Asheville’s Moose Cafe Restaurant Review
June 10th, 2008 categories: Restaurant Reviews
As promised, I’m continuing my tour of Asheville’s restaurants and as it turns out the Moose Cafe at 570 Brevard Rd in Asheville is one of my first reviews. My husband, Gary and I decided to have a late lunch there after doing errands in that part of town. We got there just in the nick of time, heading off being on the edge of getting grumpy from being hungry! We got there around 1:30 and there wasn’t a line waiting to get in. We’ve been there in past months and it can get very busy, so we were pleased that we could walk right in. We were pleasantly greeted and since we requested a booth, there was about a 5 minute wait. Their waiting area has a little gift shop with moose themed t-shirt, ball caps, niteshirts etc., cute things to remember the restaurant by or send to family or friends. Be warned that if you browse around too long, you’ll be bringing something home with you, hard to resist!
We were seated in a booth by a large window in the back dining room. Our server Lauren was at our table almost immediately (good service). She took our drink order and came back in just a few minutes with two Ginormous biscuits and homemade apple butter. This immediately put us in a verrrrry good mood. Folks, let me fill you in on this place, almost everything they have will put you in a good mood!! The Moose Cafe is a southern comfort-food restaurant extrordinaire! Check out their menu in the link I’ve provided above and you’ll see what I mean.
In the waiting area they have a blackboard with the daily specials written on it, I saw Chicken N’ Dumplings listed and that was it for me! I haven’t had Chicken N’ Dumplings for YEARS . . . So I ordered the chicken and it comes with two sides, I chose green beans and macaroni & cheese. I know, I know, I was putting myself in carb euphoria, but I just couldn’t pass up the mac & cheese. Gary ordered the Chicken Tenders with (what else) Mac & Cheese & mashed potatoes. With the ordering out of the way, we dove into the huge biscuits and applebutter. Wow! they’re good. As we were enjoying our biscuits and tea served in Mason jars, our meals showed up!
So, on to the entrees: They give a huge serving, my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish all of my food when I saw my plate. The chicken & dumplings are served in a large bowl with corn bread (more bread!) and each side is served in it’s own smaller bowl. I tried the chicken first, mmmmm . . . the dumplings were so soft and creamy, the chicken was tender and the sauce it was all in wasn’t too thick or thin. I know for a fact that I couldn’t make it better. The green beans were of the Italian variety and were also good. The mac & cheese was also good, but this was one area I thought my Mac N’ Cheese was better. Gary’s chicken tenders were pretty large pieces, I think he had four tenders. He generously gave me a bite, for review purposes only! (he doesn’t like to share-I’m kidding(no I’m not). Anyway, the tenders were good, but the coating they used reminded me of the type used in a fish fry vs. a flour coating. I asked Gary if he would order this meal again, he said no, that he would try something else. BUT, he liked the mashed potatoes & mac & cheese. Let me preface my husbands eating habits, he’s very picky! So, my opinion, is that his opinion is of no detriment to the Moose Cafe!
I WOULD order my meal again. The only slight negative I had on my entire meal was the cornbread, it was a bit bland and dry. Dessert? No way! We were so full I wasn’t sure we could even eat supper later in the day.
So, the servers were pleasant and efficient, the food plentiful and good, OH, and the prices were great! I like the Moose Cafe, I can see myself visiting there again in the future. I think it’s a great restaurant to bring friends and family from out of the area to sample southern cooking. They’re located right next door to the Farmer’s Market which goes hand-in-hand with them offering the freshest produce. The Moose Cafe has earned many great reviews by several magazines including Southern Living who loved their biscuits. Give it a shot!
