• 4
• Well worth the detour off I-81!

Gillie's was a truly refreshing and delicious stop on a 12-hour drive from Pennsylvania to Asheville, well worth the 20-mile round-trip excursion off of I-81. Very pleasant atmosphere in the outdoor seating area on a street with almost no car traffic but bustling with students and other college-town residents on foot. Great selection of regional microbrews to start off. Excellent attentive service by two tag-teaming waiters. Interesting and imaginative vegan dishes. I wanted to try the Moroccan seitan Napoleon but they were out of it, so I had the gado-gado, in which they accommodatingly substituted seitan for tofu for me. Nicely prepared and presented. The peanut sauce was very good, but would have been even better with more tamari in the recipe. My husband had the fresh basil pesto on penne and vegetables, which was outstanding, and that's saying something coming from someone (me) who's been making homemade pesto from home-grown basil for 20 years. An hour at Gillie's helped make a 12-hour drive much more bearable. I'd give five cows if I could, but they're disqualified by the salmon and catfish on the menu.