Flight Wood Grill and Wine Bar

Fat Kat and I have lived here for going on four years now and we hadn't been to Flight (flightwoodgrill.com) in ages, so with coupon in hand, decided to give it another go. We had liked it in the past, but now with so many options in town, in Brevard, and of course, Asheville, it's just hard to get them all into the rotation more than once in a blue moon! Last time we were there, we weren't overly happy with their attitude either. They seemed to think they were "it" for Hendersonville and looked at us like we were daft for thinking we could possibly get into their "hot" restaurant without a reservation on the weekend (we were willing to wait at the bar). To be fair, back then (it was still Lark's at that point), they were nearly the only high-end show in town, so some disdain for our lack of planning was probably deserved, but it left a bad taste in our mouth. I will say though that the food has always been good despite any attitude served along with it. So, Fat Kat and I forged ahead and this time made a reservation! lol They are part of the popular "opentable.com" program where you can make your reservations right at your computer - very convenient.

We had a reservation at 6:30 and got there right on time. We were seated immediately and the snooty attitude had vanished, which was a good sign. The interior of Flight is very warm - typical of most high-end restaurants. You can sit either upstairs in the balcony or downstairs which is a little more high energy, incorporating their bar and open kitchen area. When you make your online reservation, you can specify which area you want to sit in. We like both, so it didn't matter to us. High above the diners are a throwback to the old Lark's days with lots of what appear to be little paper origami birds in flight across the dining room.

Anyway, on to the food!! With our $25 coupon (we love restauarant.com!), we didn't worry too much about ordering frugally. Fat Kat and I both ordered drinks - he got a Sierra Navada beer ($4) on tap and I got a decent Cab glass of wine for $7.50. I felt their wines by the glass were a little pricey starting at $7.50 and then jumping to $9.50 and on up to $15. However, they are touted as a wine bar, so theoretically have a higher quality list than some other restaurants.

Our server went over the specials which included a grouper special for $33 and a t-bone steak special for $36. Those were special prices, indeed! Although, they were technically called "features". I've learned that specials frequently come with an extra "special" high price, so always ask when they don't tell me. And, am I the only one annoyed when the server doesn't tell me what the price is? I know they are hoping you are too embarrassed to ask and then will order it only to discover later the "special" price that came with it. But, I digress.......

They asked us if we wanted bread (I found that slightly odd), we said "yes!" and out came four pieces of warm focaccia served with a twist on an old standby. Olive oil with a sundried tomato pesto. It was a nice change and although the focaccia had been cut while it was a little too hot and was squished completely flat, we enjoyed it. Fat Kat ordered the appetizer of the Crispy Seasame Wontons with pork and chili hoisin sauce (3 pieces for $9). I opted to look ahead to dessert so just snagged one of the wontons. They were excellent with a lot of flavor packed into a small package. Our only complaint with it was that they were extremely difficult to eat. The wonton was very crispy (as described) and fried into a little bowl containing the rest of the ingredients. No matter how careful you were, bits and pieces went everywhere, not to mention stuff dripping down your chin. Between that and a few wayward drips of sundried tomato oil, our tablecloth looked like a pack of three year olds had been eating there. I remarked to Fat Kat that I was glad this wasn't our first date!

For entrees, I debated about the fish special, but decided it wasn't worth $33 and opted for the lamb chops (still pricey at $29). Fat Kat pulled out all the stops and had to know what was so special about a $36 t-bone steak. Meanwhile, we were served an amuse bouche of sushi grade tuna with a touch of soy sauce served on spoons and later, an intermezzo of lemon sorbet served in beautiful little blue shot-style glasses. Their timing seemed a bit off as we received both of those only moments prior to our entrees hitting the table. In fact, I was still scooping out the last bites of sorbet as my entree was placed in front of me. Traditionally, the amuse bouche is served prior to the appetizer. Still, they were a nice touch and appreciated.

Our entrees were both fabulous. There were four decent sized lamb chops cooked exactly as requested. They were served along side some garlic mashed potatoes and haricot vert. The chops had excellent flavor and were served with a minted balsamic "drizzle". I honestly couldn't taste the mint, but the sauce was nice nonetheless - although there is never enough of it for this sauce hound! Fat Kat's steak was quite large and he happily proclaimed, "now that is what a steak should taste like!" [We had recently had a less than spectacular steak at a place that should have known better...] His entree also came with the same potatoes and green beans. We did not have any choice of sides. At Flight, you get what the chef wants you to have. The rest of their standard menu options were priced between $23 and $29 with a variety of "surf" and "turf". They also have what they call their mixed grill where you choose your main meat or seafood and then choose an accompanying sauce. The main is cooked on their apple wood fired grill and served with the chef's sides. The prices would seem like a bargain ($10 - $17 for most and $25 for lobster) until you read the fine print that says you must choose TWO grill items (I would assume you can choose double of something too). So, your $15 choice now becomes $30.

As is usual for us, we saved half of our meals to be boxed up and then moved on to dessert. They had about six items all but one priced at $7, the other at $9. I went for the raspberry bread pudding and it was VERY good. Fat Kat wasn't going to have dessert, but when I "ooo'd" and "ahhh'd" he dove in and agreed it was delicious. It was flavorful and moist. Bread pudding is always a gamble as it can be dry and uninteresting.

Service throughout the evening was pleasant and efficient. Our only complaints were that once initially filled, our water glasses were ignored. We had a fun light show for a little while (at one point the lights over our tables went out completely). Then various lights around the restaurant would go off and on. We were told that the "person who usually does the lights" wasn't there (I didn't know they had someone whose specific job it is to "do lights"???). Anyway, they were trying to adjust a certain area's lights and couldn't figure out which ones they were. Hence, the light show. The other complaint was that if a high-end restaurant is serving an amuse bouche and intermezzo, they ought to come out at the correct times.

Our bill came to $117 including 20% gratuity (added automatically when you use the restaurant.com coupon) and before deducting our $25 coupon/discount. That included the two drinks, one appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert.

So, our four fork rating comes from great food, nice atmosphere, and pleasant service. The loss of a fork coming from the few missteps of the service and the fabulously high prices of the "features" and some of their other entree items. As I said before, at one time, they were one of the the only high-end shows in town, but there are a lot of dining options now. Flight was only half-full on a Friday night. A couple of years ago, it would've been full. I think Flight needs to revisit some of its pricing to be more consistent with the other high-end dining options around town. Or at the least, step up the service to match the pricing.

Although we enjoyed our meal, we will likely not be back unless they drop their entree prices. There are just too many other options that we enjoy in town that are a little less expensive.