Bar Beat: The Burger Bar

There are plenty of legends about the Burger Bar, most of them too wild and ludicrous to be repeated. Its location would seem to contribute to myth-making: It’s a tiny, house-like building nestled out of the way in Asheville’s River District, not too far from the railroad tracks. It’s easy to miss, easier still to […]

Bar Beat: S&W

It would be easy to miss it. Enter the recently opened S&W Steak & Wine restaurant after 10 p.m., and there might be just a few remaining diners on the ground floor winding up their meals. But take a left and go up the old stone stairs, and you’ll find quite a different scene. There […]

Bar Beat: The Rankin Vault

The newly opened Rankin Vault in downtown Asheville is modeled, albeit loosely, on the bars of the 1920s and ‘30s. The place is mostly wood and red velvet—an admirably simple decor that makes good use of the space. There’s even a Prohibition-era (dated 4/20/30) whiskey prescription up on the wall. Photo by Jonathan Welch Fortunately, […]

Bar Beat: Infuse—you can’t lose

For a time when the popularity of all kinds of flavored liquors is growing, very few places are preparing true infusions: the kind made with fresh fruits and vegetables, providing a far richer taste than even the best artificial flavors. Photo By Jonathan Welch Downtown-Asheville fixture The Frog Bar (upstairs from Flying Frog Café) is […]

Bar Beat: The Root Bar

“You’re just a bit short,” the middle-aged woman says as the plastic ring goes “thud” on the sand, just shy of its target, a plain metal pole. Photo By Jonathan Welch “Don’t tell my wife,” quips her male opponent. “I am your wife,” she retorts. The couple is playing rootball, a sport unique to the […]

Bar Beat: Bar 100

One word for this place: swank. The drinks are artistically rendered, the staff attentive, the music sophisticated. And most of the electric lighting is reserved for the pictures on the wall. Photo By Jonathan Welch Located in the front of downtown-Asheville staple The Marketplace, Bar 100’s bragging rights come from the local ingredients in its […]

The Sky Club

No, it’s not a myth. I’d heard about the Sky Club, located on balconies jutting off floors 6, 7 and 8 of downtown Asheville’s Flat Iron Building, for some time. This winter, the rumors led me on an unsuccessful quest through the building’s labyrinthine guts to find the place. Photo By Jonathan Welch Turns out […]