131 main

great food, went for brunch and it was delicious. sadly they were out of the waffles, but got a delicious breakfast sandwich with crab and asparagus and it was to die for. service wasgreatand the mimosas were obviously made with fresh squeezed orange juice. yum!

after having been told howgreat131 main was, i am disappointed.  first, i would mention that we were a group of twelve celebrating a friends wedding.  the waiter and servers were very good, friendly and professional.  the waiter recommended the halibut, which i love.  what was served was a very thin piece that was dry, not the thick and moist halibut that i am accustomed to being served.  because of the occasion, i chose not to complain.  my wife had the lamb chops that were excellent.  since the final bill was being split to cover the guest couple, there were a number of charges on my bill showing 1/10 of their charge and that was fine.  my bill included a 131 mainiac for $10.00, grilled artichokes for $12.00 and a coffee for $2.85.  neither of us drink alcoholic beverages and neither of us had coffee.  so, the bottom line is we were charged $24.85 for beverages that we didn't receive and $38.00 for halibut that was a small portion and very dry.  the remainder of the bill was correct and listed every thing that we ordered and were served.  this certainly didn't meet our expectations or live up to the recommendations of friends.

we are from out of town and wandered in for dinner, we were seated right away. monday and tuesday nights are 1/2 price wine, which made the belle glos very affordable.... i had the lamb shank and crab cakes. the lamb was very tasty with their sauce and mashed potatoes, the crab cake was pedestrian. one of my colleagues had the danish baby back ribs, he raved about them. my other colleague had the rib eye steak, which did not seemgreatfor the price. service wasgreatand attentive. overall a solid choice on 1/2 price wine night...

nice surprise. i really didn't expect much from a restaurant right next to a movie theater but this place is great. the best grilled pork chop i've had in years...plus half off all wine bottles including belle glos!greatbar service too

always one of my family's favorite places to go. everything i have had is fabulous but i especially love their appetizer the double dip and their main salads with creamy garlic dressing. their burgers aregreatand their veggie burgers are so good i get them sometimes even though i'm not a vegetarian! their filet is amazing also. i've never had anything bad.

superb lunch -greatvalue!! staff was very professional.greatjob!

knitter likes the atmosphere. the mama who feels everyone should want her child in an adult atmosphere should know the child starts out learning good manners at shoney's and comes here when they're old enough to be aware of others. the food isgreatat 131 main and the atmosphere is fun.


-----30 jan, 2011-----

our favorite. we've enjoyed four experiences here and they've all been memorable. wait staffgreatwithout being intrusive. the food is delicious and beautifully presented. we noted a review stating it's not kid friendly. we haven't noticed children on our trips there, but why would we want to. kids belong at shoneys, not intruding on an adult evening. we pay for a relaxing experience, not your kids squirming presence.

good times. went here last night had a good time. the wait staff is great. had a drink and wife had water :(.. oh well.
she had the tremendous roast beef hoagie. the beef was a little too rare for her, but the waiter did recommend let's put in the oven for a bit. she declined, she regretted that. i did have a taste it was very good. but then i can eat tartare withgreatlove. i had the mahi which was just out of date, had that old grilled fish taste. should have gone with the lamb shanks. oh well... i will give it 2 more times. at this point it's worth another visit.

update, the manager replied back to me in email. we went back and i had the grouper again and i must say it was much better this time. i did not meet the manager as he wanted. i did not want special treatment. it was the way grouper should be. light, very fresh and very good.
had lunch today 7-15-12. it was very good my wife again had the roast beef which she did enjoy, i had the grilled chicken sandwich also very good. but i have to say the key lime pie was great. if you're a kl fan you'll love this.

not kid friendly. we tried taking our toddler to this restaurant. it's agreatrestaurant for my husband and myself on date, but take it from this mama... leave the kids at home. the wait stuff acted like we had brought an alien into the restaurant. the food is good... expensive, but good. the restaurant is geared towards an older crowd, and i don't think they appreciate children. (regardless of the "kid friendly" tag they've given themselves!)

if your looking for a good time, don't come here. my companion and i had heard mixed reviews for months and finally decided to give this place a try! upon sitting down, within 5 seconds a woman walks up and says "i'm not your server but can i get you guys a drink?" we told her that it was our 1st time here and she had no response. like she could have cared less. (this was early by the way and the restaurant wasn't full at all. around 5:30pm on a friday night.) we told her to give us a few minutes and she just walked away. within another 30 seconds another waiter walked over and said "hey guys, your drinks will be here in a minute, what do you want to eat?" really?? no, hi! my name is. or can i tell you about the specials? nothing. at this point, we almost got up and left but my companion told me lets just give it a try.. so, i decided on the ribeye (ordered medium w/ mashed potatoes - $22 not including a soup or salad.. with was an extra $4.. the ribeye tasted like straight pineapple juice, overcooked, dry and notgreatquality meat. the mashed potatoes were extremly oily. it was like they squirted out olive oil on top of them. the salad wasn't that bad actually! the cornbread croutons were pretty good. my companion had the flounder w/ mashed potatoes which was $18 no salad included either.. the fish was maybe 6-7oz and bland as cardboard! same problem with his potatoes! after our salads came, we saw our server 1, yes 1 last time. when the check was ready to be laid down! not one time did anyone ask us how things were or if we were okay or anything! the manager walked by us numerous times and we were ignored! even with our plates more than half full when he finally came back, he asked if we needed a box but nothing more. i will not recommend this place to anyone! no atmosphere, no service, no food! what a waste!

great foodgreatservicegreatprice

131 main...breaking into asheville. as a regular visitor to asheville, north carolina i have had a chance to try many of asheville's restaurants. what i have found is that most are good, some have been great… but fewer than you would hope for…and a very few are exceptional. on my most recent visit i discovered a new restaurant located in a really new neighborhood. the neighborhood is biltmore park town square, and the restaurant is 131 main, a signature brand from the captiva restaurant group headquartered in charlotte. and please take note, 131 main fits nicely into that exceptional cadre.

if you take the time to visit the lounge, as i did, you will notice that there are several things collaboratively at work here.

the first is that 131 main's design concept is exciting, yet comfortable. employing earth tones and leather, clean lines and a view of the kitchen you are warmly drawn into its unique environment. and if you pay attention to detail you will notice an interesting use of glass and contemporary art strategically displayed to enhance your surroundings. next you will note the attitude… the staff at 131 main is glad you're there and they make sure you know it. it didn't feel forced, and though they worked efficiently as a team to manage their areas, they were all open and willing to engage in conversation.

and when i moved into the dining room for dinner, i was not disappointed.

i started with a cast iron scallops appetizer done with lemon butter and served on a properly blended reggiano & herb polenta. it got my attention as it was well presented and delivered a full range of complementary tastes. the portion was properly sized, enough to create a memory, but not over done. next came agreatsalad, their iceberg wedge and fresh tomatoes …the tomatoes were a '10', as was the garlic dressing with bacon and fresh blue cheese crumbles.

that's when it struck me that 131 main was being true to its nature… fresh, delicious, and memorable, and i had not gotten to the entre yet!

there were several choices that were of interest, but as i started with scallops i chose to stay with fish… and the fresh north carolina trout got my vote. this filet, dressed with herb aioli and their p&g cole slaw… well if you like trout, wow. although, before the trout was delivered i considered some of my other options. the slow roasted prime rib, cedar plank salmon, and the pepper crusted pork… all were on my list. but the trout, light and perfectly prepared, had won the day…no regrets there… i'll just have to try the others on future visits.

i didn't do a desert this stop, hey weight control is a tough road, but i did notice a beautiful key lime pie pass my table and if i had been with a companion i am certain that we would have asked for two forks.

all things considered, 131 main may be my best asheville find in quite some time and i know i will go back. it's hard to believe that this professionally run, contemporary american restaurant has only been open since june.greatattitude,greatenvironment,greatfood, and an exceptional experience…what else could you ask for?

scott bradley
reviews on the road