Located in a former church at the heart of Montford, Asheville’s most historic neighborhood, Tall John’s now attracts a different kind of worshiper. And I am one of them. The building itself is essentially one big dining room with high ceilings, overhead windows, an inviting cocktail bar and an open kitchen designed to allow guests to oversee the cooking while seated at the serving bar. The communal setting inspires one to engage in conversation with adjacent tables and they draw the kind of patron where this is almost expected. In-season, Tall John opens the 36-seat outdoor patio where well-behaved dogs are welcome. This is a very comfortable neighborhood restaurant with a profoundly well-honed menu. All of the major proteins are represented and meticulously well-prepared. The flat iron steak is served sliced and smothered in mushrooms and Diane sauce. The roasted half chicken is plump, moist and very flavorful. The pork chop schnitzel is huge; maybe even big enough to tip over Fred Flintstone’s car. The sides are to write home about. Try the grilled carrots, fennel & gruyere au gratin or the potato puree and start everything off with the simple but elegant “A Very Nice Green Salad” and an order of homemade Parker House Rolls. The desert menu is as tempting as it gets with an O.G, soft serve chocolate sundae for two, dark chocolate truffles and a soft serve Affogato. My final comment is on the thoughtfully selected wine list. Within each category, the wines are listed not by price or grape variety but by tannin level. The lighter-bodied wines with less tannin, higher acidity and lower alcohol levels are listed first and the boldness (higher tannin, lower acidity and higher alcohol level) increases as you move down the list. Pure genius! I asked the fellow sitting next to me how he likes Tall John’s and he said and I quote “Let’s put it this way…I’m a former chef and I eat here at least once a week”. I think I may follow his lead.
Hours: 4:00pm-9:00pm daily – Brunch on Sundays from 9:00am-2:00pm
152 Montford Ave, Asheville, NC 28801 – Montford
Website: http://www.talljohns.com
PH: (828) 782-5514