West First Wood-Fired Pizza

Once upon a time there was a scrumptious, earthy, brick oven bakery in the mountains of Western North Carolina. There the people of the village gathered, chatted, drank down cups of fragrant coffee and munched away on lemon scones, wood-fired pizza, and from-scratch soups.

The people of the village grew discontent. Enough was not enough. They begged for the good baker to give them more.

And so, the good baker joined with another good baker and began a restaurant, down the road in neighboring Hendersonville. They called this restaurant:

I've already taken you on a little tour of my brother's bakery (Flat Rock Village Bakery ) in the past, so today we'll peek in to West First Wood-Fired Pizza. Not a really comprehensive peek . . . I was in a hurry that day.

The centerpiece of the restaurant is this gorgeous brick oven which my ultra-talented sister-in-law covered in a beautiful glass mosaic depicting swirls of fire going up the sides of the oven and disappearing into a few sparks at the top. Breathtaking.

This brick oven churns out the delicious thin-crusted artisan pizzas for which they are famous and piles of crusty ciabatta bread, ready to be served to your table with your meal.

You want a recommendation for the pizza, I suppose?

I love the Goat Cheese Pizza - fresh basil pesto with spinach, marinated artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese. ::sigh::

And if I am eating by myself and none of my family is around to harrass me about my love for fungus, I would order a Mushroom Pizza - portobella and shiitake mushrooms, mozzarella and fresh thyme, finished with truffle oil. And I'd eat the entire thing myself . . . shamelessly!

So, you're not in the mood for pizza? What about Chicken Papparadelle - hardwood smoked chicken breast in a shiitake mushroom, sweet roasted red pepper and corn cream sauce?

Or Handmade Ravioli - House-made pasta stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, caramelized onion and feta cheese with a choice of marinara or four-cheese sauce?

Sorry, it's lunch time. I'm getting a little carried away!

Have I mentioned that my sister-in-law is an amazing artist? The restaurant has her signature all over it. From the side, a giant portrait of my grandfather looks down on the diners and across the room sunlight streams in through her gorgeous stained glass window.

Okay, I told you this was just a quick trip. So sorry to just tempt your taste buds and hurry you out the door.

Speaking of the door, look at this fabulous handle! Hand-crafted by a local blacksmith.

How about we grab a dessert to go on the way out! Rustic Fruit Tartlette with Vanilla Gelato? Chocolate Hazelnut Tiramisu? Wine-poached Pear & Marscapone? ::sob::

Oh, and about the the good people of the village? Well, they rejoiced. They crowded in. They ingested and imbibed. They supped quietly in the loft or dined boisterously down on the main floor. In short, they ate, they drank, they were merry.

And, as you can imagine, they all lived happily ever after.