Asheville, North Carolina
Lunch and Biltmore Beer
Dined
in April 2014
The Biltmore Estate, “America’s Castle” as it has become
known as is a must see for not only visitors to the United States, but for
Americans as well. It is a glimpse into the past and the history of the Vanderbilt Family, and how they built the America that
we know today. When you’re done touring the estate, make sure that you have
made reservations at The Bistro, located across from
the Biltmore Tasting Room, as they have a wonderful selection of North Carolina
cuisine set in a casual atmosphere.
Scroll down to read the main review
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Star
ratings chart:
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5 stars
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Extraordinary
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4 stars
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Outstanding
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3 stars
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Exceeded
expectations
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2 stars
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Above average
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1 star
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Average
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No star rating
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Basic,
poor, or appalling
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Review
basics:
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Overall Star rating by
Wine, Dine, & Play:
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3 of 5
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Quality of food:
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7 of 10
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Presentation:
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6 of 10
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Wine selections by
region:
Scroll below the main review section to see the tasting
notes of the wines chosen.
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4 of 10
I sent two emails requesting
a copy of the full wine list for this review, but never received a reply to
my inquiry
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Customer service:
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6 of 10
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Ambiance:
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6 of 10
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Corkage fee’s:
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American Restaurant standard is $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Dress code:
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Smart casual, or Conservative
attire
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Make reservation through opentable.com, or by contacting the
restaurant directly. See contact info below the review section
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Walk-ins:
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Accepted, but not
guaranteed
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Child policy:
 |
The Restaurants reviewed on
this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full
enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in
attendance. Hire a Babysitter. See Alinea Baby Gate,
god I love Alinea.
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Cuisine style:
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Contemporary, Bistro, Modern, American, Southern &
Vegetarian
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Music styles:
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Background instrumental
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Good for special occasions, Rustic,
Scenic views, Classy, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Gratuities:
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Industry standard is 18-20% added to parties of 6 or more
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diner’s,
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Parking:
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Public lot
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Transport options:
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Biltmore Bus, limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
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The restaurants reviewed on
this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the
excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead
of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant
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Patio:
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No
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Chef:
David Ryba
Food price per person
(Excluding tax & gratuity)
Price chart:
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - Under 75.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
Currencies
chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur's
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My food bill:
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Currency:
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Country :
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Price chart:
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$31.00
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$
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£18.45
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Great Britain Pound
Sterling (GBP)
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£
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€23.16
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European Union
(EUR)
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€
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$34.04
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$
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$33.53
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Australian Dollar
(AUS)
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$
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¥190.84
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Chinese Yuan
(CNY)
|
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¥¥¥
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Visit these sites to
get up to date currency rates:
Alternatively, visit:
From restaurants home page:
Located in Antler Hill Village, the Bistro places a strong
emphasis on our century-old field-to-table philosophy. Dishes include locally
farmed mountain trout, locally sourced meats, local farmstead cheeses, and
local honey. Using fresh ingredients from local producers, including our own
Kitchen Garden, the menu at the Bistro changes to highlight the best of what is
currently in season. Bistro received the 2012 Open Table Diner's Choice Award
and is a Certified Green Restaurant by dinegreen.com. Please be aware that you
must have a valid paid estate admission ticket, be a guest of Inn on Biltmore
Estate, or be a Biltmore Annual Pass holder to dine on property.
Main review:
My second day at the Biltmore Estate began with wine tours
and tastings, so now I was hungry and ready for some simple bistro food. Well
it was very covenant to have a bistro restaurant right next to the vineyard
tasting room. The construction of the building had large vaulted ceilings with
oak planks and surrounded by windows for wonderful amounts of light, while the
seating area consisted of tables, bankets, and booths, with the kitchen smack
dab in the center surrounded by the dining room for an open air quality to see
the action of the kitchen.
Since it was lunch it was time to take it easy and not go
too crazy, so I started with a beer sampling consisting of two Biltmore micro
brewed beers and one local Asheville Micro Brewery. The two Biltmore beers were
from Cedric’s
named for George Vanderbilt's beloved Saint Bernard, and they were the Brown Ale and
the Pale Ale
tastings. The third tasting was from the Oskar blues brewery called “Mama’s little yella pils”
To begin I had the almond fried brie with red pepper jelly,
chicory greens, and toast points, wonderfully presented, and tasted like
heaven. It was a great way to start off a meal. For the entrée, I had the Open-faced
Steak Sandwich with sliced ribeye, crumbled Gorgonzola, arugula, and
horseradish crème fraiche. The side came with some house made potato chips that
were unfortunately over cooked and did not taste very good, but the sandwich
itself was cooked perfect and very tasty.
This Restaurant reminds me of:
The Bistro like its namesake was a typical bistro, and this
visit was my second time eating there. The first visit was in 2006 when I was
living in Georgia and visited Biltmore for the first time with some friends. I
would compare this experience to other bistro style restaurants like The Lobby Bar and Bistro in Atlanta, Georgia and
the Harvest Moon Cafe in Sonoma,
California.
Other Asheville favorites:
Visit other Asheville Restaurants at OpenTable.com
Cost of wines and other
alcoholic beverages in USD:
$7.00
Restaurant address:
1 Approach Rd
Asheville, NC 28803
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 35.540928
Longitude: -82.553013
Contact Information:
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Maître d, reservations:
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828-225-6230
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Website:
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Email:
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Online Reservations :
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Social Media:
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Hours:
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Monday
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11:30 am - 9:00 pm
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Tuesday
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11:30 am - 9:00 pm
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Wednesday
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11:30 am - 9:00 pm
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Thursday
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11:30 am - 9:00 pm
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Friday
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11:30 am - 9:00 pm
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Saturday
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11:30 am - 9:00 pm
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Sunday
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11:30 am - 9:00 pm
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Standard Time (GMT -5:00)
Review by:
Chef Sean Overpeck (CFE)
at the United States Consulate, Herat, Afghanistan 2013
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Chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:
"Culinary perfection
consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things
extraordinarily well."
TTFN
