Nightbell

This restaurant did not disappoint. From the ambiance to the amazing flavor combinations, Nightbell is about luxurious, surprising food. Elevating the most common ingredients and putting them into an unexpected, new context. Delightful.

We dined here for our anniversary yesterday. The cocktail menu though small, is mighty. The deviled eggs are everything you read about. Must order, lush, rich, creamy, sinful. Other standouts the beef rib bolognese pasta, the tilefish with roasted octopus, the beets with fried chicken skin... I could go on and on. I LOVED every bite and while I liked Curate OK, NIghtbell is the one to beat.

It truly was an experience dining at Nightbell. My friends and I were able to walk in and be seated on a Saturday night around 7 because a party who had a reservation ended up bailing. Thankfully, their loss ended up being our gain!

Nightbell is dimly lit and a very cozy place to grab food and drinks. It looks like it used to be a firehouse. Personally, this would be a place where I would grab an app or two and cocktail not focus on making a full meal out of the tapas.

They had a specialty moscow mule on the cocktail menu but I was in the mood for a 'regular' one so I was a little disappointed when they told me that they were out of copper mugs due to a number of them being ordered by a bachelorette party. My mule arrived in a short glass and just wasn't that good. I did learn that they make their own ginger beer though, so there's that.

As for the food, it's a true tapas restaurant so if you come with a party of more than four, it's not really feasible to share with the table because there will not be enough food for everyone. My group of three ordered the fries, turnips, greens, crispy lamb belly, fingerling potatoes, and seasonal fish (monkfish). My personal favorites were the monkfish and fries.

We got the pecan pie for dessert and it was amazing. I'm not pecan pie fan at all but Nightbell's version was delicious.

Service was excellent and our waiter patiently described every meal and went over options for the vegetarian in our group. Nightbell is for people who are not afraid of trying new things and who carry an appreciation for the craft of preparation.

DISCLAIMER: Until this weekend, my wife and I have never spent more than $75 EVER on a meal when it was just the two of us. But this was a special weekend. No, it wasn't our anniversary or some special celebration on the calendar. It was simply the first weekend getaway we've taken WITHOUT the kids in years. Such an occasion was worthy of loosening the usually tight family purse strings. After all, we deserve to splurge at least once in a while.


THE EXPERIENCE

We chose Nightbell because it was the sister restaurant to Cúrate, and we'd hear nothing but great things about both these Katie Button restaurants. Our reservation was for 10:30 pm, however, we received a call saying they could seat us as early as 8pm. Still in route from Atlanta we managed to score a 9pm seating instead.

The dining area & bar are located on the 2nd floor. The vibe was electric as groups and couples enjoyed brisk conversations at their individual tables. Typical of Asheville there were a mix of wardrobes from fancy schmancy to flip flops & shorts. We were on the more casual side since we prefer to wear comfortable clothing on road trips.

We were seated at a table too large for the two of us, but grateful for the extra space. They have a very cool velvet covered high back bench that runs the length of one of the dining walls. Our server explained a few menu options, my wife asked a few questions and soon after, the first items we ordered arrived. Our selections included:


THE FOOD

* REGIONAL CHEESE PLATE (2 stars) | $18
A crime was committed against us tonight. We were charged almost $20 for cheeses we did not enjoy. Not exactly gunpoint robbery, but close!

* SMOKED GOLDEN BEETS (3 stars) | $8
Duck fat whey vinaigrette, crispy chicken skins, ricotta salata. No complaints, but likely would not order this again.

* GRILLED OYSTER (3.5 stars) | $4
I'm not a mathematician, or an accountant, or a connoisseur of fine foods. Nor can I say I have any idea what quality oysters cost. What I can say, is that I felt cheated paying $4 for an oyster that provided a morsel of meat about as big as my thumbnail. I truly thought the meat would be as large as the shell for the price. Flavor was great, but seriously? $4? For this tiny bite?

* DEVILED EGG (5 stars) | $4 x 2
NOW THIS IS LIFE!!! I absolutely loved it and came close to ordering a dozen more. Best item of the evening for sure but not at all what I was expecting based on the name.

* CAESAR SALAD (3.5 stars) | $5
More of a taco than a salad. Flavor was good minus the Spanish anchovy, which in my opinion was gross.

* STEAK TARTARE CONE (3 stars) | $3
Honestly one of the best values on the menu! They stuff a pretty good amount of meat into those cones. However, I didn't find the meat to be very flavorful.

* HEN OF THE WOODS MUSHROOMS (1 star) | $11
Grilled, sesame oil, fish sauce, orange zest, garlic cream
Did not enjoy these at all. My wife ate one and she was done. I was a little more objective and ate two, but reached the same conclusion. They were kind enough to take it off our bill after seeing we didn't touch most of the plate.

* BURGER ULTIMATE (3.5 stars) | $18
Apple brandy beef and benton's bacon, appalachian cheese, house pickles, lusty monk mustard, maitake mayonnaise on a house-made grit brioche bun.
Sometimes too many flavors can combine in a way that makes something worse. I can't say which of the ingredients was too strong and overwhelmed the taste of the beef, but I believe it was the apple brandy. The grit brioche bun is more of a biscuit than bun. Overall, decent in size but the flavors overwhelmed my taste buds.

* FRENCH FRIES (4.5 stars) | included with burger
Really great flavor! The rocket sauce was not necessary, but a nice complement to the fries nonetheless. I only wish they hadn't been so greasy.

* HOUSE MADE GRAPE SODA (4 stars) | $5
Coloring was more reminiscent of cherry than grape. Still, although it was good, no refills for the price? Really?


THE SERVICE / AMBIANCE

During some points of the meal it felt like too much time had gone by since we'd seen our server or since a small plate had been delivered. Still, Elizabeth was friendly and knowledgeable. Low lighting for more intimate mood, but bad for pics!


FINAL THOUGHTS

NIGHTBELL is for people who enjoy a twist on tradition. Nothing here from the "Deviled Egg" to the burger to the Caesars salad, is presented as you might expect. Everything has a twist. Although I enjoyed some things, I thought others were a little too twisted AND too pricey. We had our eye on a few desserts at the beginning of the night, but decided against it since the food was hit or miss with our taste buds.

The experience was so underwhelming that we almost cancelled our reservations the following day @ Cúrate... but I'm so glad we didn't. Cúrate was a much better experience in flavor!


2018/85

We loved Curate so were very excited to check out Katie Button's other venture, Nightbell. Like its sister restaurant, it's very hip. There's a good amount of more lounge-like seating throughout. The dining tables themselves are similar style and thus not quite the most comfortable.

The menu has a variety of options, some are 1 bite only and some small plates for sharing. The portions are definitely small so the bill adds up quickly if you're looking to get a good amount of food.

Some highlights:
"CAESAR SALAD" - One bite of jicama with dressing and parmesan crisps. Tastes surprisingly similar to the actual salad, without pretending that this much Caesar dressing is at all healthy.

OYSTERS - The typical half shell gets southern-ized with hot sauce and smoked horseradish.

SUMAR ROASTED CARROTS - Caramelized carrots are amazing, and the sumac here adds an earthy flavor.

SHORT RIB - Super tender with a nice smoky flavor. Only wish it was bigger.

Overall, the quality of the food is very good though I do like Curate better still. I felt like the portions are even smaller here though.

Nightbell is to me one of the fun date night spots in Asheville.
The drinks are creative, the food is fun with small plates and a
little molecular gastronomy twist.
My favorites are:
Deviled eggs: not your grandma's deviled eggs. It is one eggshell filled with a corn mousseline,
smoked trout and of course egg. It is so totally delicious. I could have 10 of them easy!
Steak tartare, comes in a little cone. So pretty and so good.
Waffles and duck poutine. (you can add foie gras too)
The burger.. wow.. You would never think that would be the place for a burger but.. Yum.
The dessert with peanut butter is amazing. I don't remember the name..
The ambiance is trendy and the service is friendly.
They take open table reservations and there are parking structures within walking distance.
Side note: Bring back the lobster rolls!!!

I regularly plan my travels around food, and this was definitely a stop we had to make! We stopped here on a Wednesday evening before taking a class at Aerial Space (stuffing our faces before that may not have been the best of ideas, but oh well--it turned out okay).

My friend and I may or may not have scouted out the menu beforehand, so our order was probably the most efficient experience ever, since we already knew everything we wanted.

We opted to share everything so we could maximize our eating/sampling potential, and got the following:

-Deviled Egg (each order includes one egg, so we got two of these)
-Sunburst Trout Rillettes
-Steak Tartare
-Hush Puppies
-Beet Salad

The deviled egg was magical--I've never had anything like it before! My second favorite was probably the Steak Tartare, although the Sunburst Trout Rillettes were amazing as well (I liked all the different toppings)! The Beet Salad was very fresh and flavorful. :] The only dish I wasn't the biggest fan of were the Hush Puppies, which I normally equate to balls of delicious unhealthiness, but these were way too salty for my liking, so I chased them down with a bunch of water. (For reference, I rarely, if ever, put salt in my food, and I think these had been rolled in a lot of salt.) I liked the sauce they had for it though!

We finished this off with Baked Alaska for dessert! Twas a delicious dining experience, and I definitely need to figure out how to make that deviled egg! *-*

P.S. Parking can be somewhat hard to find, depending on when you get there and/or what day it is, but the Aloft hotel parking garage down the street tends to have space and is free for the first hour ($1/hr afterward)!

First things first: GET THE DEVILED EGG.

I saw so many reviews describing it, but they really don't even do it justice. I've never had anything like it, and it's truly one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten.

Other highlights of the meal: the grilled mushrooms. There's a generous helping of orange zest on top, and between that and the garlic cream, it just has fantastic flavor. I love mushrooms, but those were over the top.

The scallops - I will never turn down scallops. These melted in your mouth, and the corn underneath was sweet and delicious. I only wish there was one or two more for the price.

We also had the greens, which were delicious. The egg on top added some richness, and the pickled onions balanced everything out.

The hush puppies were good, but I've had others that were just as good. My fiancé loved the honey butter sauce, but I wasn't as crazy about it.

We finished our meal with the apple butter cheesecake, and it was delicious. Lots of strong flavors that somehow work really well together.

Thanks to our server, Jackson, for the great recommendations! Great servers definitely make tapas a little less intimidating.

Nightbell is a rare treat and absolutely as special as everyone says. Whether you have a celebration or are simply looking for a delicious meal, there is no better place in Asheville. Nightbell's chef was recently nominated for a James Beard Award. In experiencing a chef's table there, we were blown away by the creativity, sustainability, seasonality, and plain ol' good eatin' coming out of the kitchen helmed by Eric Morris.

We were lucky to have the chef offer to simply cook and send out whatever was delicious, while cocktail director Pheobe Esmon complemented each course with a cocktail pairing. We're hearty eaters but were crying "uncle" by the end. It was an insane, indulgent blowout. We enjoyed:

-Cheese plate - superb. Served at proper spreadable/sliceable temperature. Favorites were a semi-soft made with cow, goat, and sheep's milks. Looking Glass Creamery's cocoa-nib-coated Chocolate Lab was also good. Housemade dilly pickles, delicate crispbread, and buttery brittle provided tasty counterpoints.

-Charcuterie plate - The kitchen really shines here. Outstanding. Lamb merguez made with sister restaurant Curate's trimmings and a pork and liver terrine were especially delicious, with homemade rhubarb jam and bread and butter pickles to cut through the richness. Smoked sausage and grilled cured pork belly also made for a bountiful plate.

-"Deviled egg" - A perfectly hollowed-out eggshell filled with house-smoked Sunburst trout, corn sabayon, hard-boiled egg, trout roe, and smoked paprika. Deservedly legendary. The gently sweet, fluffy corn sabayon haunts my dreams.

-Fresh oysters - large meaty ones, sweet small ones, and smoky grilled ones - We enjoyed these fresh, briny bites. Ginger mignonette, grilled lemons, and horseradish cream sauce were all great accompaniments. The grilled oysters were topped with toasted breadcrumbs, microcelery, and homemade tomato jam. All served with homemade crackers sealed in compostable wrappers. How Asheville!

-Caesar salad "tacos" - super creative! Thinly-sliced jicama wrapped around a tangy biteful of dressed greens, rye breadcrumbs, and anchovies. The salty bits are just balanced by the fresh, watery vegetables.

-Royal cocktail (not on the menu) - a twist on the bamboo sherry cocktail topped up with sparkling wine - nutty, really nice

-Trout tartare - house-cured with beets served over a bed of leeks, dotted with poppy cream, and sprinkled with rye crisps - sly homage to an everything bagel with lox? Really good.

-Tallow beets - another off-menu delight - the sweetest, most perfect little grilled beets in a pool of homemade yogurt, bathed in beef drippings. SO savory. Stellar. Simply unforgettable! What evil genius is behind this?

-Water Falling Over Stones - aquavit, golden beet shrub, soda - so tasty - love a savory cocktail

-Homemade ribbon pasta with ramps and delicate cream sauce, foraged morel mushroom powder, asparagus(?) - spring in a bowl. Another favorite.

-Seared sea scallops with sweet potatoes cooked in their own juices, sour corn, basil, and a smoked paprika(?) dashi. Perfectly seared. Dashi is a little fishy for me, but this was my husband's favorite dish. House-fermented corn, naturally.

-Chardonnay - nice and toasty, buttery, perfect complement to the pasta and scallops

-Braised pork cheeks with grilled spring onions, favas, and pickled redbud foraged "capers". Insanely creative. I loved the tender meat, fresh seasonal vegetables, and agridulce glaze so much.

-Corn is in the Blade cocktail - bonded corn whiskey, honey locust, strawberry, orange sunshine bitters. This was the highlight of the drink pairings - summer in a glass - loved the pronounced strawberry.

-Za'atar carrots - I have no idea how chef coaxes so much flavor out of these vegetables, but they were excellent. At this point we were admitting defeat and put most of the remaining dishes in to-go boxes.

-Dry-aged apple brandy beef (half portion) with "redneck romesco" - vaguely recall a sauce containing pecans, smoked paprika, and sherry vinegar? The meat, butchered that day, could be cut with a fork. Very flavorful.

-Cabernet - delicious red, but details elude me

-Hen of the wood mushrooms - lots of orange zest in the glaze - oddly evoked Chinese General Tso's sauce for me

-Strawberry tart, with basil, honey locust sorbet, honeycomb candy - the tamarind-like sorbet was incredibly light and tangy.

-Local amaro - forget the name, but I think this was nut-based. Really nice bitter counterpoint to dessert

I have no idea how was managed all this. It was like the eating Olympics. But you can't NOT eat when the most delicious food is personally presented by the chef! Plus a gift certificate and generosity from the kitchen helped take some of the sting out of the bill.

Nightbell was an unforgettable, amazing meal! Great service, too. Swoon!

A couple summers ago marked the beginnings of what is turning out to be a deep infatuation with the South. I guess I can trace it back to the planning stages of a trip to Charleston, when I decided to reach out to the Yelp peeps there for recs. Everyone was just so darn charming and eager to offer suggestions. Such a refreshing switch from NYC Talk, where even the most benign-seeming post has been known to devolve into snark and innuendo. Now to be fair, am not exactly unsarcastic (is that even a word?) myself, but sometimes, all a girl wants are some solid leads on hunting down the best seafood spot in town. So thank you, Charleston peeps and in this case, a special shout out to Caroline N. Hey girl! I appreciate your rec for this place:

Anyway, am going to go ahead and echo what everyone else has said about the Tartare 'ice cream cones' and the Deviled Egg, playful riffs, as others have described, on classics. Both are fun and totally worth trying. Was less enamored of the Caesar Salad & Anchovy bites, enwrapped in what I think was a 'jicama shell'(?). The tortilla-like shell component was served way too cold (maybe to keep it crisp?) and the flavors just didn't pop for me; I like more of everything in my Caesar, including lemon, garlic, and parm so this was just more cute than anything else.

Loved the bright notes of orange zest that peeked through in the Hen of the Wood Mushrooms.. And if my kid is any sort of barometer, he let out a happily sated sigh as he was biting into his Burger. He wasn't sharing but I snagged some Fries and loved those so much, we ordered a second round. Our server went into some overly complicated explanation as to how they're made that am blanking on, unfortunately. A take on Peach Caprese Salad and a Daily Fish Dish were good, but forgettable.

As for dessert, got the Chocolate Mousse Cake and am torn. The Cake bit was undeniably rich and delicious, but wasn't all that into its accompaniments of Chicory Ice Cream and Rye Cocoa Nib Crumble. Couldn't really pick up much Chicory flavor in the Ice Cream and the Crumble didn't need to be there at all if you ask me. Sure, it looked purty, but I could've done with more Cake instead. Just sayin.'

Our server was impressively well-versed on the menu and could seemingly describe how any dish we asked about was prepared. After encountering servers at other Asheville eateries who were checked out in some way, it was nice to finally experience engaged, enthusiastic service.

Ultimately, I think my jaded NYC palate makes it tough for me to do cartwheels over restaurants like this. But that doesn't take away from the fact that this was an enjoyable splurgey meal with just enough whimsical twists to keep things interesting. Thanks again, Caroline N.. You're the best.:)

In planning a bachelorette weekend in Asheville the bride recommended Nightbell due to the fact it is owned by the same group as Curate and she loves Curate. With that said, we were able to get reservations for 7 at 9:00pm on a Saturday evening.
We arrived just before 9:00pm and were greeted by the hostess, who was very sweet. Once our entire party arrived we were taken upstairs to the main dining room. My initial thoughts, beautiful, inviting, very trendy feeling. We were seated at a round table in the back, which was nice, allowing our group to talk openly and have our own little space. If you have a large group I would definitely recommend the round table.
After reviewing the menu we decided to start with appetizers/small plates: French Fries, Hush Puppies and Cornbread. The French Fries were so amazing we ordered another round. They had a unique dipping sauce which everyone loved. The Cornbread was the tricky one, definite mixed reviews as it is not a traditional cornbread.
As for the main dishes, we might have ordered the entire menu, amongst all of us. The Caesar Salad is a must try, as that was a definite hit. The other highlights were the Hen of the Wood Mushrooms, Green Beans and the Grilled Squid and Spicy Lamb Sausage and the Grilled Steak. Amongst the group, we definitely enjoyed every bite.
As for desserts, we decided to order all four: Bourbon Pecan Pie, Melted Peanut Butter Tart, Key Lime Cheesecake and Warm Bittersweet Brownie. The Brownie, OMG. It was one of the best desserts I have had in a long time and I am not even a huge chocolate fan. The toasted meringue was light, yet toasted to perfection. Definitely save room for dessert.

As for Nightbell overall, this is a definite go to spot in Asheville that I look forward to trying again soon.