Asheville steakhouse introduces exclusive, curated 8-course experience for the adventurous eater

ASHEVILLE - A downtown restaurant is offering a steakhouse experience unlike any other with a handcrafted menu not to be duplicated.

Asheville Proper is inviting guests to pull up a chair and stay awhile as they’re walked through an eight-course chef’s tasting menu. Daily, the dishes are changed to encompass fresh, locally sourced ingredients to create a one-of-a-kind, spontaneous culinary adventure.

“We’re trying to have fun with it," said chef/owner Owen McGlynn. "Everything’s based on seasonality. We’re ready for spring and wanted to roll this tasting menu out with spring with all of the beautiful stuff we can get from foragers and local farms.”

In Aug. 2020, McGlynn and his wife, Mindi, opened Asheville Proper at 1 Page Ave Suite 151 in Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville.

The restaurant centers around a 12-foot, wood-fired Argentinian grill and open kitchen format with a premier selection of in-house dry-aged meats. Dishes are designed to incorporate a smoked or charred element to amplify the flavors, he said, and the products and cuts are selected with care to ensure quality.

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“We are a local steakhouse. We like to say unconventional,” McGlynn said. “We’re not just doing your normal stuff like strips, ribeyes and filets. We try to keep some of the offcuts on them.”

The chef’s tasting menu is an extension of the founding principles to showcase the vision and skills of not only McGlynn but his staff.

“Our menu does change quite often, but this is to give all those chefs and cooks to be creative and to showcase their talents,” he said. “Giving them the opportunity to grow and showcase some things that they are doing and creating.”

It's also about having fun and being spontaneous, he said.

“The experience knowing people are having a good time and we can offer it — that’s what we want to do. We want to take the next step and offer something different," McGlynn said.

Although the menu will change, it is intended to flow from amuse-bouche to dessert courses.

Guests may partake in a bread course featuring dry-aged beef tallow that is used to make a candle. The wick is lit and melts the tallow candle as dinner progresses to make a warmed dipping sauce. Multiple types of bread will be provided, which may include Parker House rolls, focaccia or sourdough.

Other courses may include seafood, pasta and/or dry-aged duck or steak. A couple of the restaurant’s specialties are ravioli stuffed with dry-aged beef Coulotte steak — top sirloin cap steak that’s dry-aged for about 30 days, he said.

Eight courses may seem like a lot, but McGlynn assures it is just enough.

“The amount of courses, we don’t want it to scare people,” he said. “You don’t want someone looking at eight-courses and asking, ‘Are we going to have to be rolled out of here?’ You want them to be fulfilled, not too full but be satisfied.”

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Guests have asked for a curated tasting menu, and it’s been in discussion since last year, he said. The implementation was put on hold due to staffing shortages and time restraints. Last winter, the plan was set with springtime being an optimal time for the launch to reflect a new, seasonal harvest.

There is no end date, so the option for a chef’s tasting menu experience is intended to be available at least through the year.

“We’re excited to bring this to the table, and hopefully it’s well-received,” he said.

The price is $95 per person, which includes the full course meal. Beverages may be purchased at an additional cost. Wine pairings are not available but might come later, he said.

All persons at the table are encouraged to participate, which will aid with service flow and makes the experience inclusive of all at the table, he said.

The chef's tasting menu is available each day the restaurant is open, however, reservations are recommended via OpenTable or by calling the restaurant at (828) 505-0909.

Guests may request to be seated in Asheville Proper’s dining room or alfresco patio outside the Grove Arcade.

If you go

Where: Asheville Proper

Where: 1 Page Ave., Suite 151, Grove Arcade, downtown Asheville

Hours: 4-9 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday

4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Closed on Tuesday

Info: For more information, visit ashevilleproper.com.

Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville restaurant launches new, premier menu at Grove Arcade