plant — Restaurant in Asheville

I write this review with a heavy heart, given the unpleasant experience I had at the Plant. As a culinary enthusiast, I always approach dining with an open mind, willing to give any establishment the benefit of the doubt. But what I encountered here left me nothing short of appalled.

Starting with the Cauliflower, touted with tahini sauce, grilled lemon, za'atar breadcrumbs, and parsley. I can confirm that the marriage of these ingredients was not a happy one. The cauliflower was undercooked and hard, a stark contrast to the mushy and bland tahini sauce. The promised "grilled lemon" was virtually nonexistent, leaving no trace of its charred, acidic charm.

The "Actually Crispy Potatoes", a dish that promised much from its moniker, were an affront to potato dishes across the globe. These potatoes were far from crispy; they were a sordid, soggy mess, drenched in what was supposedly Italian salsa verde and ramp butter, yet lacked the vibrant flavors one would expect from these ingredients.

The Ravioli was nothing short of a disaster. I found the mushroom and ricotta filling to be egregiously under-seasoned, and the kabocha squash alfredo, rather than lending a rich creaminess to the dish, was oddly watery and tasteless. The Italian olive oil and truffle felt heavy and overpowering, muting the already feeble flavors.

The Crispy Mushroom Mole, was a dish that, in theory, could have been a real showstopper. Unfortunately, the mushroom was as "crispy" as a wet newspaper, and the mole sauce was a poor imitation, lacking the nuanced flavors of chocolate, chili, and spices a traditional mole proudly boasts.

But it was not merely the substandard food that made my experience unpleasant. I am a Hispanic male, and the service I received was disgracefully tinged with racism. The staff were cold, unhelpful, and treated me with a condescending attitude that I found deeply upsetting. They seemingly went out of their way to make my experience uncomfortable, and their lack of professionalism and basic human respect left an indelible stain on my visit.

Restaurants are supposed to be places of enjoyment and relaxation, where the stresses of daily life are put aside, and the focus is on good food and good company. Unfortunately, this restaurant seemed to miss that memo entirely. I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone, and I will certainly not be returning.

In conclusion, dining at this restaurant was a jarring and unpalatable experience, not just for my taste buds but for my dignity. If you're seeking authentic, quality food with a side of respect, this is not the...

Service: 5/5, Quality: 5/5, Value: ?/5 Vegan Options: 5/5

Overall: The perfect anniversary dinner with delicious dishes. The cheese plate is a must try. And i recommend ordering a bunch of stuff and sharing with rest of table.

Longer version: Service- we made a reservation at 9 on the patio and were sat at 9. Our waitress, Kendall, was fantastic and asked if we wanted our food staged into multiple courses which we ended up doing. We received updates throughout the night and my water was never empty which is one of my biggest things i rate on service because i drink a lot of water. Kendall was also very knowledgeable about the menu and helped answer questions, and made recommendations since my wife can't handle a ton of spicy food. We were able to get the tofu curry with the spicy sauce on the side so we both could enjoy it.

Quality- nearly everything we tried was delicious. We ordered the cheese plate and ravioli as the first and second course and both of these are a phenomenal blend of flavors. The cheese plate is a must try and i would recommend the ravioli as well. For our main meal we ordered the curry and seitan marsala. Both of these dishes were delicious and continued to have a perfect fusion of flavors. We finished the night with creme brulee and the brownie sundae. The brownie sundae was everything we had hoped it would be and more. The creme brulee wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite the same level of the rest of our food. The caemelization stuck to the bananas which fell off when we cut into it so the first few bites we didn't realize where the carmelization was, and after we found it we wish there was a bit more. Still pretty good and we're glad to have tried it, just not absolutely delicious like everything else on the menu. Otherwise my only complaint is that the curry only had one piece of okra, like the restaurant was trying to start a divorce! Ultimately I conceded the most coveted vegetable to my wife.

Value- we were here for our anniversary and knew in advance that it was expensive so value was not part of my review criteria (unrated).

Vegan Options - everything was vegan which is the only way i...

We visited Plant for our anniversary. I’m a vegetarian, my husband is not. He was not very excited about coming, but came anyways for me to try it. We had a reservation for right when they opened on a Wednesday night, and even then the line was already pretty long for them just opening. I was surprised to hear they’ve been in business over 13 years! For a vegan restaurant (or ANY restaurant!) to be open that long and still be bustling at the seams — that’s a HUGE feat and nod to their obviously amazing restaurant. My husband got the crispy potatoes and crème brûlée and I got the cauliflower appetizer and the mushroom ravioli. He liked his food pretty ok, and after trying his and finding out he liked it, he then adventured to mine which he previously was not keen on trying. Also, he’s a crème brûlée junkie it seems lol, as he orders one wherever he can find one, and he said he “loved” the one here so that’s a win for vegans everywhere haha 🤣 the cauliflower is delicious, smoky, and has a kick. I don’t like mushrooms but really WANT to like mushrooms (lol) and the ravioli was good for me not liking mushrooms (it’s made with oyster mushrooms which I liked more than others I’ve tried). Overall it was a pretty good experience. Our server was EXCEPTIONAL, kind, smiley, and genuinely interested in us and small talk etc (even though she was busy). We were also impressed for such a small kitchen that the kitchen staff worked with and around each other flawlessly, each knowing exactly what needed done at all times. The only things I knocked a star off for was something in the bar area (that we were near) was a strong bad smell, especially when they opened the fridge or something down under the counter, and it made the experience a little more unpleasant to often smell it while we tried to enjoy our food. The other thing I didn’t like was the weird non-smiling attitude of all the other staff in the place (who wasn’t our server). They didn’t smile when giving plates and drinks to people or interacting with them, and just maintained a generally scowly face, which I thought kinda ruined a potentially awesome vibe here. Maybe it was a hard...