New, and Very, Very Good

The restaurant known for being a “perfect place to relax with family and friends” has recently completed a full exterior renovation with future plans to remodel the inside.

O’Charley’s has just redone their entire Sunday Brunch Menu. The amazing part is just how good it is. As Chef Paul Prudhomme is famous for saying, “you don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.” It can also be said you don’t need to spend a lot of cash to have a great meal. Sunday brunch (10-3 p.m.), which now offers lavish fares like the Overloaded Brunch Platter and the New Ultimate Omelet, has already become favorites among their guests.

There are five waffle plates including the new Bacon-in-the-waffle combo — hand-chopped bacon mixed in their signature waffle batter, topped with powdered sugar, butter and real whipped cream. This is served with two eggs any style and your choice of bacon or ham steak.

I picked their new Classic Eggs Benedict — two poached eggs on a slice of grilled tomato, Canadian bacon and a toasted English muffin with traditional Hollandaise sauce. The side dish of Parmesan brunch potatoes, an intoxicating mix of cheese, green onion and garlic, stole my heart.

The food tasted wonderful, the service was outstanding and the casual no-rush atmosphere felt perfect. I must add, there is a certain art to quality service. Too fast and the customer feels like they just experienced a Jane Fonda workout; too slow and they feel as if they just spent a long week dining out. Here in Asheville I’d say the latter is more common than the prior and the Goldilock’s zone is practically non-existent. O’Charley’s manages to simply get it right.

General Manager Steve Harder, who has, during his two short years at this location, turned this restaurant from being practically dead last in sales, quality and customer satisfaction among the companies many restaurants, to number one. This news has his staff beaming and eager to be even better.

He says it’s his mission to not only make “tasty food” but to give each customer a well-rounded dining experience through passion, creativity and integrity.

“We buy local. We listen to our customers. We work to give them our very best 100% of the time.”

The new menu features additional Brunch Classics that include the tempting Country Sausage Scramble, Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs, and the slow-roasted Prime Rib that, as my dining companion says, “Practically melts in your mouth.”

O’Charley’s offers a host of four flavorful versions of the Bloody Mary drink including their Southern Bacon Bloody Mary, a thick and hearty secret recipe garnished with candied bacon. They also serve Mimosas and Proseccos (a sparkling Italian wine).

It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that they have some of the best sweetened and unsweetened tea around. For a hot late spring afternoon try their made-from-scratch lemonade.

O’Charley’s
General Manager Steve Harder
2 Kenilworth Knolls, Asheville, NC 28805
(828) 281-0540, www.ocharleys.com