Elevations Chophouse @ SKYLARANNA Resort & SPA

My family and I are from out-of-state, and had attended Elevations Mother’s Day breakfast in 2024. We were disappointed at that time, but not as disappointed as recently, which is why I came to post a review. I’m pleased to see that they are temporarily closed and hope they are using this time to get their management sorted out if they plan to reopen again in the future. Or perhaps the owner is selling, which would be beneficial to the energy of the restaurant and resort, as the owner’s attitude was excusable the first time we came(everyone has bad days), yet the pattern showed a person who was truly incorrigible, upon this most recent visit.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 3

Love the food and the staff would highly recommen very helpful and friendly people

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Soup, Prime Fillet

Very friendly staff, excellent service and excellent food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Five of us celebrated one of our friend's birthdays the Sunday after Thanksgiving. All of us were eager to try Elevations. It was dark and the signage to the restaurant entrance was hard to read. It's located behind the resort entrance. We were the only table in the restaurant when we arrived.

The warm rolls served before dinner were excellent. Soft, fluffy and flavorful.

The wine list ranged from $35 to almost $200 per bottle. We did not order appetizers. Two people ordered 4oz filet mignons, one ordered the pork chop, one wild salmon and I ordered the duck breast. Two other tables came in while we waited for our orders.

Being that this is supposed to be a "fine dining" experience, we greatly anticipated our entrées. The first dish to arrive was a filet. We gazed at it in astonishment. It was about ½" thick and looked more like sirloin than a Filet Mignon. I buy filet's from a wholesale club and they are about 2.5 – 3.5 inches thick and oval. We all remarked that the filet was not a filet cut. Plus, it was over done and had to be returned for Medium Rare. It was served with mashed potatoes and broccolini. The pork chop and duck was served. The duck was supposed to have a walnut bourbon glaze, but the fat was not rendered out and if there was a glaze, it was undicernable. It desperately needed a sauce. The duck was under seasoned and tasteless. The second filet arrived cooked as ordered, but with carrots instead of broccolini. That was soon remedied. The pork chop and salmon were "good."

We were comped a dessert for our birthday guest and ordered the highly recommended peppermint cheesecake. The cheesecake was excellent!

I'm sorry to say we were disappointed and won't be returning. Elevations is not a gourmet dining experience. Mediocre at best. I'm a fairly decent cook. If your cut is not a filet, don't call it that. And add seasoning and a sauce to the duck. No gourmet restaurant would serve duck without a complementary sauce. When a guest is paying $30 – $40 per entree, they expect a positive experience. Elevations did not deliver.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 4

Thank you Elevations Chophouse for a yummy Thanksgiving dinner. The delicious buffet offerings included prime rib and turkey, both juicy, warm, well-seasoned. For pescatarians like myself, the chef prepared a delectable salmon filet - not on menu, but a thoughtfully planned option. The side dishes and desserts also teased (skilled seasoning) and treated (layers of flavors) our taste buds. I rated service four stars because an over-eager staffer removed items I was saving when we left the table to get desserts. He apologized graciously. Also, the buffet set up needed some tweaks to improve flow. Our table was next to the service station, which detracted from the atmosphere for us. Overall, this was an outstanding meal in a warm, welcoming venue. Yes, I recommend. We will return for other meals there and take visitors.

Dietary restrictions: I included note about dietary issues when making the reservation. The restaurant read my note and explained the salmon option when it called for deposit.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Prime Fillet

CAVEAT EMPTOR! Underwhelming Thanksgiving buffet. The tiny buffet was such a disappointment; we really had high hopes. This was not worthy of $65 a plate.

We were seated and we sat for quite some time, no wait person came to greet us or tell us how the buffet worked. The dining room wasn’t that big and there were at least for wait staff and the manager, Kevin. We finally decided to just go to the buffet and figure it out. It was a teeny buffet. The root vegetables & broccoli casserole were cold (the little sterno can wasn’t enough to keep the dishes hot), the sweet potato casserole was warm though. The turkey was oddly chopped up but was still ok. “Kevin’s famous cranberry sauce” was actually canned and you could tell as it had the can marks but I actually like canned cranberry sauce. It’s just odd to promote famous cranberry sauce as your own when you don’t make it. We should have gone to Highland Lake Resort (Seasons restaurant) in Flat Rock. Better pricing, well over 20 items to choose from and less than $65 a plate - they have attentive service and the hot items are hot. Or we could have gone to P25 in So. Asheville. Lesson learned the expensive way here. I do not recommend Elevations.

By the way, I am usually very generous in my reviews and only have a few negative ones. I know that Kevin will come along and attempt to discredit my opinion. It is my opinion though. I won’t bother responding to what he replies with.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

Thanksgiving Buffet

UPDATE after reply from restaurant: Our bill was corrected AFTER we went to the front get it fixed. The note on the check said, "I'd have loved to have left a 20-25% tip for good service. But NO service means NO tip." Would you tip for no service? I watched other (large) tables being cared for. We were a party of 2. Another comment that I left off, I'll now add. The serving stations were left messy. Handles on the tray covers were sticky. Utensils were grubby and spoon holders soiled with food. That takes so little to keep nice and clean. Again, this was our experience.

Original post: This is from my dining experience. I cannot attest to anyone else dining there. Looking for a new dining adventure for Thanksgiving, we chose Elevations Chophouse. Very disappointing overall. We knew it was buffet style but this was done poorly. In part, it may be due to their small dining room. Turkey was chopped to little pieces (with a few slices). Vegetables were mixed and cold. Sweet potato casserole was tasty. No mashed potatoes! Cranberry sauce (gelled and whole) were canned (with the trademark can marks - didn't even take 2 minutes to mix it up). Dessert bars and what looked and tasted to be grocery store pumpkin pie. We were never greeted by our waitress. It took forever to have our plates cleared. Our bill came at $65 per person. We were required to give a $25 deposit ($50 total) the week before. The bill didn't reflect that payment. I'll stop here because there's nothing great, good or positive to say. They could have done so much better. Never again.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Chef Donnie Simmons has outdone himself again! The shrimp and grits are a must have! Fresh jumbo shrimp seasoned to perfection with stone ground creamy grits so delicious. I love having dinner here with my friends and family. Its the best food I've ever had and i will continue to be a regular here! Everyone needs to have this chef prepare dinner for them.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Shrimp and Grits, Soup, Prime Fillet, Cobbler, Mousse Au Chocolat, Avocado Toast

Forget about heading to a fast-food place for breakfast and settling for a biscuit, hoping it will be tasty. It’s more about convenience than flavor. I had an egg and cheese biscuit that completely changed my perspective. It spoiled me for any other biscuit! If you’re up early and wondering where you can go for a breakfast you’ll truly enjoy, come by and experience it for yourself.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Who enjoys grits, an omelet, bacon, and cheese? I certainly do! I had this for breakfast, and I must say, the grits—while I know they can be simple—were truly exceptional. The bacon was also delicious. I wish I could have breakfast here every day because this meal really deserves a trophy!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was fantastic

We had great experiences for breakfast and dinner! Food was very good and so was the service. It's like a mini Grove Park Inn in Hendersonville/Mills River but better!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had a really lovely dinner at Elevations. The drinks were super refreshing and well balanced, our pork belly appetizer was incredibly satisfying, followed by a perfect burger with the most amazing potato wedges. It was our first time dining and looking forward to our next

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Although we really enjoyed our stay at Skylaranna, our experience with Elevations was a complete disappointment.
It was too early to go to dinner when we arrived on the property, so we decided to enjoy the view from our room and have a glass of wine while we settled in. On my way to the bar I ran into some of the staff outside on break. They were all very friendly and we chatted for a few minutes. They bartender met me at the bar a few minutes later and found a wine that perfectly matched my requests. This was not a cheap bottle. He started to hand me glasses and was VERY abruptly stopped by, who I would later find out, is the Front End Manager. Instead he placed two plastic cups on the counter. Thinking he was joking, I laughed. He did not. I told him that I would prefer glass, especially given the price/quality of the bottle. He said it was "against policy" because "everyone either breaks or steals them". I told him this is a bad policy and should not be applied across the board. He disagreed and made a comment about cost and how expensive glasses are. The glasses they have are nothing more than basic glassware. When he walked away the bar staff and servers were very apologetic. I bought the wine but we chose to go to Sierra Nevada for dinner and drinks instead of staying on site.

The next morning, we decided to give brunch a try so we could get the full experience of the property. This was a mistake. There was only one table of guests, other than Kevin who was working on a laptop and fielding hotel business on his cell phone. Without music or guest noise, all we could hear was Kevin.
Our server was one of the nice staff I encountered the previous night, but the actual service was lacking I had to request water three times, never got a coffee refill, bacon was missing from my order, the biscuit was so dry it crumbled and the grits were too salty to eat. We also had a mimosa and a very bland $15 Bloody Mary. Everything took forever. When the bill finally came it was way more than expected due to items being added that we did not order. After getting the bill corrected, I still gave a 20% tip making for a very poor $60 breakfast.

While we will likely come back to the resort, it is HIGHLY unlikely that we will eat at Elevations.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

The food was absolutely delicious, excellent. Drinks were very well priced, good sized. The server was very kind and on top of things, not overbearing. I understand a rustic vibe, but the ambience could be upgraded. Table was very close to the next where it feels like you're in the next table's conversation. There were some stares from patrons, if you are black or different than their usual audience, but some were friendly enough to smile or speak if staring. Overall a nice experience, will remember the chef's amuse-bouche.