Owner of Candler’s Dogwood Restaurant & Lounge
Rapid River Magazine: Tell us a little about The Dogwood Restaurant & Lounge.
Bruce Wilson: Back in November 2012, I purchased Artisan Catering & Deli. The Deli serves breakfast and lunch but what about dinner? So, I opened The Dogwood Restaurant. Customers can come have a nice sit down meal with a glass of beer, wine or just sit and relax with a mixed drink.
We have a wide variety of menu items that range from $7.50 – $18.50; which includes a burger menu that has 13 different burgers, priced from $7.50 – $10 (incl. fries). Mauricio Villa our Exec. Chef makes the special sauces and dressings from scratch.
The bar is custom made with an oak finish. There is a mural on the wall of the Enka Clock Tower, that was hand painted by one of our employees, he painted from a number of old pictures and was able to incorporate some wild life on it as well.
During the summer months there will be outdoor seating for the enjoyment of the warm weather and great views. If you have a small group that you want some place to meet, you can call and we can make arrangements for you to be able to meet and eat at The Dogwood.
RRM: What are your most popular dishes?
BW: The most popular dish is: Chicken Alfredo, which is kind of funny because while we were deciding on the menu items, my wife just had to add her favorite dish, but she did so without anyone knowing, until the printed menus were finished. The new Burgers are also a hit.
RRM: Tell us a little about your lunch and dinner specials.
BW: We are only doing the Burgers for lunch, Tuesday – Friday. We do a special for dinner every Saturday night, which changes weekly. You can check out our facebook page for this special.
RRM: Tell us a little about your desserts and ice-cream.
BW: Vinnie Dioguardi runs the Artisan Catering & Deli (which I own, as well). He bakes all of our desserts from scratch. He puts a lot of time and effort into making them and is very passionate about it, too. There is a new dessert every few days, so it’s a surprise when you come in to eat.
We just opened the Artisan Ice Cream shop and offer hand scooped ice cream for: cones, cups, sundaes, milk shakes, and root beer floats.
RRM: Any changes planned for the coming months you would care to share with us?
BW: We hope to have some live music sometimes, so keep up with us on facebook. We plan on having theme nights, which will include salsa dancing after 9 p.m.
The Dogwood Restaurant & Lounge
1390 Sand Hill Rd., Candler, NC
in the Village at Biltmore Lake
(828) 776-7727 or (828) 665-3800