admiral

very happy. my wife and i had heard many good things about the admiral. finally we decided to give it a try. i went online and made reservations using opentable. it was a very easy process and we made reservations for 9:30pm for the following sunday. imagine our surprise when we got a call from the hostess asking us to move our reservation up to 7:30pm. we were very happy about that, since 9:30pm was sort of late for us and our 8 year old. we had no wait, and we were shown to a table as soon as we walked in. the atmosphere was great for evening/night dinning. our waitress was friendly and attentive. there is no children’s menu; however our 8 year old was able to order a grilled cheese and potato wedges, which she enjoyed. i was very happy with my order of house smoked duck, mole, fingerlings, orange compressed fennel salad, salty peanuts, and sesame seed espuma. i have a fennel allergy and our waitress was more than happy to serve the orange compressed fennel salad on a separate plate for my wife to enjoy. the duck was wonderful and the mole sauce was superb! my wife ordered the black angus rib-eye, pimento mac & cheese, green bean casserole, mushroom gravy, marrow butter, pecorino. the rib-eye was cooked perfectly and the marrow butter was amazing! it was the first time i had tried marrow butter and i was not disappointed. we finished the meal with the lavender brulee with sea salt which can only be described as deliciously fresh. total tab with meal, 2 drinks, and tip was around $90. service was excellent andrestaurantwas clean. parking can be an issue, but the attentive staff,restaurantcleanliness, and quality of the food make up for that small issue. the menu changes often, so be sure to look online to see the food selection. we are looking forward to returning.

the admiral lives up to the reputation.. thisrestaurantis going for it. dining alone (i'm traveling) gives you more time to observe. this smallishrestauranthas hype with references from anthony bourdain and lots of ashevillians (ashevillites?). this is dining with a capital d but is still staffed with down to earth yet professional servers.
drinks- the cocktail list is well versed with eclectic choices and the staff works hard on each and every one of those drinks, as i witnessed. the dark and stormy (a rum based moscow mule variation) was great, with house made ginger ale, not ginger beer, and garnished with large chunks of gingered candy. asheville is a beer city and the staff was proud to serve wedge brewery beer on tap. wine drinkers will be satisfied, as well-nice list.
the menu included off-beat choices like frog legs and steak tartare but i opted for the roasted bone marrow and seasonally available soft shell crab. an asheville acquaintance had highly recommended the tartare and i visited the admiral intending to have it, but my attention was drawn to soft shell crab. as i sat at the bar, i'm pretty sure the young lady sitting next to me at the bar tried very hard to keep her back to me as i consumed the bone marrow, escargot appetizer. the gigantic half cow bone was roasted and served with a few escargots, and deep fried nettle leaf and a red pepper pesto. i think the red pepper pesto was more presentation than taste but that's a minor comment as this dish completely fed my inner carnevor. the soft shell crab was fried and served on top of rice noodles and scallions in a savory sauce.
i didn't have desert but they looked good.

who is the admiral?   because i want to personally thank him/her for a fabulous dinner.  all joking  aside, this meal shared with friends was a real treat.  our group ordered an assortment of appetizers that included a tasty cheese plate with peach chutney, compressed watermelon with feta and peanuts, and two, yes two servings, of the pork belly with fried green tomatoes and red pepper coulis.  this was definitely  the star attraction of the night.  it was a wise move to order two servings to allow everyone in our party to have 2 or 3 bites each of this savory and tasty appetizer.  the "small plates" we ordered and shared included saffron gnocchi with lobster and shaved truffles and flat iron steak (perfectly seared) with fingerling potatoes and a mushroom reduction. the portions are small, but big on taste, quality and flavor with purposeful and artistic presentation.  dessert was a chocolate brulee with salted caramel topping and fresh blueberries and blackberries.  this extremely decadent and rich dessert was the perfect finish to an outstanding meal.  the understated exterior of this west ashevillerestaurantmeans diners who venture inside will be a little surprised to find top notch cuisine and service with an eclectic and vintage decor.  we look forward to returning.

unexpectedly spectacular. we almost didn't go into this understatedrestaurant- however are sure glad we did. the combination of flavors and tastes was wonderful. the small plates were just enough and the desserts a gastronomic delight. we have travelled the world and this ranks in one of the tastiest meals we have ever had.

my new favoriterestaurantin asheville. i came in with high expectations, due to it's long standing reputation as 'the bestrestaurantin town'. i sat at the bar after a short wait. the bartender was attentive and hilarious, menu was highly inspired, and the food was out of this world. i'll definitely be back.

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 the place i 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 therestaurantfield 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. thisrestaurantis awesome guys don't let bad service ruin your experience!!

heritage farms chop. black beans, avocado/key lime crema
goat cheese, radish, pickled onion

everything was wonderful. bestrestaurantever.

the admiral has become an asheville hot spot over the last few years creating quite a stir in the local foodie scene.   the culinary team is led by chef elliott moss who has connections to chef sean brock from charleston.   moss doesn’t rest on anyone’s laurels with the food he creates at his restaurant.   the menu changes daily, offering a variety of local fare as well as bringing in ingredients that are well known to epicureans across the nation. a sample menu follows below to show the style food that chef moss and his team prefer to tackle.   with food at this level, it’s all about the details that the chef adds to the dish and the preparations that he takes to make it perfect.   moss’ talent continues to become more refined while keeping the ability to think outside the traditional culinary box.   innovation and creativity seems to be his trademark.   the result is the flavor profiles of each course wow his clientele. chef elliott moss therestaurantis in west asheville on haywood

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 arestaurantyou've never been to because of one absentminded host? i just ate here last night and it remains my favorite place in 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!

very disappointing experience. called in advance for a reservation. received a call back but no message. proceeded to callrestaurantnumerous times to confirm.restaurantdoes not answer other number that is listed on their answering system. hostess did not try and accomodate. unimpressive service

get in early!. the food is always amazing. if you sit at the bar, the bartender is probably the best in town. the menu is on constant rotation, which is awesome, but it does create the one and only drawback to dinning at the admiral...if you get a late reservation they may be out of the meal you want. the last time i was in they had run out of two large plates, one small plate, and a few desserts. if you get a reservation for a decent hour this is far and away the bestrestaurantin asheville.

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. therestaurantis 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. therestaurantis 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. thisrestaurantmay well be my favoriterestaurantof all time. i love to eat well but have rarely found arestaurantas 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.

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

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 anotherrestaurantfor 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.