experience this time better than food. limones is one of my favorite restaurants in asheville, but our meal last night (a small birthday dinner) was memorable more for the overall pleasant experience than for much of the food.
the dinner started well. we lucked into a parking space on eagle street just a hop and a skip from the restaurant door. we got prompt seating at a nice table. limones nearly always has a nice buzz. it can be a little loud, but that doesn't bother me. our server was friendly and helpful, though she was dealing with a busy and probably demanding saturday night crowd.
the ceviche appetizer sampler we started with was terrific, as were the house margaritas. limones has a long list of margaritas, many of which bear little resemblance to the drink of that name. but the regular margarita is terrific.
after that, some of the food edge a little downhill toward mediocrity. our two other appetizers were so-so. you'd be hard-pressed find thelobsterin thelobsterappetizer, which was mostly chips and guacamole.
the salmon entree on a bed of kale was, however, very good. my filet mignon was perfectly cooked, and the watiperson kindly substituted mashed potatoes for the trendylobstermac n' cheese (c'mon, i'm not eating filet withlobstermac 'n cheese!). but when will i learn that most restaurants in asheville buy lean, grass-fed usda beef, good for you but without the flavor and oompf! of good prime beef that you get at a premium steakhouse? and the steaks aren't served on heated plates, so they quickly get cold.
the seared scallops entrees, very good by themselves, were lost in bowls of pasta and juices. my philosophy: if you're going to serve big, juicy seared scallops, why hide the delicious seafood in bowl of goop? put them on a plate with the pasta and goop, if you must serve it, on the side.
we had an affordable malbec (our daughter spent time in mendoza, argetina, so i often get a malbec for sentimental reasons even though i don't particularly like malbec). the dessert flan we tried was tasty, but limones still doesn't offer espresso. we were told there wasn't room for an espresso machine in the kitchen, and, besides, few people ordered it. what is this? greensboro?! a serious asheville restaurant needs to serve espresso.
even though we weren't knocked out by all of the food this time, we we have been in the past, the overall experience was excellent. i think if you stick to ceviche and margaritas at limones, you can't go wrong and you won't overspend.
speaking of spending, the meal for four, with four cocktails, a $35 bottle of wine, three appetizers, four entrees, one dessert and one coffee came to a little over $300 including tax and our usual generous tip. how do ashevillians afford to eat out so much?
note that limones doesn't accept amex, only visa and mc.
-----19 sep, 2012-----
i love limes and lemons. when my son was about three, he told his aunt, "i don't like women." his aunt, concerned, asked, "brooks, why don't you like women? " my son replied, "and i don't like wimes, either!"
however you translate limones -- limes or lemons, and it does seem to vary by country and locality -- i love it!
on a rainy tuesday, my wife and i had dinner at limones on eagle street and thoroughly enjoyed every bite.
yes, the noise level is high, but the little narrow restaurant is charmingly decorated, with the atmosphere of a san franciso bistro, with pressed tin ceiling and exposed ducts, and service was just right, not too little, not too much.
we started with the ceviche and fried calamari appetizers (both $9). the ceviche, nicely presented, was good, but the calamari was brilliant, maybe the best i've had in asheville.
we each had a margarita. mine was a traditional ($9.25) and my wife's was the blood orange ($11). both were lovely, heavy on the salt on the glass rim, with fresh ingredients and good quality tequila.
for an entree, i chose the angus beef tenderloin ($29), which was served slightly beyond the medium i ordered but still excellent. it was served on a bed of organic kale, with a lot of vinegar -- unexpected but a nice contrast to the beef. the waitperson talked me into the truffle macaroni and cheese instead of the fingerling potatoes i wanted, and i have to say it was very, very good. my wife's seared sea scallops ($25) were huge, tender and delicious.
for dessert we shared the vanilla-orange flan, which was good but not exceptional.
again, no espresso here -- what's with asheville restaurants and no espresso?! -- but the regular dynamite coffee from black mountain was fine.
my wife has been to limones several times, but i had never been because i had the impression it was one of those downtown restaurants with small portions and large pretensions. how wrong i was!
i would put limones in the same top rank in asheville as cúrate and fig, and i will be back soon.
no, it's not inexpensive. our meal, with two drinks, one glass of wine, two appetizers, two entrees, one dessert and and one coffee, was $120, before my usual generous tip.
but definitely worth it.