Tony S.
Yelp
Like many places in West Asheville, this place has a retro vibe: it looks like an old diner. Inside it is cozy with friendly staff who make you feel welcome and provide fantastic service. The dinner menu is fairly limited but still manages to provide unique and varied fare. This place reminds me of Stoney Knob Cafe in the sense that the level of the dishes in terms of quality, presentation and taste is much better than what you might expect -- rivaling more upscale or trendier places that are much more expensive. We started with cocktails/beers and some snacks, specifically two kinds of French fries: pecorino cheese and garlic aioli and Totoro fries (named after the Japanese anime character). Both were outstanding. The base fries were cooked well and stayed crispy, even with the toppings. If I had to choose which I liked best, it would be the Totoro fries, based on their originality and unique flavor profile. The seasoning is Japanese style with wasabi and sriracha aioli, Japanese soy miso bbq sauce and furikake. If that sounds too weird for you, it sort of is, but it works and if you don't try it you'll miss something really different and really good. For entrees, we had ricotta ravioli with garlic cream topped with lion's mane and oyster mushrooms and harissa chicken. The raviolis were wonderful if you got a bite on their own -- great ricotta filling. But they were even better with the garlic sauce and some of the mushrooms. We could pick up the hint of savory lobster flavor from the lion's mane. They have apparently replaced their peri peri chicken with a harissa version. I love peri peri and was a little disappointed until I tasted this new version. It was made with chicken thighs that were very tender -- not chewy at all. The harissa sauce had great favor and just a little kick (not really super spicy). The chicken and sauce went perfectly with the brown butter sweet potatoes underneath and the duqqa hummus surrounding it. Again, maybe not things you'd pair together, but they were a great taste combo. Others in our party had the hot honey fried chicken sandwich (huge and tasty) and steak frites (one of the best versions of this dish they've had). Prices are reasonable and as noted, service was excellent. Plenty of parking (unusual in West Asheville). We'll go back, especially to try the brunch menu, too.