Red Stag Grill — Restaurant in Asheville

Named after a type of deer indigenous to Europe, the Red Stag Grill is meticulously decorated with warm colors and luxurious finishes. Our exclusive media dinner was set to take place in the private dining and wine room which just screamed of opulence.

Our first course kicked off the night with a Sunburst Trout Schnitzel with spatzle, pickled red cabbage, and a mustard caper cream. The Sunburst Trout is a local company in Canton, NC and you could taste the freshness. The fish was both light and flaky, but mild in flavor. The fish was also breaded and fried which added a wonderful crunch factor. The spatzle was cooked perfectly and had a touch of citrus that really helped brighten the dish. Topped with a creamy mustard sauce and brightly acidic pickled cabbage, this dish was a hit and a great way to start off the night. The Schnitzel was paired with a 2009 Austrian GrunerVeltliner that was wonderfully light and acidic which made for a perfect first course wine.

The second course was a Smoked Duck Breast with a potato pancake and a Blue Ridge Mountain applesauce served with an Ayinger Dopplebock reduction. The duck breast was marinated in orange and the duck was bursting with citrus flavor. The duck was then hard seared to a perfect medium rare and served wonderfully crispy potato pancakes and the best apples sauce I have ever had. The dish was served with a 2011 Rheingau Reisling that was crisp and dry which cut through the fatty duck and cleansed the pallet. I'm almost always a fan of duck and this dish did not disappoint.

The third course was a Choucroute Garnie with a traditional knockwurst, veal bratwurst, pork belly, sauerkraut, boiled heirloom potatoes, and a house smoked pork loin topped with Lusty Monk mustard. This dish was first described to us as a big bowl of pork, and it definitely was.

Both the bratwurst and knockwurst were tender, robust with flavor, and made in house. The smoked pork loin had a wonderful aroma and flavor we all love from smoked pig. The potatoes were good but didn't add much to the dish, unlike the sauerkraut which was delicious helped cut through the heavy pork.

The pork was served with a choice of either a 2011 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Riesling or Ayinger Dopplebock beer, I chose both :) The Riesling was fantastically sweet and full of fruit with a touch of fizz, but the beer was the special part of this dish. It was very dark and rich with a touch of a sweet almost chocolate like flavor perfect for a plate full of pork.

Our favorite course is always the dessert course and this was no exception.

We were served a German Linzertorte (Almond tart with Imaldris raspberry jam). I'm always glad to see an Executive Chef who's not afraid to bake and really glad that Chef Hayes is one of those chefs. He prepared a wonderful Linzertorte with a rich chocolaty crust and local raspberry jam that complemented each other perfectly. It came topped with a crispy almond florentine that brought out the almond in the crust and tied the whole dish together. The dessert round was served with a Warres 10 year Tawny Port. I'm usually not a fan of Ports and although I couldn't finish the glass it matched surprisingly well with the Linzertorte.

The Red Stag Grille is easily one of the best dining experiences in the Asheville and possibly one of the best in the state. Check them out when you hit Asheville and let me know what...

What Has Happened to the Red Stag Grill? Four of us ate dinner at the Red Stag on Friday, Oct. 14th, recalling a wonderful steak dinner of a few years ago. We were sadly disappointed. Initially, we were struck by the high prices of the meat we ordered, all on the menu à la carte: Local Wagyu strip steak: 12 oz. for $64 Bone in filet mignon certified Angus beef: 14 oz. for $88 Elk loin from New Zealand: 6 oz. for $45 These were prices similar to the best steakhouses back home- Washington, DC., but this was Asheville. It took a full hour from the time we ordered to receive our meals. We hadn’t ordered appetizers, so we sat there for the full hour without even a piece of bread to accompany our drinks. When we inquired about the delay, the server said that they were backed up due to a large party. The restaurant was only half full when we arrived. If they couldn’t serve us in a timely manner, why did they take our reservation? My Wagyu strip steak was only lukewarm, as was the bison sirloin that another of our party had ordered. The side order of mushrooms was limp and barely body temperature. The roasted Yukon mashed potatoes were also just barely warm. I thought that perhaps they had cooled a bit on the way to the table, so I dug into the center of the bowl to find some warm potatoes, but they were the same temperature throughout, making me wonder if the kitchen was complying with the Health Department’s temperature requirements for “hot holding” of food. We sent the bison and Wagyu steak back. The second steak I received was essentially inedible. Wagyu steak should be tender and flavorful. I tried hard to cut the steak with a steak knife, but the meat was so full of gristle that the knife would not cut through it at any part of the steak. I finally resorted to pulling pieces of it apart using my knife and fork, but once I got it in my mouth, I couldn’t chew it. I tried every piece of the steak, hoping to find at least a couple of edible bites, but without success. The second order of bison was warmer than the first but was tough. The beet salad that one of our party had ordered to come with the entrées could only be described as “paltry” with tiny pieces of beets. The restaurant, knowing we were very unhappy, comped the entire meal. That was appropriate and appreciated, but it didn’t erase the disappointment at having one of the worst restaurant meals I can remember. At prices of up to $88 for an a la carte entrée, you’d expect top quality service and food like you’d get from a good chop house. Sadly, we...

Came here on a whim looking for good food, knowing the area; I landed in this spot due to some of the photos that were on the page and it’s location

First was a litttle confusing to find as I didn’t quite know where to locate the restaurant once inside; but once we’re figured out where to go the place was busy which usually is a good sign at least though. We were seated to dine immediately despite them being at capacity (for bar/drinks)

Our server met with us relatively quickly and we looked over the menu. As a chef/restaurant owner, I personally love seeing small menus knowing the quality control that’s comes from them. With said we both ordered filet mignon one side asparagus and side broccolini;

I will never complain about a wait time, but this is where everything starts going south; when our food made it out, we had to ask for silverware/utensils. I understand it’s busy and there’s a lot going on but hot food is on the table and your guest are waiting now for cutlery; it’s a mark we should always anticipate as owners/managers ect. Granted this only took a minute at most; as we unraveled out silverwear, we made an attempt to cut the filet with a butter knife to no avail…. Waited for our server to come around; grab cutlery and make it’s way back…

My girlfriends filet, a little more on the rare side of Medium Rare, which is alright I suppose, I’d personally rather it be under than over, decided we weren’t going to complain and tried to enjoy our first night out in well over a month….And mine… was cooked to an unfortunate medium well… thankfully the horseradish sauce really helped save it but I wasn’t as happy as I could have been had it been cooked how I ordered it…

The veggies… idk if this is how they always come but the asparagus still had some of the stalk end attached (stringy, chewy flavorless) like they weren’t prepped properly and they felt a bit underwhelming and undercooked… the ones that were cooked all the way were good but nothing to write home about; the broccolini was good just may have needed a little longer on the cook time as the veggies were still a bit on the firm side

What I had hoped to be an excellent meal for the first night off I’ve had in almost a month a half was unfortunately lack luster and ran us a $150 tab with no alcohol for 2. Not sure if I’ll ever...