Catherine W.
Yelp
After living in Asheville for 6 years, I'm surprised how Storm Rhum Bar flew under my radar for so long. Let me save you the trouble, if you are considering going - GO! NOW! You won't regret it! Storm Rhum Bar is special.
I chose Storm Rhum to celebrate my husband's birthday, after seeing an acquaintance and food writer, Stu Helm, post about how darn good the Meatloaf Sandwich there was.
I was almost 30 minutes late for an early reservation, but the host at the desk greeted me warmly, smiled, welcomed me by name AND wished my husband a happy birthday. (You would be surprised how many restaurants in town have not acknowledged a simple reservation note like this, so great job Storm!)
Storm Rhum Bar's main dinner menu is fascinating. The first two starters on the menu tell the story: "Hillybilly Meat and Cheese Board" (spam, pickled eggs, chow chow, pimento cheese, Ritz crackers and cheerwine jelly) - followed directly below it by "Artisan Cheese and Charcuterie Plate." In a nut shell, Storm Rhum offers some extremely well-prepared, elevated versions of Southern comfort food while in the same breath, offering some very refined, excellent dishes that are more globally inspired. Which is exactly why I was so charmed by this restaurant!
Chef Jay happened to be in the dining room and we were able to chat with him a bit about the menu. It changes often, which I love as a resident. I ordered the "Grilled Wahoo" (mango chow chow, sauteed kale, in a coconut pineapple broth) and of course hubby ordered the famed "Watusi Meatloaf Sandwich" (hashbrown, cheddar cheese, fried egg, special sauce, arugula, texas toast).
Our server continued to be attentive, but not obtrusive. When the food was delivered, it had that WOW factor. On my plate, a perfectly seared piece of wahoo in a beautiful, pineappple coconut broth. On Tom's was a meatlaof sandwich with a whole hashbrown on it and side of fries! You know that your guests are enjoying their food when you see them cutting pieces, assembling a bite and feeding it to their partner. And we did that several times! The broth for the wahoo reminded me a little of a thai curry sauce and the wahoo with the sauce and mango chow chow were delicious. The meatloaf sandwich had a deliciously slightly spicy, intriguingly smokey flavor to it. It was crave-able, the kind of dish you think about the next day and into the next week! We ended the night with a very nice donut bread pudding.
Storm is the kind of place you go to enjoy truly unique food, that isn't too stuffy and takes itself too seriously. (Also on the menu was "Flamin Hot Cheetos Pimento Cheese"!) I love that as you read a menu description and get that mental image in your head of what the dish might taste like, that when you actually get it, it's delightful and you're not disappointed. I wanted a light seafood dish and I got it. My husband wanted some hearty Southern Comfort food and they delivered. Their menu has something for everyone.
I've enjoyed many excellent restaurants in Asheville: Jargon, Rhubard, Limones, Cucina 24, etc. I will certainly add Storm Rhum into my rotation.