and professional.

Besides the food, the beverage was a highlight too. I had a very special unique non-alcohol drink made by Tony (one of the managers at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Asheville). The drink was based on club soda, citrus and raspberry. Because of my special diet, sugar and alcohol cannot be in my drink. Tony noticed that and made a special drink for me. Although it was a simple drink, it was very special to me.

The whole experience with Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Asheville was truly satisfying. Not only was the food great, but the service was also excellent. I am very sure that I will definitely come back to have dinner again and again. Great job Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Asheville!

Champa Sushi & Thai Fine Dining in Hendersonville NC

I had a mini vacation in Hendersonville NC last week. The experience was great, and I had an awesome dinner  at Champa Sushi & Thai Fine Dining. As a big sushi and sashimi fan, I was totally satisfied with the food from Champa.

I had the Seaweed Salad first. The taste was so great, combined with sesame oil, vinegar, some red pepper. It really opened my appetite for the dinner.

Second course was Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura. The taste was different and nice. After tasting the crispiness from outside, you taste the freshness of the food inside.

For dinner, I had eel, white tuna and smoked salmon Sashimi, and also Blue Ridge Sushi Roll. Champa Sushi & Thai Fine Dining Hendersonville did a great presentation. As soon as the plate was presented on the table, I told myself "I want to eat all of it now!"

I really enjoyed my dinner at Champa Sushi in Hendersonville. The food and service was great. I will definitely come back there again soon!

Curves Arden NC - National Women's Health Week May 2012

Curves for women is an international fitness franchise co-founded by Gary and Diane Heavin in 1995. Curves fitness and weight loss facilities are designed specially for and focused on women. If you are living in South Asheville, Arden and Fletcher area, Curves of Arden will be your perfect place to workout, keep yourself healthy and achieve your weight loss goals.

During National Women's Health Week (May 13 - 19, 2012), Curves Arden will give away 30-Day Free Membership to all new members, which will offer the opportunity to new members to use the club for 30 days free. Also on National Curves Day (May 17, 2012), Curves Arden will be hosting Health and Wellness Fair from 9am to noon and 4pm to 6pm.

What's more, Curves Arden also offers Curves Complete, which is a new 90-day diet program that will change the way women approach weight loss. Curves Complete combines three important components: Diet, Exercise and Motivation. You can enjoy One Week Free for signing up the program.

Call Elaine Robinson (Owner/Certified Coach) at 8286518543 for more information or visit Curves Arden, 2270 Hendersonville Road Arden, NC 28704

Great Experience at Historic Kapps Mill Estate NC

It was definitely a pleasure to stay one night in Historic Kapps Mill Estate in Dobson NC. This estate was originally built in 1843, having around a 170 year-old history, which contained the dam, a mill, a post office/general store, and an owner's house. Now the property has everything above except the post office, which was sold separately to different people, and the owner's house was modernized several years ago. The garden and yard area is gorgeous too. There is a large stream crossing in front of the house, a small waterfall on the side, a 8 feet wide bridge connecting the house to the half moon driveway, a horse barn and a garden. I truly enjoyed sitting on the chair in the front porch in the early morning, listening to birds' singing in the trees and enjoying the peace from the nature.



Inside this 2 story house, there is a family room, a living room, a den, a kitchen, a dinning room, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 4 fireplaces, 4 storage rooms. It is a perfect place for a private family house or a vacation house. Looking through the window, you can see the view of the beautiful garden. During the nighttime, you can enjoy the quietness and the peace with your family.

Good news, Kapps Mill Estate, which is located on 962 Kapps Mill Road Dobson NC 27017 is for sale now. The property is rich in history. Contact Ellen Peric at Carolina Farms & Homes and call 336-456-5256 for more information and a showing tour.

Ignite comes to Asheville NC

When you see the title of this blog, maybe you have a question like this... "What is Ignite?" So, let me give you the short introduction. Ignite is a conference built of 5 minutes presentation, which means each speaker has 5 minutes to talk about their products, thoughts, dreams, and to show 20 different picture slides. Ignite was founded in Seattle, WA in 2006 and is represented in many Countries. Now, Asheville has the chance to get on the stage to talk about our ideas.

Here is one of my favorite videos of Ignite. This little kid spent 5 minutes telling us how to transmit his great ideas to a working low cost available 3D printer.



As you can see, Ignite is not only for technology people, but also for anyone that has their own ideas about anything. It is a great opportunity for you to show and share with other key members in the community. Asheville, please mark your calendars for the Ignite Asheville conference on February 21, 2012.

Asian community supports the "Locals Know Best" campaign at the Hotel Indigo Asheville

Recently, on behalf of the Asian community I was honored to attend a new menu tasting dinner at 151 Boutique Bar and Kitchen inside Hotel Indigo Asheville. The tasting dinner was a part of "Locals Know Best" Food and Beverage campaign, which is aim to work with local farms and to invite the local to share their favorite neighborhood dish, in all of the Hotel Indigos.

The tasting dinner included four food courses (Begin, Comfort, Fulfill, Complete) which were paired with different wines and a martini.

"Begin" --- I have to say, the salad was the best salad I never had in my life. Different than the normal green salad. First of all, the salad looked great, having chopped tomatoes, Gorgonzola, garlic toasted walnuts on the top, wrapped by an English cucumber. Second, the salad was made with citrus vinaigrette, which increased my appetite. And the cucumber added the fresh finish in my mouth when I finished each bite. What's more, the salad was paired with a glass of Sant' Antonio Fontana Soave from Italy, which is a medium-sweet but is well-balanced acidity. The whole experience of the "Begin" was perfect.

"Comfort" --- The second course was a crab cake dish served with white wine butter sauce and topped with micro arugula. The crab cake had a perfect texture, outside was crispy, but inside soft. Also the crab cake was from Blue Water Seafood Asheville, one of 25 local partners which Hotel Indigo Asheville works with. This dish was a good example for the Local Knows Best campaign. Plus, having a glass of Annabella Chardonnay with the dish made the experience even better.

"Fulfill" --- The main course was a homemade Pappardelle pasta dish, which was braised in red wine and tomato also having braciole and thinly sliced Angus sirloin on the top of the pasta. Paired with a glass of Coltibuono Cetemura Chianti Italy, it made me really enjoy the main course.

"Complete" --- Now it's time for dessert, house made mango creme brulee, which was filled with some tiny cubes of fresh mango. The mango creme brulee tasted very fresh and medium sweet. And don't forget to get an Espresso Bean Martini. They were so perfect with each other. Delicious!

As you can see, the whole dinner was excellent. And the 151 Boutique Bar and Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants in the Asheville area. If you ever have a chance to visit Asheville NC, stop by Hotel Indigo, get a couple drinks, grab a bite and enjoy the unique atmosphere.

Med Express Nitrile Gloves co-sponsors Asian Asheville

Disposable Nitrile gloves? Sorry, we have no idea what they are. It's ok, because the first time when I heard about them, I had the exact same reaction. But when I saw them and put them on, I was surprised by the texture. Compared to the normal disposable gloves, they are ambidextrous, non-sterile, and more flexible. It is magic that they can fit my hands according to my shape, and they are not too big or too tight. In addition, no matter how hard I tried to stretch the gloves, I couldn't break them.

So, let me give you more information about Disposable Nitrile gloves. 


Nitrile gloves from Med Express are powder-free gloves, which do not contain any protein so they are less likely to cause skin irritation or allergic reaction. They are extremely resistant to punctures, tears and also chemicals. What's more, Nitrile gloves provide the wearer with enhanced tactile sensitivity, and they react to your body temperature and conform to the shape of your hand making them flexible and exceptionally snug. Also, they are available in sizes small to extra large.


If you are interested in nitrile gloves, you can order a free sample on their website. 


I believe the day that a standard that all the Sushi Chefs wear nitrile gloves to make sushi rolls for us is coming.  Do you agree with me?