The Salad at the Piazza is Proof That Every Other Restaurant in Asheville is SCAMMING YOU

I recently partook in a lovely winter getaway to Boston. Why? Well, for one, Boston in February is shockingly cheap. Also, I’m a born and bred northeasterner who occasionally craves the cold weather and people of the region. One of the highlights of the trip was enjoying the Irish pubs of Boston. The south does not do Irish pubs exceptionally well, so I relished sipping on Guinness while listening to elderly gentlemen sing their versions of “Fields of Athenry” between Eagles covers. 

At one Irish pub—a gloriously divey downtown Boston mainstay called Biddie Early’s—I also had something else the South doesn’t do well: an outstanding order of excellent dive-bar hot wings. These wings weren’t dry rubbed, they weren’t smoked, they didn’t have an Asian fusion flair, and the entire order couldn’t fit in my hand, aka they weren’t Asheville wings. Instead, they were old school, enormous, saucy, franks-red-hot-and-butter wings; like Biddie Early’s, they were glorious. They were also only $12.00 for 10 large wings that filled me up. 

If you’re not a wing enthusiast like myself, you might not be aware that pandemic supply chain issues had thrust us into a wing shortage, driving the price up to disgusting levels. Not to get too back-in-my-days on you, but back when I was young and peaking, you could get a dozen wings at most places in Pennsylvania for under $10.00. Now? It’s not unheard of to see 12 wings for over $20.00, which is ludicrous. I’ve long suspected that the wing shortage has ended and that if they wanted, restaurants could return to pre-pandemic wing prices, especially now that the great wing shortage is allegedly over, but they’re choosing not to. While this recent article on inflation and corporate greed that I stumbled upon basically proves this theory, Biddie Early’s also did—after I paid for and ate those delicious wings, I thought, “If they could serve excellent wings at a normal price, we’re being scammed by EVERY OTHER RESTAURANT AND BAR OUT THERE.” 

In fact, I’ve thought about pitching an article to some food-based publications with the title “Biddy Early’s Proves We’re All Being Scammed on Wings,” which is also something that The Piazza—one of my very favorite Asheville restaurants no one talks about—proves regarding side salads. 

I’m obsessed with the Italian salad at Piazza, which, per their menu, is mixed greens, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichokes, almonds, and house-made basil vinaigrette. This salad does not skimp. The mozzarella isn’t just a sprinkle of bagged cheese. It’s a healthy dose of mozz balls. Similarly, the salad is loaded with roasted red peppers, artichokes, and almonds. And, a “regular” size—which functions as their side salad—at $8.00 could function as a meal in itself. The large—$12.00—could feed the table.

I could name restaurant after restaurant in Asheville where you would pay $10.00 and up for a side salad that has less than a handful of greens (and almost always spring mix, no matter what they say), virtually no dressing, and toppings that amount to too many dry croutons and like, a fingernail’s worth of cheese or nuts. I’m sure all those restaurants have some excuse involving inflation, obscure ingredients, etc. Still, like Biddie Early’s did with wings, The Piazza’s salad proves that every other restaurant in Asheville is scamming you every time you just want to add some greens to your meal.