Mei

Tall John's - Asheville, NC

Elegant open kitchen and bar that you will definitely want a reservation for while in Asheville.

A must have while in Asheville.

Service steals the highlight of the show.


What We Ordered:

  1. From the Medium section - Radicchio, Apple, Horseradish, Buttermilk Dressing
    • Great appetizer to split
  2. From the Tall section - Duck Breast, Roasted Turnips, Sweet Potato Puree
    • Some may consider duck to be gamey
  3. Also from the Tall section - Confit Lamb Shank, Mint Curried White Beans, Pickled Radish
    • Definitely order if you love lamb

Why We loved them:

My husband, Daniel, and I arrived without a reservation. We were still promptly seated at a bar of our choosing. They have two bars -- one facing the kitchen and the other facing the actual bar. We opted for the bar. Don't love bar seating? Definitely make a reservation for when you visit. Bartender quickly took our drink orders, and once we were ready, they took our food order as well. Pretty quickly our salad arrived. We split the salad and chatted away. Some time passed and a server brought us gnocchi as an apology for the lamb shank taking longer than expected. We didn't feel that the food was taking unexpectedly long but graciously accepted. Turned out to be one of our favorite dishes of the night.

Portions were generous. We sadly did not have room for dessert, but had plenty of leftovers for the lamb.

What We unexpectedly received:

  1. From the Medium section - Ricotta Gnocchi, Roasted Grapes, Sage, Walnut Sauce
    • This was the dish mentioned in the story.
    • Would hands down order if are in Asheville again

What We had to Drink:

  1. Grapefruit & Cinnamon Soda

    Delicious - Bummer that they were out of Non-Alcoholic Spirit for Ginger NOjito. Would have loved to try it.

  2. Pilsner - Radeberger brewed in Radeberg, Germany

    All alcoholic ratings provided by my husband since I do not drink. Had a slight hoppy taste and smooth. Husband originally thought that this was locally brewed.

Documenting restaurants I visit, one bite at a time since 2025.