ASHEVILLE – An Asheville seafood restaurant is making a splash with diners nationwide.
This month, The New York Times released its annual list of its 50 favorite restaurants in America, which included the modern fish camp, Good Hot Fish.
Good Hot Fish, opened in January, is one of the 29 new restaurants featured.
Good Hot Fish began as a pop-up concept of Chef Ashleigh Shanti, serving a menu of Southern and Black Appalachian cuisine inspired by Shanti’s upbringing in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The chef puts a twist on traditional recipes while honoring Southern Appalachian foodways.
Shanti, an Asheville resident and “Top Chef” Season 19 contestant, debuted the brick-and-mortar casual dining eatery at 10 Buxton Ave., on Burial Beer Co.’s South Slope campus.
Formerly, Shanti was the chef de cuisine at Benne on Eagle, an Eater Young Gun for the class of 2019 and a James Beard Foundation Awards semifinalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2020.
Good Hot Fish dishes mentioned in NYT’s feature include the fried catfish sandwich, hush puppies and “Ranchovy” salad.
NYT’s reporters and editors scoured the country for the best bites to compile the elite roster that ranges from fine dining restaurants on the West Coast to a “tattered ranch house” in the Southeast.
Newcomers and longstanding establishments were honored, further diversifying the lineup.
Good Hot Fish is the sole North Carolina recognized.
Read the article and view the full list of the top 50 at nytimes.com.
Last week, Shanti appeared on Food Network’s “Bobby’s Triple Threat,” hosted by Bobby Flay, competing against three celebrity chef “titans.” Read what Shanti said about her latest reality cooking show appearance at Citizen Times.
On Oct. 15, Shanti will release her debut cookbook, “Our South: Black Food Through My Lens.” Preorder at Union Square & Co., unionsquareandco.com.
Join the chef at the “Our South” cookbook signing and release party from 6-8 p.m. at Visuals Rooftop Bar, 40 Collier Ave., Burial Beer Co.’s rooftop bar above Good Hot Fish.
Tickets are $50 at Eventbrite. Admission includes a signed copy of the cookbook, a tote bag of gifts and small bites inspired by the cookbook.
Good Hot Fish
Where: 10 Buxton Ave., Asheville.
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.
Info: Follow Chef Ashleigh Shanti at @foodordeath_ and Good Hot Fish at @goodhotfish on Instagram.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and covered the arts, entertainment and hospitality in Louisiana for several years. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville restaurant named on NYT’s 50 favorite restaurants list
