The Admiral

We had the Beef Tartar, blackened trout and porkchop followed by a peach cornbread dessert. Photos included. The beef tartar, trout and pork chop were delicious. Our waiter (who looked and sounded a bit like Jimmy Fallon) was attentive and informed. One of our party had food allergies and they were very accommodating. This is a very busy neighborhood and parking can be precarious. I am under the impression that the desert would be best served warm, but it was cold and the cornbread was stale tasting. But over all, a good restaurant worth your visit. It can be inexpensive or expensive, depending on entree and drinks. Not overpriced for Asheville, by any comparison. My suggestion is to add this to your list of new places to dine if you have not been here.

My wife and I are visiting Asheville for our anniversary. For dinner we wanted a local restaurant serving steak and The Admiral delivered in spades. The overall service was excellent, the ambiance inviting, and the food perfect from beginning to end. I ordered the trout and the risotto while my wife ordered the ribeye and a salad. The risotto was excellent, rich and flavorful; it was nearly as good as the risotto I had at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Switzerland. The trout was very good but not exceptional. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the steak and I snuck a few bites, too. It had a nice crust, just the right amount of seasoning, and was cooked as ordered. The zucchini fries, if that's what you want to call them, were so good we nearly ordered a plate of them. We would happily come back given the opportunity. Thanks for a great dinner!

It’s a nice place with very good service but a bit underwhelming on the seasoning. The foie gras was excellent and seasoned well, the beef tartar could have used more salt and pepper. I’m not OK with the crostinis as the only salty thing on the board. The steak and lamb were good but not amazing; again, under seasoned protein doesn’t excite as much. Generally, red meat can handle a lot of salt, simply said, and it does need it. I don’t have the picture of the lamb because it originally came out a little raw and had to go back to the oven. The drinks (each worth $15) were not strong enough for my taste. Their service is excellent though. When I was waiting for my lamb they brought a little cheese platter with home made tomato jam; it was delicious. The quality of ingredients is impressive but they’re pricey: ca. $215 for two people (4 cocktails, no desert or coffee), and they don’t have espresso which is always a little disappointing to me. They’re not perfect on the flavor profile but they’re trying. The issues I’ve described can be fixed very easily, if they decide to upscale their customer experience even more.

(Written by Preston's wife) Made a 7:00 reservation at the bar of the Admiral for Thursday, July 6th. My husband and I were celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary. The ambiance was upscale, lit romantically, and not too loud. I asked the bartender to make me something "girly" and "fruity," and he didn't disappoint. Service was quick and efficient, though I will mention that one of the runners squeezed between us too many times and I was about ready to snap. I understand that you need to put a fork and knife in front of him, but you don't need to push yourself between our clasped hands in order to do so. Management should probably address that. Anyway, I ordered the ribeye steak and he had the pork chop. My steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and they even had horse radish! (I was joking with my husband about getting in the habit of carrying some in my purse because most restaurants don't have it in stock. 🫣😅) I typically shy away from steak at restaurants because I hate paying such a high price for it to be cooked wrong, but the Admiral got it purrrrfect. His porkchop melted in his mouth (and mine when I tasted a bite); it was soooo juicy! 🫶🏻🫶🏻 Our entire experience was amazing and we have nothing but good things to say about this establishment. Price is on the higher end, but every bit worth the price. We will definitely be back. 🫶🏻 Ambiance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cleanliness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wait time ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Price ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Location ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐