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.servicewas excellent and restaurant was clean. parking can be an issue, but the attentive staff, restaurant cleanliness, 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.

do not let the shabby area or exterior fool you. this will be one of the best meals you have eaten this year.servicewas excellent. we had apps, entrees, dessert, and cocktails, and they all exceeded expectations. it is a pricey meal but i have paid more for food not half as good. eat here!

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 asheville restaurant means diners who venture inside will be a little surprised to find top notch cuisine andservicewith an eclectic and vintage decor.  we look forward to returning.

excellent!!!! and it is the best thing next to.... having been on the road for a month, and sampled really great food in va, dc, nyc, and other cities....this is going down as the meal to beat on this trip.
had read some of the critical reviews here and elsewhere, so we weren't expecting the perfect experience we received.
two "tastes" or "small plates" are plenty per person. we were so delighted with our four that we pushed it and ordered the tartare which left us way too sated to sample their otherwise appealing desserts.
ourservicewas as excellent as the food, inobtrusive but willing to volunteer helpful suggestions. there was a gap between our originally ordered four and the tartare, but great opportunities for observing the scene made the time pass quickly. tables are spread out enough to make for easy conversation without inadvertently eavesdropping on your neighbors.

tried to make reservations on a holiday weekend but it was totally booked. we tried anyway, hoping to atleast get a seat at the bar. our party was sat at a fabulous table after only 20 minutes. food andservicewere amazing, totally lived up to our expectations!

poor food,servicelikewise. thursday night, 7/25/13. promptservicewith water and appetizers. octopus/quail egg dish included several items; all tasted the same (fried). waited one hour (>60 minutes) thereafter for entrees. my wife and i had "heritage farms pork chop" with etc. had great difficulty in cutting pork chops with steak knives provided. meat was flavorless. did not have the time and courage for dessert.

bartender/mixologist, russ...outstanding! stopped in for a quick bite, it rarely disappoints. we had three small plates to share between the two of us. it was plenty except that it is all so delicious, you hate for it to stop coming.servicethere is always comfortable and prompt, hospitality southern. crazy frustrating to get reservations unless you think about it a week out, but sitting at the bar suits us. sooo, we try to visit even without the elusive reservation. it is always worth it and theserviceat the bar makes up for the 'dinner on a barstool'. yummy!

disappointing.servicewas great. some elements of the meal were amazing, such as the perfectly cooked halibut, but i question why someone would proceed to drench the halibut in fish sauce. seriously overpowered the perfect halibut, leaving an unpleasant fermented aftertaste that lingered even after several sips of water. the duck prosciutto is a great concept. failed in execution. it was a globby, salty mess that overpowered the delicate spring greens and the amazing caraway-tahini vinaigrette. there were elements of genius and elements of "what were you thinking" throughout the meal. the complete meal was a let down, especially given the hype.

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 goodserviceisn'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 badserviceruin your experience!!

not what's it's cracked up to be. my husband and i are asheville natives. the admiral came highly recommended from several friends as one of the best, newer restaurants on the scene. we made reservations for our 24th anniversary. were we ever disappointed.

let me say that theservicewas impeccable. the gentleman who waited on us was personable and professional. however, if i am going to pay $24 to $30 for a large entree, i expect to not leave hungry. my husband ordered the swordfish. i ordered scallops. i gingerly ate my entree in about 3 minutes or less. there was little more on it than an appetizer portion of seafood. moreover, my scallops were overly salted - something that is a no-no for delicate seafood. my husband's swordfish came in a slightly larger portion, but he, too, left hungry. his swordfish was nearly cold ... certainly nothing outstanding.

may i say that the malbec and the wedge wheat beer were very good!

the entrees came with nothing - no salad, no bread, nada. the admiral should at least offer a small side salad and a nice crusty european bread to accompany these outrageously priced dishes.

again, do not misinterpret me. we eat at a lot of different restaurants - different styles, different tastes, different price ranges. therefore, we understand that good food comes with a price tag. however, when it comes to value = price? the admiral lacks severely.

food was delicious! back of the house is on point! front of the house was an epic fail! even with reservations it took an hour to get a table. front was so bad i will not be back, food is worth the price if theservicewas better

reserving judgment. a surprising find! i actually drove past the place (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!

theservicewas 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.

amazing. these guys could probably get away with charging double what they do now for the top notch menu. casual do.ing with white table cloth worthy food.servicewas great, beer was great.

all time favorite. i'm not interested in bourgeoisie ambiance or needing the waitstaff to treat my like british royalty -- all i want is delicious, creative food at a reasonable price...the admiral has consistently delivered exactly that over the past two years we've been going there, whether it was dinner-for-two or a party of 10

service seems to get a bad rap from some on here, but we've never had a problem...friendly & attentive enough, accommodating & helpful...even that one time i walked in during dinner rush with no reservation, had just gotten out of the woods hunting, dressed in head-to-toe camo -- they found me a solo seat at the bar and i proceeded to have an amazing meal whilst talking hawg huntin with one of the owners...now that's something you won't get at 99.9% of the "gourmet foodie" restaurants out there, i'd of been deniedserviceor at least looked at like i was hillbilly trash...but not here!

took my now-wife here on our first date, and was nervous as she grew up only eating cheeseburgers/chicken fingers/french fries and hated vegetables...she had no clue what half of the items on the menu were, but by the end of dinner she had discovered she loved asparagus...now she eats numerous foods i would have never expected, all thanks to ya'll...and after 35 yrs of personally hating brussel sprouts, their chef changed my mind!

never had a dish that wasn't at least "good", majority of them have fallen into the "excellent" to "amazingly perfect" -- standouts have always been the beef tartare, sweetbreads, steak special, mussels...portions are more than plentiful, sides are always delicious...the foie gras-topped krispy kreme bread pudding was by far the most intriguing, decadent dessert i've ever had

having taken business clients out to some of the finest restaurants in atlanta/nyc/chicago/miami/etc, the admiral ranks up there as having one of the most creative chefs creating an ever-changing menu for downright cheap in a non-pretentious environment! just what we like, cheers ya'll!

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 to place our 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 poorserviceare not enough to make me allure the food.