I am rarely negative when it comes to food, but last night's dinner at one of Asheville's top hotels, the Grand Bohemian(part of the Kessler Collection, now under Marriott management) was a huge downer. We arrived in the elegant setting which has a clubby feel with lots of taxidermy and loved our out of the way table for two as we let the teens order Italian take-out to have in the hotel.
We actually loved the decor and feel of the place and were ready for our adult night out, but there was a loud thumping 19-somethings disco thud going on from the sound system that actually made the room shake. We mentioned it to our server, Alexandria(or Ali) and she said she would check. Ultimately the manager, Ben Haas, came over to explain that the music is determined by upper management and cannot be adjusted or changed. What the ????? He managed to turn it down to a dull thud, but it was a huge imposition on a nice night out for what we hoped would be fine dining.
This is probably one of the most expensive places to dine for miles around and while the service was admirable, it seemed the rest was downhill.
The "Kessler Margarita" was a nice size drink with Exotico Tequila Reposado, Triple Sec, Lime & orange juices as well as Rose's Lime juice and Grand Marnier. This made us both super happy, We also loved the idea that you scanned a bar code with your phone and the whole menu from drinks to coffee was at your fingertips; this is the way of the future that we need RIGHT NOW for cleanliness.
We decided to split two starters: Spinach-Artichoke Fritters with a roasted garlic ricotta dip that were a bit dough heavy, but indeed quite yummy. We were excited about the Elk Carpaccio which comes with Lusty Monk Mustard Aioli, Crispy Capers, Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings and Arugula and it looked great when it came, although there was not a lot of the thinly shaved meat(that comes from New Zealand--odd with so much elk wandering around the area!). The mustard aioli was thick and actually heaped on so thickly with the cheese and arugula that you might as well just eat a jar of mustard!
We had a super bottle of 2016 Rioja La Montesa from Monte Yerga(Alfaro) in Rioja that was super with our main courses; we both chose the Carolina Bison Hangar Steak from Leicester, NC(6 ounce) with house steak sauce, mine with grilled asparagus and Will's with steak fries. Ali said the chef prefers to serve it medium rare and we were thrilled.
Will's steak came with ketchup instead of the steak sauce, but that was rectified in a minute,
They both came cooked past medium and the meat was slightly chewy throughout; we were not happy with these $38 plates without the sides(tax or tip)! It wouldn't have been the worst meal ever or even close, until I went to take my last bite and there was a huge hair under the meat.
We felt horrible, but also cheated of a nice night out.
