Asheville got a nice write-up in the New York Times last weekend. Two of my favorite restaurants, Mela and Early Girl, get a shout-out. Even better, and stranger, is the inclusion of the “world famous Root Bar # 1,” which the Times describes (accurately) as “a dive bar with a great beer selection” where you can listen to great music and play “a game of rootball, a cross between horseshoes and bocce invented by the bar’s former owner, Max Chain.”*
As readers of Tingle Alley know, the Root Bar is my husband’s and my local, with Mr. Tingle holding honors as a one-time East Coast champion of rootball and a dedicated ambassador of the sport. Gwenda alerted us to the article; after reading it, Mr. Tingle remarked, “I hope you feel like I’m doing something that’s culturally important now. You know, instead of just going to a bar.”
*What a Zagat-y sentence that turned into.
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
