Explore Ashvegas
Tags
art (65)
Asheville (2725)
Asheville Citizen-Times (82)
Asheville City Council (202)
Asheville Police Department (102)
bar (63)
beer (279)
Biltmore Estate (61)
Black Mountain (73)
brewery (153)
coffee (60)
comedy (84)
craft beer (330)
crime (66)
Curate (60)
downtown (163)
Esther Manheimer (68)
featured (1728)
film (114)
food (264)
French Broad River (64)
Grey Eagle (108)
grocery store (63)
Haywood Road (177)
Highland Brewing (62)
hotel (114)
Lexington Avenue (78)
Merrimon Avenue (74)
Moogfest (59)
movie (91)
movie review (278)
music (142)
New Belgium Brewing (80)
newspaper (60)
Patton Avenue (59)
photography (68)
restaurant (242)
River Arts District (167)
south slope (127)
Stu Helm (292)
The Mothlight (62)
The Orange Peel (113)
The Week in Film (85)
UNC Asheville (70)
West Asheville (292)
Menu
Cafe on the Square was primo with great chefs like Joel and a terrific wait staff. The new management seemed to deliberately destroy a system that worked and turned it into a social, culinary and (ultimately) economic disaster.
My question is: what will be there at 1 Biltmore Ave. next?
I heard the food was awful. That, more than location and being near a midst of construction, probably was the death nell on Martha Nell’s. This foodie town won’t tolerate sub-par food, especially in a location that in the past had such great food.
BTW, I hope The Noodle Shop folks are going to be able to come back OK from the flood damage they had from their sprinkler systems accidentally going off.
Lena, that cracked me up, too! I know it’s crazy, but all I could picture was Nellie Olsen whenever I’d hear the restaurant’s name. Mean ol’ Nellie Olsen! I didn’t want to eat her "comfort food"!
"a dumb name"
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Frosted tips?! LMAO! I wondered how you achieved that Breck Guy look! Now I know it’s all from a bottle.
I hate to say it but I looked at the menu online and wasnt excited to try it out. Ive been loyal to the Tomato Jam, Green Tea, Mamacitas for lunch, if and when I go out.. and new places like 12 mile. And yes, Tomatoes.
The name wasnt appealing in the slightest and now I feel guilty I never went. Like with Left Bank… and Sugo. oh god, its my fault.
I loved that restaurant and ate there every time my family came to Asheville. I think timing is everything. I know the original cast that had made it so successful had changed so maybe that with poor economy just hurt to much. Maybe the original cast including Mitchell with his energy and his wife could turn things around.
And also…how can you have a restaurant with down-home cooking and be closed on Sundays, as Martha Nell’s was? If there’s any day I want comfort food, that’s it.
Had lunch at a great place today: Stovetrotters near the village (the old Polar Bear venue). Food is terrific, but there weren’t many tables filled. I would hate to see them go away, and I think they may be struggling. So please consider them for lunch .. well worth it.
Who wants to sit and eat lunch while looking at Ground Zero across the street? I used to love downtown Asheville, but with all the construction and predatory towing I avoid downtown like the plague! My new fav is Tomatos on Patton Ave. Yeah, its Patton Ave. but no construction and no towing, not to mention great food!
And what’s up with the road work on Lexington Ave.? That road has been closed at College St. off and on for a what seems like a year now!
The demise of Cafe On The Square was a huge loss for downtown, as it was one of the few places with a semi-upscale menu, great staff/customer service, and no snooty attitude. They hosted many jazz concerts I was a part of or had a hand in promoting, and the former owners were patrons of music. I played many nights there and loved every minute of it. When it became Martha Nell’s, they killed the music, changed the menu, and I think angered a lot of former patrons and clients in the process. I hate to see another restaurant go under, but I’m tired of people coming in with a hard-nosed approach to something and expecting it to flourish the way the old establishment did. Arrogance never prospers.
A sad closure indeed. The Cafe on the Square crew was a good one, and I think that big of a change didn’t need to happen to keep the restaurant in the running. Plus Tupelo Honey Cafe, Early Girl and several other restaurants already do the down-home thing quite successfully. Where’s the innovation? That’s what restaurants are going to have to offer to survive: something different…but done well.
i worked there for last few months, and its been a steady decline ever since the name change from cafe on the square. hard to believe that a place with that excellent of a location could go under so easily. i blame bad management decisions in the end. its also a shame that someone decided to smash the front window out. what a world..
Have you ever met Mitchell the husband of one of the owners. There is your answer.
No offense to the Martha’s of the world, Martha! I love me some Martha’s!
But "Martha Nell’s" does not make me want to pull up a menu and chow. I would go to Martha Nell’s for a manicure and some frosted tips, but no food.
Hey! What’s the dumb name comment? Kidding. It isn’t a good restaurant name – the word "fried" isn’t in it.