Modesto — Restaurant in Asheville

Calamari Fritti! Fried calamari is a treat I enjoyed in Boston a few times, and fresh it is lovely with a side of lemon juice and a dipping sauce. What Modesto does with it should win awards. It’s a work of art and culinary delight. It’s served with what I guess are baked basil leaves. (Think Kale chips only a million times better)

Grilled (candied?) lemon rinds are a very surprising addition that I assure you are not to be left on the plate. Try a fork piled with a basil leaf, a small piece of lemon rind, a calamari (what is the flaky breading he uses? Very unusual both in texture and taste!), and add one or both dipping sauces at the same time.

I’d never imagined basil leaves as chips, but now I’m plotting how to grow large batches next year! To think I never knew what to do with the bounty and just put extra basil in the freezer.

The eggplant calzone is served on the best salad I’ve had in years. There is no question this restaurant knows how to find the best of local produce. I confess I’d forgotten salad greens have flavour. A salad of fresh mixed greens and tiny tomato chunks with a dressing to die for…

The calzone crust was perfection. The mix of ingredients inside delightful. I did save the tomato dipping sauce from the calamari for atop the calzone. It made me extremely happy. I’m still thinking about that marinara, it was like mine, but something else was in it. I’ll be looking to find out! It may be the first time in my life I preferred a sauce to my own.

This isn’t an Italian restaurant. It’s better, it’s blend of influences that I could only guess at, and it’s full of little surprises. Like those tart tangy Greek black olives, not the bland ones. There were just a few in the calzone and I loved them.

My son’s entree was chicken Parmesan pasta and was dominated by those olives. The only slight criticism. He ate a few but by the end of the meal the bowl edge was lined with them as he moved them out of the dish. I would never order pasta at a restaurant, perhaps it’s the hardest thing to get right for personal tastes. Especially if you’ve grown up with Italian grandparents.

The basil limeade was delicious but a little too strong for me, my son thought it perfect. The flourless chocolate cake with local Ultimate vanilla ice cream my son enjoyed. I had a forkful of the sweet treat and sighed at the wonder of the meal.

This would not be a restaurant for anyone to go expecting what they’re used to…

Go to be surprised and allow yourself to be delighted.

Go on a weekday at lunch time when it’s not so busy and perhaps you’ll have the service of your dreams like we did. I’m sorry I didn’t get the tall, dark-haired, handsome waiter’s name. He was wonderfully attentive, and even chatted with us a bit, we laughed about the local man with a miniature horse that might go by and startle you sometime.

Sit outside under an umbrella and enjoy the local din. Or not, it might bother you a lot if it’s delivery time for a refrigerated truck to Hemingway’s Cuba. We enjoyed our meal despite the din. That may be the most amazing aspect of our visit, we were so mesmerized by the novelty of the meal, we tuned out everything else.

Next time (yes, as soon as possible) I’ll try seating inside. I’m guessing the dining room is as gorgeous as the food. And maybe we’ll order two plates of calamari and split a calzone!

Our check was $75, and we considered it well spent. We weren’t hungry again for 8 hours. And we mentioned some aspect of the meal several times over the day. How often does...

Consistently good pasta, pizzas, salads and seasonal favorites with a few missteps

I have been going to Modesto for years, and I appreciate the consistency of their menu. Certainly they’ve had different staff and servers in rotation over the many years that I have been dining there, but unlike other long-term favorites in Asheville, the quality does not seem to waver.

While I appreciate restaurants who have new chefs/staff, sometimes that means mixing up the entire menu and that includes throwing a lot of standards away. Not so with Modesto; I can always count on my favorites, yet they still manage to have seasonal ingredients as well. For example, they have my favorite appetizer that I’ve been enjoying for several years (woodfired Spanish octopus) but on my last visit they also had softshell crab from South Carolina, fresh snapper and a few other specials that were seasonal. I love seasonal specials! But sometimes the chef focuses so much on seasonal specials that some old favorites are neglected. Not so here.

Some items were a bit of a miss. The salad that we received was excellent, and the tuna was seared beautifully, but the tomatoes were past their prime. They were a bit mealy.

And the ravioli that was fried was good, but probably my least favorite dish. It was a bit too crispy, and so you lost some of the nuance and flavor of the mushroom inside, because it just tasted overly fried. It was so overly fried that the interior filling could’ve been spinach or any other element substituted for the mushrooms, that is how little the mushroom flavors came through the frying.

But my woodfired octopus was super tender as usual, and my daughter’s seasonal snapper was extraordinary! So fresh! In addition, the servers here are always attentive without being obtrusive, and that’s really lovely.

My only other complaint is a small one. Like Hector’s other restaurant, they tend to push the bottled water, when Asheville tap is perfectly fine. In fact, our tapwater is excellent! And I really wish they would return to having iced tea. Sometimes when I’m having a big lunch and a nice salad (and the octopus, of course) I just really like to have some good brewed ice tea, and they took it off the menu a few years ago, and Instead seem to be pushing the bottled waters and the bottled specialty sodas. I know, selling the bottles help with the profit margin, but Please please bring back good-old...

My husband & I were dining late and planning to eat at Huli Sue’s for dinner which supposedly closed at 8 pm. We arrived at 7:45 pm, and it was already closed. We had our large Doodle with us as we had planned eating on the patio. Disappointed of course, and hungry, I began walking to find somewhere else to eat. I came upon Modesto because I saw it had outdoor seating. Because it is a very upscale restaurant, I was hesitating a bit. But, it was the Hostess that won me over! She immediately offered me a menu to look over & keep if needed. I asked if my dog was allowed to eat with us, and she assured me he was. She was astute to offer us a table off to the side. Kudos to you, Modesto, for having such a friendly and competent Hostess out front which immediately gave us a welcoming first impression of your establishment! 💯 We were not planning on spending that much for a regular, Saturday night dinner, but were happy that we did. Our server, Mike was also awesome! Very patient, and even displaying a sense of humor. We started with still water, and a full Antipasta order of Roasted Oysters. I was surprised that they were prepared with cheese, but were very succulent and delicious! I chose the Striped Bass Entrata, and my husband, the Mahi & Scallops along with a glass of wine. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of my Entrata! This is not a restaurant that has large prices, with tiny portions! My meal was generously portioned. It was beautifully presented, and full of harmonious flavors. We were told the chef had been there, if I remember correctly, about 34 years. He is a highly skilled expert! As a foodie who loves intricate flavor combinations, this meal was sublime. I gave 4 stars for the atmosphere on the sidewalk out front. There was a street performer that was overshadowing the restaurant’s music. With him trying to engage, it was a little uncomfortable at times. A note for pet owners: be prepared to bring their own water and bowl. My husband had to go back to our vehicle to get provisions for ours. Overall, our evening ended on a high note. Thank you to all the staff. We will be back! I highly recommend this restaurant for special occasions & next visit I would love to...