Downtown Chocolates is located at 5 Times Arcade Alley across from one of our favorite restaurants, Square Root. It’s not really this dark inside Downtown Chocolates, but I only had my iPad with me to take this picture…

For an interactive Google map to Downtown Chocolates click here. Or call 828-877-2378.

My brother started with Tom Yum Goong soup, which is the Thai Spice signature soup. The broth has lemongrass, tomato and fresh mushrooms flavored with lime juice and chili paste. It was perfect. I had two Poa Piea Todd (crispy rolls) filled with jasmine rice, chicken, sprouts and carrots…

We enjoyed fresh green salads with ginger dressing on the side (both sides). Very good…

For an entrée my brother ordered Panang Curry. He said it’s the best he’s ever had, and that’s impressive because he’s a great cook…

I ordered Pad Kee Mow again because it was so good the other night. It has thick noodles, red bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, garlic and pepper. I got the “combination” again, with shrimp, pork, beef and chicken. Here’s a picture…

We had the opportunity to meet the owner, so we asked why their food was so good. She said it’s the chef — he’s from Thailand and “he knows how genuine Thai food should taste.” (I believe her. He gets it right.)

For directions or to make a reservation at Thai Spice here are links in my earlier review.

We were looking for a quick, Sunday-pizza dinner and we didn’t have our camera with us. Three of our favorite restaurants were closed, so when we drove by Thai Spice we decided to stop in… and we were pleasantly surprised!

We started with Poa Piea Todd — two crispy rolls filled with jasmine rice, chicken, sprouts and carrots, with a sweet dipping sauce — an excellent appetizer!

My sweetheart’s entrée was Pad Kinge — chicken stir-fried with ginger, onions, scallions, mushrooms, carrots, and red bell peppers in a light brown sauce. It was delicious.

My entrée was even better. Our waitress recommended Pad Kee Mow. I chose a combination of shrimp, chicken, beef, and pork, which was stir-fried with thick noodles, peppers and onions in a sweet and spicy basil sauce. It was fantastic. (It was so good I don’t know if I’ll be able to try anything else when I go back!)

Check out the Thai Spice Restaurant web site here for a menu and photos. It’s located at 220 South King Street in Hendersonville, NC. For reservations call 828-693-7323. For an interactive Google map to Thai Spice Restaurant click here.

And just in case you get hungry on Sunday, Thai Spice is open seven days a week…

There are lots of options, from furniture to jewelry, cosmetics, clothing, fine art, and more…

Some of us enjoy the Grove Arcade because we find the architecture fascinating…

We also stopped for lunch at Carmel’s. It’s a good place to eat, indoors and out…

My hamburger was delicious, and my sweetheart’s pizza was off the charts. We didn’t get pictures of our food, so take a look at Carmel’s menu and their photo gallery. For dessert and coffee we stopped at True Confections. Check them out online here. They have great pies, pastries, cakes and cookies… and the best coffee…

There’s even shopping outside the Grove Arcade, with street vendors offering their wares…

Next time I go downtown I’m going to stop by the hotdog stand and have a Brat. They looked really good. I especially like this vendor’s sense of humor…

For an interactive Google map with directions to the Grove Arcade click here.

The Grove Arcade has an interesting history you can read about here. For a directory with descriptions of all the shops, galleries and restaurants at the Grove Arcade click here.

And finally, a special thanks to the parking meter attendant who gave me a warning ticket for going over my time limit. That’s the first time I’ve ever received a warning instead of a fine for a parking violation, and I really appreciate it. You made a perfect ending to our day!

The location is excellent, right next door to the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown and just a block from the Hendersonville Visitors Center, where the Music on Main Street events are held on Friday nights all summer. Here’s what Never Blue looks like from across the street…

As you can see, there’s a large, glass garage door on the left. During the summer that door is opened to the sidewalk, which creates a festive dining atmosphere. Here’s the way it looks from inside when it’s closed…

When you enter the front door you immediately sense the colorful, fun decor…

We had a reservation in the upper level, which has a view of the main dining area and bar…

We were seated at the window, which we really like, even when it’s cool outside and there are few tourists walking around. Here’s the view from our window table…

Did I mention this is one of our favorite restaurants? We’ve eaten at Never Blue several times, and I’ve taken a few pictures during my visits, but for some reason I’ve never written about  it. (I wonder if I’ve been keeping it a secret subconsciously.) Let me just say that everything we’ve ever ordered at Never Blue has been excellent and briefly describe some of the things we’ve enjoyed, starting with the Brittle Basket dessert…

It’s a crunchy almond praline basket filled with luscious white-chocolate-vanilla-bean mousse, topped with mixed berries and drizzled with mango coulis. It’s amazing.

Executive Chefs Jesse & Edson Roque are incredibly talented. My better half really loves their Shrimp & Grits.  She says it’s one of the best she’s ever had, and it looks it…

I always start with a Caesar salad at Never Blue. It’s one of the best anywhere…

Last night my wife started with “Gouda Soup” — a roasted red pepper-tomato soup blended with smoked Gouda cheese. Delicious…

I usually mix things up and have a couple of small plates (they’re never too small). One of my favorites is the  three “Baby BBQ’s.” (Sorry, no picture.) They’re slow roasted pork butt smothered with house-made apricot barbecue sauce and topped with lime-ginger coleslaw on soft King’s Hawaiian rolls. (Perfect!) Last night I had the Tenderloin Quesadilla, which includes beef tenderloin, caramelized onions and pepper-jack cheese between flour tortillas. It’s served with a delicious Dijon horseradish sauce. I also had two tacos…

The tacos were great. One had mojo chicken, onions and lime-cilantro cream (it’s called the Taco Cubano). The other had curried lamb with spicy mango pickle and Meyer lemon yoghurt (it’s simply called Lamb). Both were very good. Never Blue has a tempting little Taco Truck menu on each table…

One of our other favorites is “Chings.” Trust me when I say these delicious, spicy chicken wings taste much better than they look in my photo…

The Coconut Shrimp is very tasty, too (no picture again, sorry). They’re crispy, coconut crusted Gulf shrimp served with mango-habanero aioli and Jezabel jam for dipping. We also love the herb grilled chicken breast (“Tuscan Lover” on the menu) with artichoke hearts, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and angel hair pasta in a rich Asiago cream sauce.

Another nice touch at Never Blue is the gallery-like atmosphere, with beautiful art on all the walls, each one by co-owner Pam Cosner…

If I’ve made you as hungry as I’ve made myself, click here for an interactive Google map to Never Blue. It’s located at 119 South Main Street, Hendersonville, NC 28792. Reservations are recommended. Call 828-693-4646. (I almost forgot… the prices at Never Blue make it a great value, too. Click here to visit the Never Blue web site and look over the menus.)