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Soprana, E’Terie opens with stone oven pizza, global bites, cocktails

Vaseline

ASHEVILLE – Two new restaurant-bars are elevating the dining scene and social experiences downtown.

On April 18, Embassy Suites by Hilton Asheville Downtown, 192 Haywood St. hosted a grand opening celebration following the debut of its second food and beverage concept, the Italian-inspired Soprana Rooftop Cucina.

Embassy Suites opened last winter, and overnight guests and the public were invited to dine at the adjacent bar and grill, E’Terie.

E’Terie offers a menu of appetizers and snacks such as elote street corn fritters and main courses including Korean-style chicken and waffles, plus several pizzas and flatbread dishes.

In March, Soprana’s seventh-floor doors opened to the public as a chic rooftop pizzeria with panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Soprana’s starters

Soprana’s offers a range of classic brick oven pizzas, but the appetizers and small plates can’t be beat.

The First Impressions appetizer section offers half a dozen shareable dishes, such as the burrata and cheese, oven-baked Brussels sprouts, smoked white bean dip and warm Castelvetrano olives, and a charcuterie board full of goodies from the local Chop Shop Butchery.

“When creating the menu at Soprana, it was incredibly important to us to use ingredients sourced from Western North Carolina,” said Jeffrey Stanford, executive chef, in a press release. “Our local ranchers, farmers and makers are part of what makes Asheville’s food and drink scene so special, and we wanted this to be reflected in every bite at Soprana – many of our dishes feature ingredients from these partners, as well as homemade products. cultivated herbs.”

The oven-baked wings are seasoned with Italian dry rub from Spicewalla, the Asheville-founded spice company, and topped off with garlic butter and charred lemon.

For lighter bites, the Leaves & Ladles section offers a fire-roasted red pepper and tomato bisque and a trio of crisp salads, including an arugula-citrus salad – a mix of grapefruit, orange, radish, red onion, cucumber, radicchio and mixed with a honey-basil vinaigrette.

Pizza at Soprana

Whether red or white sauce is the preferred choice, Soprana has dinners with eight types of pizza.

The aptly named Asheville Pizza is a tomato sauce-based pie, topped with Chop Shop Butchery pepperoni and fresh mozzarella and drizzled with Asheville Bee Charmer’s Smokin’ Hot Honey.

The Chop Shop brings more meat from the butcher’s shop to the plate with Italian sausage, Soppressata and Genoa salami with fresh mozzarella, Castelvetrano olives, pickled Fresno peppers and fresh herbs in tomato sauce.

The artichoke pizza is brightened with basil pesto and layers of artichokes, fresh mozzarella, feta cheese and a touch of colorful heirloom tomatoes and arugula.

The fig and prosciutto pizza stars Prosciutto di Parma and fig supplemented with balsamic jam, red onions, chevre, fresh mozzarella and arugula and finished with extra virgin olive oil.

Finish the meal with a sweet bite of hazelnut panna cotta, olive oil cake, tiramisu ice cream sandwich or affogato.

Cocktails with a local touch

At the bar, specialty cocktails complement the food and beautiful views by putting some spice in a glass.

Asheville’s bountiful brewing industry shines with brews from companies like Burial Beer Co., Hi-Wire Brewing, Wicked Weed Brewing and more.

The Limoncello Lemon Drop is made with house-made limoncello and vodka from Asheville distillery Cultivated Cocktails.

Other local makers are showcased in specialty cocktails like the Sgroppino made with North Carolina-distilled Cathead honeysuckle vodka, and the Venetian Empress features North Carolina-distilled Conniption Kinshi.

View of the rooftops of Blue Ridge Mountain

Soprana offers indoor tables and seating with additional places to pull up a chair at the bar, which is primed as the focal point of the dining room.

A dedicated events room is available for private bookings.

The wraparound roof provides ample table and lounge seating for diners or for those who want to relax while taking in the views.

In the evening, the mood is set with Edison string lights and votive candles to create a casual yet luxurious – and perhaps romantic – atmosphere, whether you relax on the deck before or after sunset.

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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

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