Editor’s Note: Fork & Dagger is 828newsNOW’s anonymous restaurant review series, written by our independent Grub Scout—no freebies, no press perks, no agenda. Grub Scout pays full price, visits unannounced, and takes notes on food, service, atmosphere, and value. Each review reflects a recent, honest experience rated on our 1‑to‑5 fork scale. We aim to help you discover standout dining spots—from casual diners to white‑tablecloth affairs—one bite at a time.
Warning: I’m coming in hot.
Upon entering Rye Knot restaurant, the server had no record of our reservation, even though I got a confirmation email. Of course, there was no one in the restaurant, so it turned out that a reservation was not really needed. Seeing the vast emptiness of this dining room was an immediate red flag, and it only got worse from there.
I’m not sure what this place wants to be. The design is that of a big-city chain upscale, sterile, and generic establishment, with tall ceilings and minimal furnishings, but it also has a country diner vibe. The walls are covered in cutesy WNC bear photos, bad paintings and quirky knick-knacks. This was all very confusing given the details of the menu online, which has fine dining verbiage and expensive items.
The server arrives at our table after we’ve perused the pretty typical cocktails printed on a menu that looks like it’s for a school function, very busy with very bright colors. They brew their own beer, so I had to try their IPA. We also ordered the spicy margarita. The beer was kind of flat, and what I think was supposed to be a fruity quality was a tad sour. The margarita was acceptable.
We started with buffalo shrimp. It had an especially gummy texture that made it feel as though something was sticking to the roof of your mouth. There was very little buffalo sauce, and the red cabbage slaw was just a big pile of shredded cabbage … no Flavor at all. I could detect the faint aroma of apple cider vinegar, but even that was a stretch.
The most shocking disappointment was the pork belly over Brussel sprouts with maple glaze. The sprouts were nearly raw, the pork belly was not salted and the glaze was more of a pool of water that had dropped underneath the dish.
Alas, the dinner was not over, so I still had hope, though it was short-lived. I ordered the North Asheville burger medium rare. It came out well done, with the rookie mistake of a tomato sliced so thickly that when you take a bite, the entire burger falls apart in your hands. This, too, was saltless. How is a burger saltless? How is pork belly saltless?
The side of poutine (gravy and brisket over French fries with pickled onion) was also … you guessed it … saltless.
The only redeeming quality to this entire experience was the ribeye sandwich, which contained shaved ribeye, sautéed peppers, mushrooms, onions, white cheddar and horseradish crema on a brioche bun. That one was quite tasty.
Another aspect of this evening that was stressful was that, unbeknownst to us, it was trivia night. People were yelling and clapping at a deafening volume. I’ve nothing against trivia night, but the menu descriptions implied more of a date night environment than a ruckus.
I really hate to write negative reviews, but this place is a disaster … a massive saltless disaster.
