admiral

lives up to the hype. we were told by so many ppl that this place was great. we have been there twice now and had exceptional food both times. their dishes are inventive and fun, the service is great. go for their steak, it's wonderful. it's not a cheap place to eat, but worth trying if you want to treat yourself. menu changes daily but some dishes are always there re-worked.

you guys are getting spotty. i've been a big fan of the admiral for years now, even going so far as to rebuke some naysayers on this site. but the last couple times i've been i've noticed the food slipping a bit. i usually order a wide array of small plates and it's always been fantastic. however my two most recent visits have fallen short of your usual standard. every dish needs consistent attention to detail. the carpaccio was fantastic but the fried sweet breads were solidly unremarkable. the duck confit was dry and the rabbit was just a hot mess in a bowl. the biscuit and honey was perfection. the house cocktails were exceptional. so come on guys. don't get sloppy.


-----06 aug, 2010-----

to ashevillefoodie15. you are retarded! pull your head out of your ass and just show up without a reservation. they'll seat you pretty quick. you missed out on one of the best dining experiences asheville has to offer. a real diamond in the rough. a fellow chef (and james beard award winner) from charleston recommended it to me and no wonder... they're outstanding. if you can't get them on the phone that's because they're really busy making great food and unforgettable experiences for those of us who made it past the answering machine and came in through the door.

all about the food!. the admiral's food is the stand out feature, as it should be. however considering the following it may not seem like the food alone is enough, but it is! when you drive up to the admiral it's in a neighborhood that after dark can be a little creepy. you walk in and it looks like a rock-a-billy/grunge type bar/restaurant. then the cocktail/wine list is nowhere near impressive. and the service is usually poor or worse. however none of the above matter, because the food is absolutely sensational! every smell, sight, and taste till the last bite is completely 100% outstanding!

the jokes on......me. i recently had dinner at the admiral in west asheville and couldn't help but think that someone was playing a not so elaborate joke on me. the restaurant is simply a stew pot full of contradictions...some of them wonderful...some of them infuriating. i love the idea of serving "gourmet" food in what looks like a dive bar. the ceilings are low, the lighting is low, the service is ok, and there is definitely a "hip" vibe. the restaurant is always full of customers but i think this is mainly due to fact that the dining area is small. it always appears full. now for the food. it is expensive and uneven. my dining mate and i each ordered a small plate and a large plate. the quail was delicious, perfectly cooked and flavorful. the muscles were good but nothing special. there are an infinite number of restaurants that serve or have served muscles diablo. the only thing that made these somewhat special was the mound of pesto thrown on the top. my dining mate ordered the skirt steak pho. at $25, we expected something wonderful. the steak was perfectly cooked but unfortunately it was swimming in a flavorless broth with overcooked rice noodles. there were a few condiments on the side but, again at $25, i felt like i was being asked to put this meal together for the kitchen. go to doc cheys, you will get a much better noodle dish for 1/3 the price. we also had the wild mushroom plate: 3 smallish wild mushrooms sitting in a pool of bacon flavored grits. it was tasty but for some reason the mushrooms were tough. i couldn't help but think that they were dried mushrooms that hadn't been soaked long enough. were they actually dried and not fresh? who cares, they were tough and chewy.

the service was competent but mechanical. the servers acted as if they had been through this torturous experience a million times and were going through the motions. they had a long night ahead of them and they weren't going to expend a lot of energy in the early part of the evening. when the server asked how everything tasted, my dining partner said that the pho was not very good. the server, who either didn't hear or didn't care, thanked us and brought the check.

i think most people really want to like this restaurant, unfortunately it is too expensive for me to continue to experiment.

wow. this restaurant may well be my favorite restaurant of all time. i love to eat well but have rarely found a restaurant as creative and inspired as the menu at this dive. i love that you would never expect this jewel by its exterior. the ambiance is low key, almost run-down and reminiscent of a neighborhood bar until you take a closer look. i enjoy taking in the menu and have never been disappointed at the variety and harmony that is presented in its offerings.

dive bar that takes reservations??? was cool when you could go! even locals can't walk in anymore. gotta have a reservation at the hottest dive bar...lame... food is wonderful i just can't get in anymore

blows all other restaurants out of the water!. admiral, how do i love thee?
i love your delicious food, daily changing menu.
i could eat at the admiral every night and never get tired of it.

the only thing i am mad at you for is ruining all other restaurants for me. even when i go back to visit ny, your deliciousness still haunts me. and let's not even talk about here in asheville.

it's true - i am in love with the admiral.

best in town. i must say when i go out to eat the admiral is first choice every time! i find myself comparing every other restaurant in town to the admiral and as of yet nothing has lived up to the food here...

amazing fine dining without stuffy atmosphere!. best in asheville, no question.

clean, inventive, and well-balanced menu. great emphasis on local high-end products. bar menu is great. service is slow unfortunately, but the amazing food more than makes up for it.

to all those that say the food is too weird or uses funky ingredients... hey, there is an outback steakhouse on tunnel rd, maybe that is more your speed!

best food in area so far.. this is a really interesting place with great food. it may not be for everyone though. first it is a cinder block once gas station in a less fortunate part of town..limited parking etc.
if upscale ambiance is a requirement don't go here. no table cloths, relaxed service, nothing fancy to say the least. but the food is truly exceptional. this is a fairly young chef who is trying some aggressive combinations but with a very classic sense. some plates are a little busy but the flavors work almost every time. the menu changes every few days and your standard computer paper sheet will have a date on it. that is not to say that this place is really seasonal of local or sustainable. they use great products and treat them right. it is more seasonable and local than not but for example they serve a humboldt fog salad when local goat cheeses are abundant, even a very similar one, domestic but not really local.
they are doing a true gastropub menu, some sous vide some maltodexterine powders, some xanthan gun, lecithin thickening, but nothing over the top or pretentious.
i love this place, you don't have to get dressed up to eat great food, the drinks are great, the prices are reasonable to low. but there are some problems. the water is undrinkable, the service is ok at best, the food does not come out of the kitchen all at the same time. on one trip we got the soup and salad 10 minutes before the rest of the appetizers. maybe they thought that was what we wanted, if so they need to get someone in there who has more experience, or they could have asked. the fact is the atmosphere is pretty relaxed and that is not always a good thing. but the food more than makes up for any other shortcomings.

fabulous food, cocktails, and incredible staff. had one of the best times ever at the admiral this week. first, the food is creative and experimental - it pushes the envelope, and is delicious. this adventurous approach to food may not be for everyone, but if you have a curious pallet and an open mind, you have to try it.

second, i love the staff - they were just great. we found ourselves in a predicament. it was my birthday and when we arrived at another restaurant for a 7:00 pm reservation we found that they had booked a large group from a visiting convention into the tiny space. we had no interest in being overwhelmed by the 20+ extra diners. we went to a nearby bar for a cocktail and called the admiral, knowing that they can be very busy and that last minute plans might not work out. my wife told them about our dashed birthday dinner plans. long story short, liz and the rest of the staff made this one of the best birthday dinners ever - thanks guys!

so take it from me and ignore prior reviews griping about the admiral not taking care of customers. they made my week.

a gem. having moved to asheville from major cities (nyc & boston) i was disheartened by the food scene in asheville. over the years it has gotten better . . . but it wasn't until the admiral opened that i finally felt at home. i missed the big flavors and the risk adverse chefs of the big cities. with the admiral, i can walk in knowing that my palate will always be pleasantly surprised. the atmosphere is great, the staff is lovely, the drinks fabulous and the food imaginative, fun and delicious.

good food doesn't have to be convenient. ok people. this place is tiny for the quality and demand that they are serving up. and as americans we have come to expect "the world revolves around me" type of service. the admiral is not only about delicious food its about experiencing it with people you enjoy. expect a long dinner with an actual appropriate wait time in between courses. this is something most restaurants lack and so when you come here expect it. i think its a shame that eating has become merely a necessity and not a time to relax and stimulate the senses which are too often put on the back burner these days. the food is unbelievable. put your comfy underpants on, stop whining and enjoy a type of restaurant which is near extinction in this fast-paced world.

delish. had scallops, steak, duck, mixed veggies, and salad. everything was very good. the duck was the best duck i've ever had.
i like the fact that i can enjoy fine dining while dressed very casual, and enjoy a cold pbr the whole time.

too exotic for my tastes. all my friends love this place but i found it too exotic or more in a vein that is not my favorite. i don't like duck, lamb or fish and the sides on some of the dishes i would try turned me off. i can totally appreciate the fine dining aspect in a dive joint and obviously my opinion of the admiral is not the norm but just wanted to give some feedback for people who might not be into this type of food. for everyone else, enjoy! it's a cool little funky west asheville dive that seems to put a lot of effort and thought into their menu and has become a local favorite. now, if they just added a great chicken, pasta or veggie plate...