We cut our Savannah Trip short and pivoted to Asheville. She had mentioned the Lobster Trap, so we…read morewalked there. It was a Saturday night so we weren't sure if a table or bar seats would be available. The incredibly polite hosts said they would see what could be done, and less than 10 minutes later we had a lovely table. The restaurant is exceptionally clean and the staff was the epitomy of professional. There was also live music (a nice bonus), but not loud enough to detract from a conversation. Let me tell ya, if you like seafood get your butt to the Lobster Trap. The oysters were very fresh and delectable. The blackened snapper and coconut crusted halibut were to die for. Seriously one of the better meals of my 42 years. Albeit, somewhere pricy, but honestly well worth it (especially when on vacation). Get on down to the Lobster Trap and you will not regret it. Cheers!

A must do every time we come to Asheville. Never disappoints and folks are friendly and attentive…read moreduring your stay! My wife & I are celebrating our 45th Wedding Anniversary and have come to Asheville to go to all our favorite places and this is top of the list. To celebrate we split the triple tower which is loaded with fresh clams, oysters, shrimp, stone crab, snow crab @ lobster. All cooked & chilled to perfection! The place always has a nice vibe and the ambience is a seafood vibe with maybe a bit of old bar feel. If you are in Asheville or planning on coming to Asheville put this on the list for one of your dinner spots!

It's been 10 years since I've been to Asheville, North Carolina, and it still has its charm, beauty…read moreand small town spell that just invites you to like it! I'm here for my eldest son's birthday and of course our first dinner here, with his wonderful group of friends would of course be at The Admiral Restaurant; most likely the best restaurant in town. I've been to The Admiral several times before, so I'm making this review an updated version of just how good a place can still hold its reputation. For a restaurant so damn good, there is nothing fancy about it. It's set up like a small town diner; and that's what makes it so much comfortable. The service is spot on and their menu has so many wonderful choices at not "break the bank" prices. Us six diners ordered: * Caesar salad - for a southern restaurant making a Caesar this good, it was enchanting! It had Croutons, Parmesan and Anchovy * Ribeye Steak - see above accolade! With tallow confit potatoes, glazed carrots, chimichurri, goat cheese * Cheeseburger with fries - a mile high beauty with Cheddar, Dijonnaise, B&B Pickles, grilled Onion, and fries - was enchanting * Beef Tartare - with chile aioli, mustard seed, chive, ramp, black garlic, egg yolk * Smoked Trout Mantecato had black pepper-parmesan toast, Furikake, yuzu tobik * Airliner Chicken Breast with crispy red rice, tomatoes, romano beans, herb Every dish above was excellent. For a restaurant to be this consistent (after ten years for me) states just how dedicated this restaurant is for impeccability.

This was a wonderful meal to cap off a great weekend in Asheville NC. This restaurant has it all,…read moregreat service, wonderful bartenders, and a kitchen that delivers high quality meals. We started with cocktails and the tuna crudo with Caesars salad, both were memorable. Then had the gnocchi and the ribeye. All dishes were superb. The bar really shines in this establishment, the cocktails are top notch and the bar staff are experts in their craft. Dessert was lovely and really impressed with this gem in Asheville.

Comfortably tucked away restaurant with 5-star personality and menu…read more We loved our visit to Copper Crown. Not knowing what we were in for, we were very, very impressed. From environment, to food selection, quality of food prep and cooking, and service, everything was spot on making for a night impossible not to enjoy. The fish dish we ordered = spot on! The salad with grilled chicken topping = delicious. Service, thanks to Sara, was impeccable. Sara was kind, funny, helpful, checked in regularly, and super friendly. We absolutely loved our experience at Copper Crown, and when we're in AVL next we will most certainly be stopping by again!

Excellent combinations of flavors and always something new! This place is a special treasure, so…read morebe sure to make reservations. The salad with house made corn nuts is plate licking yummy. You won't actually lick the plate, but you'll think about it.

One of the absolute hands down best meals I have had in years. Exceptional and incomparable to any…read moreplace we've dined at in the Carolina's. I was planning to order the sopes because I loved that at a neighborhood restaurant we had in Manhattan years ago. I asked the barkeep who was our server which he would recommend the huaraches. He immediately said the huaraches with the carne asada. It was the best carne asada and the best huaraches that I have ever had. The carne asada had a stunning and evolving flavor. It was complex and elegant in perfect harmony without any part being too loud. What I liked is that every bite there was a first flavor mid and then a finishing. Truly delicious and unique. I absolutely love when the team can advise on the menu or items to try which this barkeep did in spades. They had an anejo on the menu that I had never heard of. He brought it out during the meal as a quick search the maker said it should be able to breathe and swirl and left out for a bit to truly enjoy it. I was able to do so and had a wonderful transition of notes the longer it sat out and I sipped on it. Enjoyed watching how the whole team at the restaurant worked. You could really see the care and effort the team put into the restaurant. Spouse enjoyed their enchiladas. Potato side was alright. Spouse ordered, I'm a little neutral to it because of the peppers (bell not spicy). The frijoles refritos are not to be missed. Lovely flavor and was a great palate cleanser for me whilst drinking the anejo. Guacamole is stellar as to be expected in a place like this. Perfect balance of chunky piece of avocado, onion and tomato in it. Spouse is not a fan of plantains so sadly I could not get him to try the platanos maduros. Fun flavor profile with the sweetness of the plantains. This is a not to miss spot now in the Asheville restaurant scene for me. (We had a reservation for 7:30pm but got into town sooner than anticipated. So we popped in early and were able to be seated at a cocktail table for dinner.)

I've been thinking about a visit to Xico for months. Finally made it, and disappointed to say that…read moreit kind of met my (not very high) expectations. Went solo during AVL Sounds Fest weekend (early August), and right at the 4:30pm open. They seated me at the bar - which I had requested - but at the one seat right next to the bussing bin. When I left an hour or so later, I was still the only person at the bar. It's a big bar. Never a great start when an establishment treats a solo diner like ... crap. Onward to the food. I ordered a spicy margarita, tuna tostada and guacamole. The guacamole itself was absolutely delicious. Nice chunks of tomato and nicely spiced. The chips however were mediocre. I asked if they were made in house, and was told yes. But it's a little hard to believe. They tasted like out of the bag options, or a slight step above. Tuna tostada was up next, and I was very disappointed. Given the upscale nature and pricing of the restaurant I was expecting deliciousness. What I received was quite stringy tuna, not very tasty and hard to eat. Again, the chip (tostada in this case), almost tasted stale. I would not recommend this dish. Maybe I've been spoiled by Contramar in CDMX, Oxomoco in Brooklyn and Ensenada in Miami / Brooklyn ... but really it was just disappointing. The spicy marg was tasty, and service was "fine." But given I was maybe one of 20 diners in the restaurant in total, I just would have expected more.

A newer addition that is in downtown but is a bit receded from most of the main street. It's quite…read moreatmospheric and has indoor and outdoor seating. Google calls it "American" cuisine, which is basically the one cuisine I don't do, but this place does offer some nice vegetarian options. Wanting to save some room for my food tour, I got a salad with a veggie skewer on top, but I did indulge in some lentil fritters. Fried bean paste is always a winner (technically lentils are not beans). The fritters were savory and the clash between their freshly fried texture and the cool dill-flavored dipping sauce and mixed pickled vegetables was quite robust. My salad delivered the promised crunch, and the shiitake shishito kabob had a wide variety of freshly barbecued vegetables, but unlike my appetizer this dish was missing an extra flavor touch. The drink and dessert selection looked good, but I like to spread myself around. I would definitely want to come back and eat outside on a warmer day.

We walked up on this place looking for something else and took a chance. What a great decision. My…read morefriend and I shared 3 things. We shared the Irish coffee (perfect on a icy cold day), chili soup (its soup...not thick chili) and the platter with steak rice and beans and slaw! It was perfection. Tasty, warm in the tummy and lots of good flavors. Service was very good, wait staff was attentive and gave good input when asked. Definitely recommend this little spot. During the warmer weather I am sure the patio is the spot to be. It was 23° so we stayed inside. Come! Be merry.

First time to have dinner at Bev's. The atmosphere is dark and cozy and elevated…read more The menu offers many sides and many starters. Our table ordered the steak frites, the grits with corn, the broccoli, the creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes. They were enough to share and all the bowls were emptied. Especially the frites and the grits! Both cooked to perfection. The steaks were cooked as we ordered and were delicious. Oliver took good care of our table and we appreciated the table side Busby chef and owner Jake Whitman.

First, let me say that there are lots of things about this restaurant that is 10/10 and doesn't…read morereflect my rating. The steak: melt in your mouth good, The king trumpet mushroom: delicious surprise, The butter: will make you want to lick your fingers and the plate. Drinks: amazing. The Rolls: GET THE ROLLs, Food is all in all amazing. Where my rating comes from is mainly service related. We had a large group and our experience was lacking even though the food was fabulous. I personally wanted to try a drink a friend ordered before I ordered my own. It took 30 min for me to get a drink because I didn't order up front. Our table repeatedly had empty drinks for extended periods of time throughout the meal - and at one point the server took 1/2 the table refill orders that weren't empty but completely ignored the other 1/2 of the table where glasses were dry. Delivery of the food seemed to take an abnormal amount of time. We asked for salt and pepper multiple times to multiple servers before we got any. Maybe it was because of our size or maybe because we were in the back corner away from everyone, either way when each couple has a check well over $200 that level of service is unacceptable. I would probably return myself and I'm sure the service and experience would be lovely but I would not return with a large party.

INCREDIBLE! I have…read morehad so much Thai food in my life, and JAZMIN was easily one of the best. The flavors, textures, and quantities were all prepped to the MAX. The food was just outstanding. I had the Beef Massaman Curry -- WOW. The creamiest and tastiest curry. The Roti Canai and Shanghai Chicken Dumplings were the best way to start the meal, so so flavorful and just a great blend of new flavors. The Drunken Udon was not to be missed either. All around incredible! Atmosphere is cozy and bustling! Brandy our waitress was so great as well!

Singapore Sling - good, fairly strong cinnamon flavor but adding the lemon cuts it…read more Chefs special pot stickers beef and scallions - good. The sauce was somewhat meh but the stickers themselves were fantabulous! Handmade and it shows. Veggie salad rolls - good! Love the sauce but man are they hot when they come out! Be careful or you'll burn your mouth lol Drunken Udon - yes! Thick noodle fills you up and the sauce is flavorful and satisfying Thai Green beans - yummy! Great flavor but light. Ask for more and maybe sesame seeds too! Thai Green curry - good but the greens create a little overpowering flavor over the curry sauce itself Waiter was extremely nice and attentive.

Beautiful restaurant and Great service by Chelsea! We enjoyed our meals and will be back.read more

Don't miss this hidden gem! Fantastic food, stellar service…read moreby Katie, and live music as well. We went three times during our vacation to Lake Lure. Just had to share it with my friends. Highly recommended