James and John, brothers and owners of Vault Brewing Company, were kind enough to allow me to be the fly on the wall one very busy Friday afternoon. I’ve sampled the flight and the food, chatted with the patrons and taken in the atmosphere. I’m really impressed how well they’ve developed their niche as well as their product. Vault pulls off a refined approach without any stuffy pretenses. They’ve developed a great establishment that the public consistently wants to be a part of. It’s attainable in price and welcoming in nature. One could easily pop in for a brew after a bike a ride along the towpath or while strolling the streets of Yardley without having to feel like they needed to gussy-up, but it’s the type of place you could just as easily doll-up a bit and make it a date. The beer menu and food menu carries this same diversity offering everything thing from Belgian Wits to Coffee Stouts and from sophisticated flat breads to locally driven anti pasta plates.

In all the images I captured I relished most the two moms who brought their kids with. The table was covered in toys, a yogurt, a snack bag and amid all this chaos was the mom’s beautiful salads, a flight and a pint. The kids played happily with their toys at the table and the mom’s immersed themselves in conversation and laughter – clearly a much needed night out at a place where they could feel welcome bringing the kids along. Nearby, at the bar, business men were unwinding after a long day and ushered in the weekend with a cold pint and harrowing tales from the week. Couples on dates shared cozy tables and flat bread. Vault can easily boast a little something good for every lover of beer.

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I stopped in on a rainy day and even when the sun was nowhere to be found the open atmosphere, large windows, space, the bright, cheerful employees and patrons greatly compensated for the dreary state of the outdoors. I traded in one downpour for another and had a great time sampling each beer with a new friend. My heart be still for the Sir Ryan the Pounder with its maltiness and the McFee Stout which boasts three magic words in its description: Coffee, Stout and Irish.

If you find yourself in Asheville go have a seat under the ever watchful gaze of Henry VIII, order an IPA and send a cheers his way for one more thing one more king got wrong.

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The moment I approached I was taken in by the welcoming aspect of literally crossing the threshold of a home and side stepping to the left into a throng of happy patrons. Immediately ahead of me was a small, romantic bar.

This place is all chalk boards, mahogany wood and decor that convinces me they must have pillaged my father’s garage of all his antique tools and interesting artifacts of time gone by, where they had lost their identities and now find new ones amongst pints and pontification.

Okay, so the place looks nice, but what of the actual food and beer? Saison’s are my personal flagship in the beer world and theirs did not disappoint. In addition, the XX Noir was incredibly smooth. These two beers really couldn’t be more different from one another, but are certainly my favorites. I enjoyed each beer in our sampler and was surprised to learn that for some brews they follow in the british tradition of serving them at room temperature to enhance the flavor experience.

We carried our tab over to our table where I ordered the vegetarian substitute for the Fried Oyster Sandwich and my boyfriend ordered the burger with aged cheddar and bacon mayonnaise. I can’t emphasize enough how each element to the meal was unique in some way. The pickles are house made. The fries are hand cut. Right down to the Ketchup, which is flavored with peppadew! Peppadew, I had to google to find out that this is “the brand name of sweet piquante peppers grown in the Limpopo province of South Africa.” That can’t be a real thing, right? Yes. It is and it was a nice addition to the already fantastic condiment. I know what you’re thinking: sounds pretentious. For all the nay sayers who tout that they just want their burger to be a Bubba burger over and open flame with a Miller Lite in one hand, claiming they don’t need to over complicate their meals with bells and whistles – I say, fair enough. There’s a time and place for everything, but you take one taste of that aged cheddar smathered with bacon Mayonnaise and tell me you don’t get a little misty-eyed at the beauty of it all. There really isn’t an iota of bourgeois at Forest, just people who take great pride in what they do well.

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Habaneros is one of those places I’d assume to be nothing to write home about. I’m so happy I was so wrong. Located off a side street in Hatfield, it’s a small space with a handful of tables and flamboyant Mexican decor on the walls. I stumbled upon it on the internet in search of authentic, affordable mexican food and a BYOB. I struck gold at Habaneros.

I have never had a disappointing meal there. The atmosphere is casual. The bang for your buck is phenomenal and we always go in with a six pack or bottle of wine. Though, recently, they’ve started serving FREE MARGARITAS Monday through Thursday. They also offer a comprehensive Sunday brunch menu. This works out well for me since I prefer to say, “Buenos Dias Domingo.” with Juevos Rancheros.

Let me clarify. There are two mexican restaurants I love: Tamarindos and Habaneros. Tamarindos is upscale, elegant, authentic cuisine derived from the Yucatan Peninsula area. It’s moderately expensive and amazing. You either need a generally larger bank account than my own or a special occasion to go. Habaneros is none of those things. It’s the place I go to when I want great mexican, a real environment and I don’t want to feel the guilt of dropping a large chunk of change. So, if you’re bank account and appetite looks anything like mine, you’ll want to try this place out.

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