Our review by FOOD CRITIC JOHN BATCHELOR! John Batchelor: Bia’s a superb choice for creative dining Story Posted: Thursday, July 3, 2014 5:00 am By John Batchelor Special to Go Triad Bia’s Gourmet Hardware takes its name from a space that was originally a hardware store, about 100 years ago, in downtown Asheboro. Manager Eric Rich and Executive Chef Bia Rich carried out much of the reconstruction themselves, trying to retain the historic structure’s core elements. Old brick walls look down onto the original wood floors from a two-story interior. A long bar lines one wall, allowing glimpses into the pass-through of a semi-open kitchen. The look is uptown and very attractive, but the ambience can be pretty noisy. A separate room that once housed a former bank’s safe is now the temperature-controlled “wine vault.” Wine selections here earn particular praise. High-end choices are available, but noteworthy care has been devoted to the combination of quality and value. Try, for example, Eberle Full Boar red blend. I would name it the absolute best $20 bottle I have ever had if that were retail. But on a restaurant wine list at that price, it’s phenomenal, and it’s an especially good match for Bia’s meat dishes, which I perceive as one of her strengths. A solid selection of artisan beers follows that growing trend as well. Bia is from Brazil. She met Eric when they both lived in New York, where she worked for 20 years in food service as a personal chef in Tribeca, as well as general manager of the Rodeo Bar. They moved to Asheboro so they could raise their children in a different setting. That lured them toward her husband’s family home in the Triad. Sliced bread is locally made at The Table Farmhouse and Bakery (139 S. Church St., Asheboro, 336-736-8628, the tablebakery), quite a special place in its own right. Bread is served with olive oil and olive tapenade. On my initial visit, Roasted Radish Salad struck me as such a novelty, we had to have it. In a telephone interview, Chef Bia said she created it because radishes were the first vegetables coming in fresh from local farms for the season. Farm links are a key element of Bia’s concept. The radishes are lightly sprinkled with olive oil and salt and pepper, roasted, then hit with heat in the pan just before service and joined with goat cheese and a little arugula. Simply outstanding! Fried Green Tomatoes are presented on a black slate tile in an impressive vertical stack of three thick slices, spread with homemade pimiento cheese of applewood smoked cheddar, Goat Lady Dairy gouda and roasted red bell peppers, scattered with green peppercorns. The crust is thick and crisp, giving way to firm tomato texture and intense, tart flavor, enhanced with light chipotle and cilantro aiolis. Peti Pan Squash is halved and hollowed, filled with crab meat and broiled. The squash itself comes out fairly firm, its natural flavor unadorned, while the crab meat is lightly browned. As presented, this is streaked with roasted pepper and corn veloute plus a little cilantro oil. Good, simple flavors emerge. As stated on previous occasions, ordering vegetarian entrees seldom, if ever, sacrifices flavor. Roasted Portobello Mushroom is a case in point. The large cap is grilled and essentially allowed to speak for itself, joined with farro (a nutritious, nutty-tasting grain) salad and jicama, dressed in citrus vinaigrette. Crab Cakes provide quality crab meat flavor from intact lumps, within a softish texture, enhanced by red bell peppers. A mild remoulade sauce perks things up a bit. These are good, but they would not rank among my favorites. In Chicken Milanese, two breast halves, deboned, are rolled in bread crumbs and fried, yielding a pleasant, Italian-influenced effect, the chicken tender and moist. These are placed under arugula, flanked by lemon slices at the corners, halved cherry tomatoes interspersed, for a vivid, colorful presentation. Flavor is further enhanced with shaved, mellow, aged Parmesan cheese. The greens are lightly dressed in citrus vinaigrette. We asked for more and drizzled some on the chicken, liking the livelier impact even more. Heritage Farms Cheshire Pork Chop, bone in, is about an inch thick, tender, moist and deeply flavored. This is premium meat, enhanced with caramelized apples, currants and carrots. Roasted sweet potatoes are the item specific starch — an excellent, well-conceived and balanced conception. Beef Tips, on the winter menu, were almost like a stew, very tender, deeply flavorful, with lots of soft cooked onions, served over mashed potatoes. On our most recent visit, we tried two off-menu specials. Cheshire Farms Pork Milanese was composed of four tenderloin slices, almost an inch thick, rolled in bread crumbs and fried, emitting excellent pork flavor, dabbed with apples and figs, the fruit accompaniment serving the pork flavor especially well. Aromatic brie risotto rested over sliced pears. Four very large scallops were seared to a light brown, buttery in flavor and texture. A garlic-fennel reduction along with jasmine rice sprinkled with micro greens blended beautifully with the scallop flavor. Two more outstanding compositions. Vegetables are noteworthy for freshness and bright flavors. Corn pudding so bursts with flavor, it could be an entree in itself. Green beans/haricot verts and asparagus are cooked al dente, lightly dosed with melted butter. Kale and red-streaked Swiss chard are both braised. Brussels sprouts are shaved and sauteed with bacon. Desserts are winners, too. Chocolate Mousse is really rich. In Strawberry and Peach Panna Cotta, both fruit flavors are evident, flanked by blackberries and swirls of chocolate sauce. Servers are well-versed; orders are accurate; deliveries was well-paced on one occasion, a little sluggish on another. John Jones, familiar to Greensboro’s dining public from several ventures, most recently The Next Supper (thenextsupper) series, is shown on the website as sous chef. He also works the floor on occasion and has served as general consultant in the restaurant’s development. Bia’s is an easy recommendation for Randolph County residents, and it’s an easy and worthwhile drive even if you live in Greensboro. I’ll go back as often as I can. John Batchelor has reviewed restaurants for 30 years. His reviews appear the first Thursday of the month. Contact him at john.e.batchelor@gmail. For recent Fine Dining columns, visit gotriad and click dining. Or visit John Batchelor’s blog at johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot. Find more news, blogs, opinion, photos and videos at News-Record
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:58:06 +0000
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