admiral

didn't like it. i could not hear myself think the room was too noisy, too dark to even read the menu and i forgot to bring my flashlight. the food is hit or miss and expensive, the wait staff doesn't seem to appreciate what it means to be a server with personal attention to detail. i am a chef, and go out for the atmosphere most times (if i want really good food i cook at home with just picked food from our farm), and thisplacehas none other than that of a busy loud bar. they are popular however and do a good business. evidently most folks are not near as picky as i am when i am ready to spend over 80 for two to go out to dinner.

the admiral is great. we go once a year in the fall when we visit asheville. menu is always seasonal. ingredients always fresh. dishes always exceptionally prepared. if you are a foodie thisplaceis a must. one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.

this hurts to write this. i want to start off by saying i have visited the admiral several times and the food is amazing. i am definitely on a budget, considering my job but when i can afford it this would be theplacei want to eat. i know reservations are hard to come by so generally i will sit at the bar. this review has nothing to do with the food, the food is excellent, creative and fresh. chef moss is a genius in my opinion. there is one particular bar tender, who i am not going to mention by name but he/or she is pretty awful. i have gone several times and have the same experience with the same person. the bar tender acts like you should be feeling entitled to eat there and that good service isn't a necessity. yes, i understand that i don't spend 150.00 by my self but just because i'm not ordering tons of food doesn't mean i shouldn't receive fair service. i have worked in customer service, sales and the restaurant field all of my life. don't you understand that you work on tips and only make 2.13/hour in nc? you would think that people would want to or be happy to serve you. needless to say, it's always a cold experience and i feel like i am inconveniencing that person by ordering. i still tip 25 percent regardless because hey, we can all have rough days right? i have a reservation for when my dad comes in a few weeks and i will be eating at a table to avoid the discomfort. i have spoken to several co workers, friends etc...and they have had the same experience. this restaurant is awesome guys don't let bad service ruin your experience!!

reserving judgment. a surprising find! i actually drove past theplace(even with directions), it's so tucked away and unassuming.

as other reviewers have mentioned, it is quite dark (we sat in a booth). one of our party couldn't even read the menu. but the waitress was prepared with a tiny flashlight, so that worked out. i'm just not sure what it says about the atmosphere that flashlights are standard server issue.

the menu is a wonderland of culinary creativity. even the mixed drinks were so clever and interesting that it was difficult to decide which one to pick!

the service was good, though not great, and the food was delivered in a timely manner. it was beautiful to look at. unfortunately, the scallops that i ordered were undercooked. each piece was half raw, as if the cook simply seared them on one side and couldn't be bothered to turn the scallops over. i was not the only one in our party to order the scallops, and there did not seem to be an issue with the other plate on the table. in fact, my dining companion pronounced hers "delicious!" the rest of my dinner was wonderful.

my appetizer was the raw oysters. i will admit that i felt a little foolish paying $3 per oyster. it was a nice treat, but not one i will be repeating given the price.

it is possible that my first meal here was a simple case of bad luck. the rest of the experience was delightful. so i will withhold judgement for now and give the admiral another try. i hope i will find that the undercooked food was a fluke and not the norm.

i'm always surprised by negative comments on here about not getting a call back regarding reservations... i understand the frustration, but are you really going to speak that negatively about a restaurant you've never been to because of one absentminded host? i just ate here last night and it remains my favoriteplacein the area. my father and i shared the sweetbreads with a quail egg, mussells in an amazingly smoky yet sweet broth, diver scallops with butternut squash risotto, and savory lamb shanks with garbanzo beans. finished with ginger-orange creme brûlée. everything was fantastic! seemed each dish had bacon in it too, which i have no problem with. also, i forgot how reasonable the prices really are; $9 mussels and there must have been nearly 20 of them!

great food, spotty service. i went to the admiral with a close friend of mine and we sat at the bar. we ordered a couple of drinks while milling over the menu and checking out what other diner's were ordering. when we decided toplaceour order, we stated we would be splitting an appetizer and an entree. we order the steak tartare appetizer and the pork chop entree. our neighbor at the bar had also ordered the steak tartare and theirs came with an overflowing mound of toasted bageutte. when our order was brought to us, the appetizer and entree came at the same time. to add insult to this injury, our steak tartare came with a single toasted pita that had been sliced into small triangles. my companion asked if they had run out of baguette and a female server responded a lonely, "yes". the food was superb, but the timing of our food was a failure and the response about the grilled bread that was supposed tp be accompaning our appetizer was poor to say the least. at the end of the meal, the bartender took an extrordinarly long time to bring our tab and settle the payment. during this time the bar area heated up to an oven like temperature. i do not know if i would return to the admiral even though the food was great. the lack of atmosphere and the poor service are not enough to make me allure the food.

lives up to the hype. we were told by so many ppl that thisplacewas 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 cheapplaceto eat, but worth trying if you want to treat yourself. menu changes daily but some dishes are always there re-worked.

best food in area so far.. this is a really interestingplacewith 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 thisplaceis 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.

good food doesn't have to be convenient. ok people. thisplaceis 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.

too exotic for my tastes. all my friends love thisplacebut 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...

the admiral review. you really are mistaken with this review. how can you possible judge aplacenegatively by phone or lack of response? i think you are derelict reviewers if this is how you do business. for goodness sakes, in the time you spent trying to interrupt the excellent service by answering your persistent calls, just jump on your scooter and go there and live a little. please! this is one of the best places i've even eaten and the people there are great, even to us "out of towners"! apology required!