The Review

The World Over: Morning Glory Café brings exotic influences to a quiet village

Tropical Paradise: Guadalupe Café ignites Sylva with exotic fusion

Close to Home: Knife and Fork keeps cuisine true to its local roots

Limones’ artful blend of California and Latin cuisine corners a market in Asheville

All of Sylva seems to have turned out tonight for cocktails and dinner at Restaurant 553. Diners have laid claim to the umbrella-shaded tables in the lush courtyard where hundreds of dahlias bloom. Well-dressed gentlemen are kicking back on the front porch of the 101-year-old cottage, enjoying microbrews and martinis. It’s no wonder this is a go-to spot for Lowcountry cuisine and more.

If you’re looking for reasons to drag yourself out of bed in the morning, the Village Café in Blowing Rock offers plenty: French toast made with dense Argentinean fugasa bread; eggs Bernice with smoked turkey and tomato; Scandinavian eggs with vodka-cured salmon; crepes with Canadian bacon, Swiss cheese, and hollandaise; mimosas made with fresh-squeezed orange juice. But if you hit snooze, you won’t miss out.