The High Country Small Plate Crawl Happening This Weekend; Check Out All of the Menus Here

By Madison Fisler Lewis

 

Jan. 19, 2015. The High Country Small Plate Crawl returns and this year is even better than ever. Over five days, almost twenty local area restaurants will create exclusive menus with small plate items which range from $3-$8 for guests to sample from. These “small plates” are designed to give a taste of what the chef’s at each restaurant are capable of. Take yourself on a self-guided tour of as many participating restaurants as you’d like and perhaps find your new favorite spot; or discover something new about an old favorite.

Each day during the Small Plate Crawl, each restaurant welcomes crawlers all five days during the same block of time: breakfast, lunch and dinner hours from 7-9 p.m. Crawlers can travel from restuarant to restaurant at their leisure and while they’re at it, get a chance to win great prizes.

This year, the well-known “passport” has been replaced by a free QR scanning application. With the app, diners will be able to scan a unique code at each restaurant they visit and be put in the drawing for great prizes.

“You just head out to the Small Plate Crawl and scan a barcode with your smart phone at each restaurant,” said John Pepper of Pepper’s Restaurant in Boone, who is coordinating the Small Plate Crawl.

“Each time you scan you will be entered to win prizes. A lot of local businesses have donated gift packs this year and every restaurant that is participating has donated gift cards. We even have special prizes if you go to ten or more restaurants and prizes from other businesses as well.”

Prizes include a grand prize Asheville Getaway, which includes a night at the Aloft in downtown Asheville as well as a gift card to Chestnut restaurant just across the street and a second grand prize, a Charlotte getaway including a hotel room in uptown Charlotte, dinner at NoDa restaurant and tickets to a Charlotte Knights baseball game. To qualify to win the grand prizes, you must check in at 15 or more restaurants during the small plate crawl.

Those who check in at 10-14 restaurants during the crawl will be entered to win a $100 gift card to The Stone Jewelers.

Those who check in at five or more restaurants are registered to win a gift bag from The Pet Place, gift cards to Makoto’s Pepper’s, Town Tavern, Boone Bagelry, Bare Essentials, TApp Room, Red Onion, Lost Province, Primo’s, Gamekeeper, Sunrise Grill, Foggy Rock and Over Yonder.

This year, even more restaurants are participating than ever before.

“We definitely have a lot more restaurants participating this year,” Pepper said. “I think that it is super beneficial for business and it doesn’t cost members of Boone Independent Restaurants anything to participate. This time of year is usually pretty slow, so it is a no-brainer for many of them.”

The Small Plate Crawl serves many purposes in the High Country. While it gives diners a chance to try many restaurants around the area, it also gives local chefs a chance to be creative.

“The chefs have a really good time being creative with the menu since they know it will only last a few days,” Pepper said. “They don’t have a ton of pressure that comes with putting something out. It is temporary and the chefs just love it.”

Crawlers themselves can use the crawl as an opportunity to try restaurants that may be outside of their price range, or that they may not have known about before.

“With a lot of people, you have your same five restaurants that you go to and that’s it,” Pepper said. “We use it as a place for customers to try a restaurant they may not have thought about before. It is perfect for students too. It is easy as a student to get stuck going to the same places. The price point levels the playing field for everyone and it puts a lot less pressure on everyone.”

This year, a total of 18 restaurants are participating with unique menus priced just right for their small plates. The participating restaurants, along with their offerings, are as follows:

Boone Bagelry 105
125 Graduate Lane, Boone

• Stuffed French Toast: $4.50
• Pancakes: $3
• Lox Hash with One Egg Any Style: $4
• The Tony: $4.50
• Turkey and Apple Grilled Cheese: $4.50
• Spinach Salad

Casa Rustica
1348 N.C. 105, Boone

• Seared Scallops
• Beef Bruschetta
• Ceviche de Camaron
• Asparagus di Parma
• Salmon Canneloni
• Tomato Basil Arancini

Foggy Rock Eatery and Pub
8180 Valley Blvd., Blowing Rock

“This is the first time we have done the Small Plate Crawl and we thought we would give it a try,” said Burt Myers of Foggy Rock.

“It is a slower time of year, and most of the things on our menu are things that we have put into specials that later became popular and other things like that. These are all great flavors that we have put together for our small plates.”

• Grilled Crayfish Risotto Cake: $3
• Brick Pimento Cheese with Pita Points: $4
• Bahn Mi Meatballs: $5
• Pork Tostada: $6
• Fried Green Tomato with Jumbo Scallops: $7
• Fresh Blackened Salmon Fillet: $8
• Winter ales beer flight special

Joy Bistro
115 New Market Centre, Boone

• Warm Cheddar Brioche: $5
• Sesame Encrusted Chevre: $8
• House Cured Salmon: $7
• Raspberry Turnover: $7
• Fig Sidecar Micro Cocktail: $5
• Fall Classic Micro Cocktail: $5
• Titignano Salviano Orvieto Classico Superiore: $4

The Local
179 Howard St., Boone

• Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Soy
• Mini Chimi Tacos with Plantain Mash
• Grilled Shrimp and Mango Skewer
• Angry Pork
• Mini Sandwich Sampler

Lost Province Brewing Company
130 North Depot St., Boone

• Fire Roasted Olives: $5
• Sesame Edamame: $5
• Local Kale Salad: $6
• Smoky Pumpkin Soup: $5
• Beer Braised Mussels: $7
• Chocolate Porter Cake: $6

Makoto’s Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar (Dinner – 5 p.m.)
2124 Blowing Rock Rd., Boone

“Our chef comes up with the items that we will be offering, and he is from Singapore, so he loves to incorporate foods from Singapore into Japanese dishes,” said Gwen Dhing of Makoto’s.

“We will have the Small Plate Crawl items on a special menu that we will hand out like a specials menu. The good thing about Makoto’s is that most of our sushi menu is small plates, so people can come and try something new alongside their favorite sushi items!”

• Fried Rice with Sweet Smoked Chinese Sausage: $5
• Bacon Wrapped Crispy Spicy Scallops: $5
• Two Piece Mackerel Nigiri: $5
• Smoked Salmon Pizza: $5
• Angry Crab with Cream Cheese: $5

Over Yonder
3608 N.C. 194, Sugar Grove

• Duck Fat Roasted Fingerling Potatoes: $6
• Shredded Heritage Pork Shoulder: $5
• Duroc Pork Belly Kabob: $8
• Smoked Sunburst Trout Mousseline: $8
• Sweet and Sour Frog Legs: $7
• Potlikker Gumbo and Cherokee Bread Dumplings: $5

Pepper’s Restaurant and Bar
240 Shadowline Dr., Boone

• Fried Chicken: $4
• Okra Fries: $3
• Tacos: $8
• Sliders: $5
• Salad: $7
• Mini Pizza: $6
• Shrimp and Grits: $7

Primos Pizza, Pasta and Subs
1180 Blowing Rock Rd., Boone

• Myleia’s Bruschetta & Garlic Knots: $3
• Lobster and Crab Bisque: $2
• Mini Mossimo Pizza: $6
• Salad Plates: $2.50
• Dessert Bite Sampler: $5

Proper
142 Water St., Boone

• Biscuit $6
• Posole: $5
• Salad: $5
• Timbale: $8
• Poblano: $7
• Tart: $4
• Torrone: $3

Red Onion Cafe
227 Hardin St., Boone

• Flatbreads: $5
• Stuffed Winter Squash: $5
• 5-Vegetable Tian: $6
• Shrimp and Grits: $8
• Red Velvet Cheesecake: $3

The Rock Sports Bar and Grill
276 Watauga Village Dr., Boone

• Mix and match signature burgers and franks.

Sunrise Grill
1675 N.C. 105, Boone

• Ultimate Benedict: $6.99
• Grayson: $5.99
• Spinach, Tomato and Feta Quiche: $5.99
• Sunrise Homemade Corned Beef Hash: $6.99
• Short Stack: $2.50
• Sunrise Sushi: $4.99
• Homemade Ham and White Bean Soup: $4.99
• Chicken or Pulled Pork Quesadilla: $5.99
• Yosef Fries: $6.99

The Table at Crestwood
3236 Shulls Mill Rd., Boone

• Chicken and Waffles: $3
• Massaged Kale Salad: $4
• Yellowfin Tuna: $6
• Lamb Chop Lollypops: $8
• Duck Confit Poutine: $8
• Mini Tinis :$5
• Wine Flights: $8
• Half-Beer Special: $2.50

The TApp Room
421 Blowing Rock Rd., Boone

• Egg in the Hole: $4
• Philly Chicken Taco: $3
• Cincinnati Chili: $4
• Fried Shrimp: $5
• Beer Flights: $4.50

Timberlake’s Restaurant at Chetola Resort
185 Chetola Lake Dr., Blowing Rock

“We will be participating on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23 and 24,” said Allison West of Chetola Resort.

“We will be holding our Small Plate Crawl menu during regular dinner hours. Thursday night is WinterFeast with WinterFest, so we will just be holding it for two nights.”

• Pan Seared Scallop: $8
• Braised Pork Belly: $8
• Grilled Petite Angus Beef Fillet: $8
• Fried Green Tomato Napoleon: $8
• Prosciutto, Tomato and Arugula Bruschetta: $6
• Chocolate Ganache Tart with Toasted Coconut Crust: $6

Town Tavern Boone
208 Faculty St., Boone

• Barbeque Plate: $4.50
• Tomato Bisque with 3 Cheese Grilled Cheese: $5
• Buffalo Style Chicken Wings: $3.95
• Angus Mushroom Swiss Burger: $5.95

Valle Crucis Bakery and Cafe
3657 N.C. 194, Valle Crucis

• Shrimp and Grits
• Buttermilk Fried Chicken
• VCBC Grilled Chicken
• Pork Tenderloin
• Julie’s Homemade Carrot Cake
• Julie’s Chocolate Bourbon Suttles Farm Pecan Pie
• Homemade Ashe County Pimento Cheese

Bandana’s Bar B Que and Grill

• BBQ Sundae: $5
• Mini Ultimate Pork Sandwich: $4
• Smoked Turkey Sliders: $6
• One Trip Salad Bar: $6
• Baby Back or St. Louis Ribs: $7
• Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp Skewers: $7
• Strawberry and Peach Cobbler: $3

CoBo Sushi Bistro & Bar

• Lil Dragon Roll: $6.75
• Lil Yosef Roll: $6.75
• Seaweed and Squid: $3
• Hamachi Tataki: $7
• Fried Calamari: $4.75
• Baby Co-Bang: $5
• Tyler’s Lil Cheesecake: $3.50

Gamekeeper Restaurant

• Banh Mi: $6
• Pig in a Blanket: $6
• Slider: $6
• Rumaki: $6
• Antelope Ravioli: $6
• Caldierada:$6
• Rainbow Trout: $6
• Quesadilla: $6
• Acorn Squash: $6
• Panna Cotta: $6

Stick Boy Kitchen

• Ham and Swiss Sliders: $5
• Hanging Farms Salad: $6
• Chicken and Biscuits: $6
• Frittata Two Ways: $4
• Mexican Choco-latte: $4.25
• Kitchen Brownie Sandwich: $6

There is absolutely no charge for the event except for the plates that you purchase. Sharing is okay, and no extra charge will be included for shared plates. You wouldn’t want to get too full up on your first adventure! Organizers urge crawlers to please remember to tip their servers, as they work just as hard for the small plates as they do for the large ones.

Perfect for college kids on a budget, savvy restaurant lovers who want a little taste of everything, or someone just looking for an excuse to hit all the best spots in town, the Small Plate Crawl has something for everyone.

For more information on the Small Plate Crawl, please click here.