Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Deerpark Restaurant at Biltmore

On our Thanksgiving trip to the Asheville, North Carolina area,  we had an elegant lunch at the Deerpark Restaurant on the grounds at the Biltmore estate.  This facility was built at the turn of the century, not long after the Biltmore House was completed.  It was originally a barn where the prized dairy cattle were brought for calving.

In 1979,  the barn was renovated and has housed the Deerpark Restaurant since then.  Additional wings were added,  creating an open-air courtyard in the center.  This restaurant, featuring a taste of regional southern cuisine,  is also a popular setting for weddings, rehearsal dinners, and parties.

We enjoyed a lunch buffet while there.   Here was the menu:
SOUPS:  Pumpkin and Apple Cider Bisque;  Potato and Bacon;
SALADS:  Baby Romaine and Fresh Field Greens;  Roasted Beets and Hearts of Palm;  Bulghur wheat with Dried Fruits;  Traditional Waldorf Salad
ENTREES:  Herb-brined, Roasted Breast of Turkey;  Traditional Cornbread Stuffing;  Citrus Cranberry Relish;  Maple Glazed, Smoked Loin of Pork;  Chef's Special Entree du Jour;  Buttermilk Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes;  Harvest Vegetable Medley
DESSERTS:  Maple Pumpkin Pie; Southern Fruit Cobbler and Fresh Whipped Cream;  Pastry Chef's Selection of Assorted Petit Items;  Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake;  Chocolate Peppermint Tart

Needless to say,  all was delicious.  One of my favorites was the Pumpkin Apple Cider Bisque.. I had never had that --and it was all over me wonderful.  Today,  I will show you some pictures of this gorgeous place.  Above is the sign outside --and more are below.





Here's a picture of the outside of Deerpark Restaurant.





Here's a gorgeous Poinsettia tree that greeted us once we went inside.





From our table,  we could see out into the courtyard.





Here's a picture of one of the banquet rooms we saw while looking around the facilities.  I can understand why people would rent it for weddings or parties.





Finally,  here is a picture of a pretty Christmas tree located in another banquet room.  Note the adorable little sleigh on the table beside the tree...  I loved it!!!!

You MUST tune in tomorrow to hear what happened to me while at that restaurant....

Have a great day and keep the spirit of Christmas within you.

Hugs,

62 comments:

SquirrelQueen said...

Before I forget again, I love your header photo Betsy.

The restaurant looks fantastic, can you imagine a wedding reception in that gorgeous banquet room? The menu sounds delicious but could I start with dessert, the Maple Pumpkin pie would be yummy.

Anonymous said...

The food sounds wonderful and the surroundings are so pretty. Can't wait to hear the rest of the story!

diane b said...

What a beautiful restaurant. It looks very posh and old worldy. I would love to try that menu. So many foods I haven't heard of. I love trying new foods.
Can't wait to hear your story.

Arkansas Patti said...

Now I remember why I want to be rich. So I could sit down daily to a menu like that, then have my personal fitness trainer run my shoes off.
I will have to try "Roasted Beets and Hearts of Palm salad."
Beautiful place and glad you had such a nice time.

Catherine said...

What a beautiful restaurant. I am thinking everything must have tasted extra yummy there! :)

xo Catherine

Fred Alton said...

Beautiful place! We enjoyed a meal there while we were visiting churches in the Asheville area on behalf of our church's world missions department. Wonderful memories.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

How beautiful...I'm afraid my food would get cold while I was gazing everywhere!!!

Anonymous said...

Longwood Gardens offered a Thanksgiving buffet as well. We opted not to partake in their buffet, choosing instead to dine at a restaurant on our hotel property. Once I am finished sharing photographs of Longwood Gardens, I will write about our experience at the Concordville Inn. By the way I didn't notice any Christmas decorations at the Concordville Inn. The Deerpark Restaurant appears as though it was decorated beautifully.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Wow! I might even forget about eating,with all that beauty around.Nah,the menu sounds delicious,so bring on the food,I can eat and look at the beauty at the same time.The place would be a perfect backdrop for weddings.
Blessings,Ruth

Lynda said...

When we visited the grounds last spring, we did not eat in the restaurant but I wondered what it was like - - - glad you told me. Biltmore is amazing- - - especially for the time period in which it was built. It would be nice to go back and see the grounds blooming in all the different seasons.

MadSnapper said...

so you had lunch in a barn, i was thinking hay and oats but the menu is way cool for a barn. then i saw the inside of the barn. wow and wow again. gorgeous banquet rooms, loved the ceiling in the one shot and that tree is certainly worthy of use on christmas card. what a fantastic place to eat. even the outside does no look like any barn i have seen

Tammy ~ Country Girl at Home ~ said...

Oh my Betsy, what a beautiful place! Love that poinsettia tree and the beautiful big tree! It looks so cozy there! Just gorgeous!

Hope you two are doing well! I think about you and your travels from time to time!

Have a great time!
Tammy

Snap said...

Stunning!!!!! Love the new header.

Darla said...

What a beautiful place...oh I can't even imagine what you got yourself into...hope it was painless, lol.

Karin said...

Ooooooooooing and aaaaaaaaaaaaing here! That's is simply gorgeous and to think it's original state was quite humble! What a great menu! So glad you enjoyed it! That poinsettia tree is so lovely - and so much fun to water I bet, lol! - I caught that little strike through and can only imagine what happened with the bisque!

Out on the prairie said...

Wonderful buffet, I have made a similar pumpkin soup. This time of year that always hits the spot to ward offf the cold.

amy @ Life in Pink Hi-Tops said...

Love the header poinsettias! The buffet sounds so wonderful. What a beautiful place!! The Christmas Tree is amazing. I really like the poinsettia tree, too.

Anonymous said...

The Deerpark Restaurant looks and sounds like a great place to eat. My wife loves to eat at nice restaurants. In my book Taco Bell is a high class place to eat :-)

~Ron

Kelly said...

We stayed at the Biltmore two summers ago on our way to Hilton Head. We loved it! We ate in the restaurant and did the wine tour too. The place was gorgeous. I see from your photos Christmas is the time to go! The decorations are so pretty. I wish we had time to head down this season, but I don't think that's going to happen!

I Am Woody said...

What a beautiful place! I can understand that desire to have parties there!

Neal said...

Where is the food. I want to see what you ate. :)
That is a beautiful place. I'd like to go back again but I don't know if I want to fight the crowds.

KathyA said...

I can understand why people would want to hold events there, too. So beautiful! I'm going to Google the site today and look at the menu!

Jo said...

Uh-oh, Betsy. I'll not miss tomorrow's post! What YUMMY cuisine you have in the South. I can eat all the soups and salads. The Yukon golden potatoes would be another choice I'd make. The deco is stunning. Would make a wonderful venue for a special occasion. HAve a blessed weekend, (((hugs))) Jo

Busy Bee Suz said...

What a gorgeous place.
I LOVE the menu...so much good stuff to choose from.
xo

Linda said...

Sounds wonderful both the building and the menu. I love the poinsettia tree.

Velvet Over Steel said...

Beautiful restaurant and Christmas decorations!! So many pretty decoration ideas and picture you took! Loved them all! Now I'm off to see your birds post! :-)

Have a Wonderful day, Betsy!!
Love & Hugs,
Coreen

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: What a neat place to visit, great photos of the stop.

amelia said...

What a gorgeous place to eat!!! I think I'd be happy just sitting there and looking around!! It almost looks like one of Britains Stately Homes!!

NENSA MOON said...

Hi Betsy,
Oww... what a beautiful restaurant!
and the menu of your lunch buffet sounds great!!
I'm glad could see you enjoy and have so much fun.

Thanks for sharing the photos and story!
I really enjoy them.

hugs,
nensa

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Hi Betsy, thanks for making me hungry after reading that menu! Haven't had my lunch yet...:D Seriously, that's a beautiful restaurant you had lunch at! I'm putting it on my list of "places to go when I ever get that way". Looks like you had a wonderful day. I can't wait to read about what happened there, so I'll be back tomorrow!

Hugs,
Cheryl

Ginny Hartzler said...

When I opened your blog and saw it was going to be all about food, I said "YES!" It does indeed look elegant! My favorite picture is the georgous lights on the banquet hall ceiling! No one is parked in front of the building! But perhaps that immediete area is no parking. Can't WAIT till tomorrows post, you know my favorite posts are birds and food!! And tell us what else you both ate, I would have wanted that chocolate peppermint tart!

Becca's Dirt said...

Beautiful place Betsy. I love the open interior. I can picture the cattle being brought into that area. What a neat place. LOVE those Christmas trees. Yummy menu too.

From the Kitchen said...

After reading the menu, I'm wanting to be there. When we visited, we had lunch at the Grove Park Inn and didn't allow enough time to really see the house and gardens but had a delightful time anyway.

Gee, that tree looks just like ours! = )

Best,
Bonnie

From the Kitchen said...

P.S. I hope you and George wore pants with elastic wastes!

B

Sharon said...

The food sounds good, and all those decorations are so pretty!

Oh, love your new header!

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Betsy,
I love your header. Yes, Biltmore House sure is beautiful especially at Christmas. I love the photos of the Christmas tree, the decorations, the the resturant. It is a great place to visit and to eat. Thanks for these lovely, festive photos. I enjoyed them very much.

Small City Scenes said...

Very elegant, betsy. I would love to dine there.
Imagine how well taken the calving cows were.

Regarding your birding comment---yes I spend a lot of time in the valley photographing birds of all kinds. Most everywhere I go I have to come off the hill and go through the valley so it is pretty neat. MB

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, Another place to put on my "Must see" list! Have a great evening and a fun-filled Friday tomorrow! Stay warm!

Unknown said...

Oh, Betsy, one of my favorite places to visit ... & particularly during the holiday seasons. Captured beautifully by you ...

Happy Christmas days ~
TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon

LV said...

Thanks for taking me back to see more of this lovely place.

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

Terrific holiday menu...I've never been there during the holidays, but would love to skip all the hub-bub at home one year and take a trip south! The tree in the sleigh picture is what I would like for my tree to look like (mine is more "Charlie Brown"-ish)

Diane said...

What an elegant and beautiful place for dinner. Diane

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

This plce has a reddish warm feeling about it. No wonder people pick it as a wedding venue.

Beth said...

Beautiful place! The food sounds wonderful. I would like to try that pumpkin apple cider bisque. The chocolate peppermint tarte sounds awesome too!:)

Unknown said...

OH you big tease! ;-) Beautiful Christmas tree! Could you wrap it up and send it my way?

Connie said...

Wow, Betsy, that buffet sounded like quite a spread! I bet it was great! Beautiful spot. :)

Anonymous said...

Looks really nice. I am glad you had such a wonderful time.

ratieh said...

Wooooww..i love the Christmas tree! and the sleigh is so cute! me likey! =)

and oh, i bet that the menu over there must be delicious. am i right?

Shelley said...

That place looks so warm and charming to dine at! Loved the interior of that restaurant and what a great menu! Great place to start the holiday season off. Glad you and George had a great time!
Hugs,
Shelley

carolina nana said...

My #1 son had his junior prom at Deerpark. You should have bought a pack of their mulled cider mix while you were there,I love that stuff in green tea.
Hope you have a blessed tomorrow and stay warm!
Marilyn

Glenda said...

Now you've made me hungry with that menu!! And the place is magnificent! Love that beautiful Christmas tree! Maybe we'll visit there one day - if we ever get back to that area!

Anonymous said...

Sorry I have been out of touch. So glad you had such a nice visit in my town over the holidays!

YHOSIE said...

hi mrs betsy ...

im a blog walker :D
and found beautiful blog of yours
giving so much christmas spirit in me

i havent decorate mine yet
just put the tree empthy now :D
i'll try finished it this weekend

regards from east java

Linda said...

That menu sounds delicious. I haven't had breakfast yet, but my mouth is watering reading about these salads and entrees!

Twilight Man said...

Thanks for sharing this interesting info. The restaurant still has its unique barn look and it's very pretty inside out. Yes, the sleigh was adorable!

The Retired One said...

Our summer neighbors live in Ashville..they want us to visit them this winter...so hopefully we can go and see this place ourselves!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful place! My brother and his wife enjoyed a trip to the Biltmore a few years ago. It was an jaw-dropping place but a little too extravagant for me. I do like the history of the place though.

Pat Tillett said...

What a beautiful place! It was a barn? wow!

Rose said...

I bet that place is gorgeous in real life...

Joe Todd said...

Biltmore on my 'Go To" list

penny said...

What a beautiful country Christmas feeling it has and with all the festive foods of the holidays to go with it.

Thanks for the tour, Betsy.. it was delightful ti see.

Hugs, Pam

Lisa said...

All your blogs from Christmas are so gorgeous. I love each of the flowers. The poinsettes are stunning too.
You have done a lot of work. Bless you and Happy New Year.
Hugs from Canada.