Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro

Such a great date place. Cozy, awesome lighting, lovely drinks. The food was pricey but spectacular. The service was amazing.
I loved that the drink mento was extensive wand the food one was simple yet unique.
I adored getting a simple yet delicious list of food choices because it was easier to choose. I had some fish and it was great.
I also loved looking at descriptions of all the types of rum. So many! I just blindly choose about three and they were all unique and delicious.

I’m severely disappointed to write this update. For a time, Storm was perhaps the best burger in Asheville. The cocktails were quite good as well, esp. the Manhattan which was uniquely prepared with a touch of black pepper. My partner always enjoyed the fish or mac and cheese. We ate there many times.
All of that has changed in the last year. Our past visit To we started with a round of Manhattans. The drinks were delivered promptly with good cheer, but they tasted more like an Orange Dreamsicle. Initially I thought I could handle this odd cocktail, but a few sips in I realized it was not possible to finish. I asked the bartender if she had given us the correct order, and she assured me that she had delivered a round of Manhattans. It was just a sorry excuse for a Manhattan. I only hope the bar manager will soon taste one and rectify this misguided cocktail.
The fish served to my partner was of such low quality that she returned the plate, something I have only seen her do a couple times in 15 years. She told me it was rubbery and overcooked.
But the worst news is the burger… each of that past 3 times we have eaten here the burger has been less special. The previous time my burger was quite overcooked. This last time the burger was cooked OK, but the bun was completely stale and so dry I could barely swallow it. Thankfully the fries are still good, but the meal could not be salvaged by a lone burger patty and a plate of fries. Unfortunately, I think that was the last time we will eat at Storm.

It was… nothing to write home about. Interesting Valentine’s dinner options, but not amazing — good steak, though, but just not what it was cracked up to be. But if you like rum… they have lots! The rum flight was something different and cool.

This is a bit of a hidden gem in AVL. We have been meaning to go, but it’s taken two years to get here. What a great meal and the bartenders were awesome, suggesting the right wine and food. The menu just changed (as it does regularly) and we had Brussels sprouts with a perfectly cooked duck egg on top, roasted beets, Mac ‘n cheese and finally split the suckling pork confit. Amazing flavored and textures! I hate to spill the beans, but the place is great.

I’m only giving Storm three stars because I personally feel it’s a bit overpriced. Yes, the food is decent; however, $ 18 for a burger that’s just «decent» just doesn’t do it for me.
Here are the positives. The concept is awesome and the décor is amazing, like walking into the library of an old sailor. Edison lighting, eclectic art prints, heavy woods. It feels cozy and intellectual, which I like.
I’d recommend Storm for a pre-​dinner or post-​dinner cocktail!

Friends and I gathered there for burger and beer on Monday night. It was great! Loved the service and the atmosphere. Fun spot !

The pictures don’t even do this place justice. This place is a seamless blend of raw, rehabbed materials presented artistically and with an invoking sense of curiosity. Food is delicious, cocktails steal the show by far.

A bit overpriced, but overall great food. I absolutely loved my grits & veggies! My husband got the lamb burger and it was one of the best burgers I have ever had! Don’t miss it if you stop by for dinner. I also thoroughly enjoyed my Chaicodin cocktail, amazingly delicious. We will definitely be back next time we’re in the area.

Sweetbreads! Rhum Manhattan, Lamb Burger, beet salad, everything was very good. Thanks Unilocal for helping us find this place.

This is not a full review of this restaurant, only the Monday burger and pint for $ 10. Would not be fair to call this a review, since I have not eaten anything else on the menu, except the burger and the crispy pig ear app. I have been to burger night twice now.
On to the burger night review. I had seen this place a couple times, but not heard much buzz about it from any of my friends. Then I saw a Facebook post about Monday burger and pint for $ 10, and I was like hellz to the yeah let’s go!
We all know Asheville parking is terrible, luckily Storm has a parking lot available to customers after 6PM. They even have a guy who watches the lot and makes sure it is Storm customers only. Sadly I have seen him let hot ladies park there and not go to the restaurant. Little sweet talk from a hot blonde went a long way, eh buddy!
The restaurant has some nice outdoor seating, but I prefer to sit inside. They have a hostess, but she never seems to be at the door. So when you walk in, you will have someone confront you that sometimes seems like a patron more than a hostess. They need to get this straight because it bugs the shit out of me.
The restaurant itself is really nice, cozy and fits the Asheville «vibe» perfectly. As I have said in other blogs, I could careless what it looks like as long as the food is good.
My son and I came here for burgers, but when I saw the crispy pig ears appetizer I just had to have them. Nothing better than a pigs ear! So we got those as an app, and two burgers with the optional fried egg. Since Eli is not old enough for a pint I got to drink his. They only have 2 or 3 beers to choose from on Burger & Pint night and they always have something nice. Forgot what I had, but it is always good craft brew.
Crispy pig ears with buttermilk dressing.
Crispy pig ears with buttermilk dressing.
With a pint of beer in hand and a few sips down to wet my whistle, the pig ears arrive. Gorgeous, sexy ears deep fried sitting on bed of greens. I was in heaven; Beer, pork and beef heaven! Grabbed an ear, got a little dressing on it and… damn, no crispy! Tasty, yes. Crispy? … Where did the crispy go, ya’ll? Overall they are delicious, and the sauce fantastic but they were soggy on the outside, and gelatinous on the inside. I have had my share of ears in my days, and when they say crispy, they need to be like a chip and have crisp to them. Hence the freaking name, «crispy pig ears»!
No biggie on the pig. The burgers arrive. Big, beautiful ½ freaking pound burgers! Sorry, there is no picture, I was in beef bliss at this point and forgot to take one. The buns were light and tasty, the iceberg lettuce and tomato were ok, egg cooked nicely, burger was a little under. I asked for medium rare and it was more rare. The fries are ok, nothing special. They use Apple Brandy Farms beef, and frankly, I am not a big fan of it. They corn feed their beef and that is basically sac religious. Silly farmer cows are meant to eat grass. Get some Hickory Nut Gap or Brasstown beef, and the burger would be way better.
All in all, we left very full and content. It is a great deal for $ 10 for sure. Next time I will not let them slide on temperature though. If you have a burger night, then make sure the staff knows how to get it to the right temp.
Visit number two. Audrey and I are wicked hungry on a Monday night in Asheville. What better deal than Storm’s Monday Burger and Pint night?
We arrived and were ambushed by the same person. For God’s sake, get a hostess stand, and chain her to it! At the minimum make her carry some menus, or wear a big «I Am The Hostess» shirt.
We were offered seats at the bar but declined so she sat at use the very same table I had last time. It’s a row of two tops right when you walk in. Are these the burgers seats? Is this the group B bench? Did we look like burger people? Surely there is another two top in another location in this restaurant.
Our server was prompt and pleasant, but did not give much intel on the burgers even after she asked «Are you here for burger night?». I think she was new and I will intimidate the shit out of a new server. Managed to get a pint ordered and a couple burgers. Egg on mine again cooked medium rare and Audrey just got the standard burg cooked medium.
Ahhh, the arrival of the beef. Once again I am in meat heaven seeing those babies headed my way. All looks good so I dig into the massive burger. Audrey is a petite lady so she opts to cut hers in half. Holy shit the thing is raw when she cuts into it! We try and flag down one of the servers but it took several tries.
Seemed like it took forever to re-​fire another burger on the fly. When it arrived back it was kind of almost close to medium. They obviously threw it back on the grill which was not cool. It arrived with a new bun but the burger was cut in half and it had mayo on it!!! Start again, get it right, it’s a freaking burger and not hard to cook properly. They are lucky Audrey is a kind of

have had dinner her on 3 occasions. interesting menu selections, the grilled Octopus was perfect, but found the pigs ears over seasoned, which ruined my palate for the rest of my supper that night. service good overall, nice atmosphere, but somewhat loud in dining area. (Seriously, don’t restaurants get that the background music shouldn’t be loud? Especially when only 3 tables out of 18 had patrons?)

We went here after going to the Orange Peel to see a good night of music with Colonel Bruce snd the Aquarium rescue Unit. We were needing a bite and a drink. My BF and I bellied up to the bar and Doug the friendly bartender served us immediately. He made me a delicious mojito that was so fresh and tasty. We ordered a salad and mac and cheese. Both so delicious. The mac and cheese had bacon in it and I couldn’t eat it because of my vegetarian diet but everything was fantastic. Late night food and bar at affordable prices. Friendly staff, awesome art on the walls. I was super happy there. Thanks Storm. Keep up the good work.

We went there for a bday dinner (11 people). They brought food out one by one. Several people were done eating before the birthday girl started. They apologized to the bday girl and finally brought her dinner. I, still without my dinner, asked if my grouper was almost ready. She didn’t know I ordered grouper. She thought because me and my husband both ordered grouper it meant we were sharing. Nope.
I said it was fine and continued with my beer. She finally brought the check and charged me for my two beers. I was a little taken aback since she forgot my entire meal. This was followed by last weekend when I took my family to storm and 4 of them ordered burger and all of them were raw (like cold in the middle raw). If a waitress comes and takes your plate and 4 burgers only have one bite out of them, you’d think she’d ask why. I’ll probably never go back

Storm. As the name suggests, expect something dramatic. Expect a statement.
The restaurant has a dark, warm romantic glow that emanates throughout. This place oozes swank, sex and character. Definitely a great place for an evening date.
Our hostess was probably the most welcoming and friendly person I’ve met in a while. She sat us right away in the lovely outdoor patio. We jokingly came to an agreement that she would «fan us» every five minutes if it was too warm.
Our waitress, a recent transplant from Oregon, was just as cool and nice.
The Beet salad was beautifully plated with blueberries, goat cheese and red onion. Although, in Asheville, you can throw a rock and hit a beet salad, this was one of the better ones I’ve had.
The BBQ Seared Shrimp was the highlight. Served on a bed of red grits, with greens, charred onion and a tangy remoulade. The shrimp were cooked tender with a delicious and spicy rub.
Even though this was just a small plate sampling in between breweries, no one treated us differently because we weren’t ordering alcohol. No pressure, just friendliness and nice conversation. The ice water was flowing like champagne!
A hearty thanks to the lads at Hi-​Wire for the recommendation. As they mentioned, «You might pay a bit more, but the quality is better.»

Perfect cap to a summer day is Asheville. We started with bacon boiled peanuts and the mojito (which had a nice kick from the ginger beer) at the bar while waiting for the rest of our party. We relocated to a table and had the pork belly, Bibb salad, the lamb shoulder and the wreckfish. They were all absolute hits. The wine list is short but nice (and they do half pours of both wine and beer!) The staff is refreshingly honest about the menu and very knowledgeable about Asheville.
The atmosphere is delightful. We sat at the bar and at an outdoor table. Perfect weather never hurts. But it was quiet enough to be conversational, off the beaten path and yet still good for people watching.
If you are a jerk, please stay away. I really like this place! I will be back to try that duck breast.

We were craving burgers and were sadly disappointed. Ordered 2 burgers that tasted strongly of lighter fluid and charcoal. Embarrassed that we ate half and didn’t complain. I’m sure the other items are better ! Sorry storm but fix the burgers!

A perfectly serviceable joint on a gentrified block of Asheville’s South Slope. My business partner’s office is close by, so I grab a beer and a snack there every week or two.
Storm doesn’t feel like it has a lot of «character» in terms of AVL bars and grills at a similar price point. It might be a good place to take a bunch of out-​of-​towners and international business types who don’t want a lot of local flavor and funky ambience interfering with their happy hour. There are instances when it’s useful to know of a bar like this, so I’m mentioning it now, just in case you ever find yourself chaufferring around a bunch of BMW engineers and need to find a place that won’t intimidate them with its funk quotient.
Service is always excellent, the place is meticulously clean and sparkly. They specialize in rum drinks, so it’s no surprise that their selection of local draft beers might not be the best in town.
I’d probably give this place 3 stars based on overall value and experience, if it weren’t for the fact that they *consistently* cook my burger to exactly right temperature, and are in fact the only place in town that manages to do so.
I’m extremely, picky about burgers; I like them rare with no cheese. Picky to the point of obsessiveness. Storm’s version is no-​frills, and yet outstanding. It’s more of a 4^th-​of-​July-​burger-​with-​lettuce-​and-​tomato-​on-​a-​toasted-​bun, rather than the chopped-​filet-​with-​marrow-​on-​brioche that many local places aspire to. The fact that they pull it off without any extra bells and whistles, just the basics, is a testament to their ability to run a good kitchen. They grind their meat up daily, in house, and therefore can legally serve it at any temperature you desire. Even this isn’t noteworthy for AVL. There’s plenty of places that will offer to cook your burger «to order.» Storm, however, is the only place that actually succeeds.
The extra star, if you’re wondering, is for that.

We went to Storm & Rhum tonight before the Ann Dunn/​Asheville Ballet production of The Nutcracker, which was excellent.
I enjoyed my cheeseburger (a good value at $ 12.50 with fries), Absolut on the rocks (well priced at $ 6.50) and a glass of special Christmas pale ale draft ($ 5).
The burger may not be up to Atlanta’s Holeman & Finch standards, but it was good enough for me, not too big, not too small and with an excellent toasted bun. The burger and fries were served on a heated plate, a bit like Ruth’s Chris, which helped. My companion was not as impressed with her order of shrimp and grits — with broccoli and butternut squash and soupy grits this version is hardly your classic Low Country dish. We struck up a conversation with the couple who sat next to us (most of the deuce tables are quite close together); he liked his ribeye special, but she didn’t care for her filet.
Service was very friendly and efficient, and I like the atmosphere at Storm & Rhum. It’s not at all a New Orleans-​style restaurant, but it has a kind of New Orleans feel to it. The cocktail selection is excellent, especially (of course) in the rum arena.
Although it’s slightly off the main restaurant beaten path in Asheville, about five blocks south of Patton on South Lexington, there’s free parking across the street, and the restaurant was hopping on this Saturday night.
With two main dishes, three drinks, a beer, tax and tip the meal came to near $ 75 — you could spend more here, or less, depending on whether you got entrees or small dishes and how much you drink.
I’ll be back for the burger.

My experience was one of the oddest I have ever had in such a highly touted restaurant, ever.
I ordered the chicken, I had trouble cutting it, but I literally had not eaten all day, and didn’t want to make a fuss, I was starving and the restaurant has had good reviews. After a few bites, I started to wonder, is this chicken cooked all the way through? It wasn’t juicy, and had an odd constancy. Again, I was starving, so I kept going. After a few more attempts at bites (it wasn’t very big) I saw some meat that didn’t look white, and it was rubbery. p. s. it didn’t taste good, but that happens.
The manager told me I was the «test subject», they tried cooking it a different way tonight, in a bag and boiling it, because others companied it took too long to cook the other way,
WTF? Isn’t that a CHEF’S JOB TO TEST TO THE FOOD AND COOKING METHOD?
VERY VERY VERY STRANGE TO ME. Seriously, if you are the Chef and you read this, I wonder if you have a handle on your kitchen.
Yes, they took it off the bill, yes they offered me something else, but why the heck was I the test subject? I am still shaking my head at the explanation.
YUCK.

While enjoying the Asheville brewery scene, I asked one of the locals where the locals go to eat and this is where they suggested. It wasn’t far from where I was staying and I almost walked right by it. But am so glad I made it here.
I parked myself at the last open seat at the bar. It’s a really nice half-​circle with plenty of wood features. There were two bartenders working tonight.
I asked one bartender for a meal suggestion but then the person sitting next to me gave me the recommendation of the hangar steak. It came with a plethora of veggies including tomatoes and fingerling potatoes. The only problem was I ordered it medium rare and it came out medium well. The bartender said she could have another one made but I stuck with this one. It was really quite tasty even if it was more done than I’d prefer.
Honestly, the service was excellent., the food was delicious and I loved the atmosphere. There is also a really cool sink in the men’s restroom. Yeah, I notice quirky things. :)