The Asheville Independent Restaurant Association (AIR) is once again offering its AIR Passport in plenty of time for the holidays. The 2015 Passport, which includes buy-one-get-one free coupons at 46 of Asheville’s locally-owned, farm-to-table restaurants and breweries, can be pre-ordered for $60 at the AIR website (www.airasheville.org) or purchased in December at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce gift shop.
“The AIR Passport is the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys Asheville’s vibrant culinary culture,” said Kim Murray, chair of AIR’s Marketing Committee and managing partner of The Lobster Trap, a long-standing favorite among residents and visitors. “The AIR Passport is more than just a great value. It’s a way to support independent restaurants like The Lobster Trap, and the farmers who in turn support us. I like to think of it as just another way to ‘buy local’ for the holidays.”
The 2015 AIR Passport applies to either breakfast, lunch, dinner or brunch at the following restaurants: 32 Ice Bar, Amborzia Bar & Bistro, Avenue M, The Bier Garden, Bouchon, The Cantina at Biltmore, Chai Pani, Chestnut, City Bakery Café, Corner Kitchen, Creekside Taphouse, Creperie Bouchon, Daugherty’s American Kitchen, French Broad Chocolate Lounge, Glass Onion, Grovewood Café, Jack of the Wood, Jerusalem Garden Café, Karen Donatelli’s Café, Kathmandu, King James Public House, Korean House, Laughing Seed, Lexington Avenue Brewery, Little Pigs Bar-B-Que, The Lobster Trap, Luella’s Bar-B-Que, Mela, Nightbell , Oysterhouse Brewing, Pack’s Tavern, Plant, Red Stag Grill, Rosetta’s Kitchen, Roux, Sante Wine Bar, Scully’s Bar & Grill, The Social, The Social Lounge & Tapa, Strada Italiano, Tupelo Honey Café, Ultimate Ice Cream, Village Wayside Café, Vincenzo’s and Vinnie’s Neighborhood
AIR, which was founded in 2004, is an association of local, independent restaurants dedicated to keeping Asheville’s food scene eclectic, interesting, fresh and flavorful. Its more than 100 members contribute richly to the city’s reputation as a culinary destination. In the process, AIR members have made Asheville a national leader in culinary innovation and sustainability through farm-to-table sourcing and environmentally-sustainable operations. As a result of their work, Asheville was the first city in the U.S. to be named a Green Dining Destination™. In 2014, three Asheville restaurants were named to the nation’s list of Top 20 Greenest Restaurants by the Green Restaurant Association.