Cricket tacos (and plenty of other, far less outrageous delicacies) are on Never Blue’s new menu. Photo by Tim Robison
Jesse Roque, chef/owner of Never Blue, says, “we try to change our menu two to three times per year based on what’s in season and what items are hot/interesting.”
But it’s safe to say not too many area restaurants are competing with “Chapulines,” one of the delicacies listed under “Adventurous Tacos” on the bistro’s revamped menu.
“The cricket taco is surprisingly popular, which is a complete delight for us, as we love introducing our community to new and exciting food stuffs.”
Roque says the inspiration for the new items are also a return to roots. “We opened Never Blue nine years ago as a globally inspired tapas restaurant, and found that tapas in and of itself was very obscure in our location, so to adapt to our environment we reverted to a more traditional menu. Over the years, we have seen an increase in the tapas concept, and decided that now was the right time to relaunch our original idea.”
Other new favorites are the Banh Mi Sliders, with mini black-sesame buns courtesy of the Underground Baking Company, and the Korean BBQ‘ed Pork Nachos — “we are roasting fresh pork in banana leaves with black garlic … the roasted poblano chile queso is really great, and the paper-thin house pickled jalapeños are the perfect finish.”
Never a restaurant that stagnates, “we are already working with our local farmers on the fall/winter menu,” reveals Roque. “We have even more exciting new tapas to share when the weather starts to get chilly.”
Never Blue, 119 South Main St., Downtown Hendersonville, 828-693-4646; theneverblue.com.
