Business

Cask & Vine brings stylish pub fare (plus 40 bourbons) to Main Street

Cask & Vine is now open at 536 N. Main St.

By Bill Moss, Published: January 11, 2019

Steve Bevins has cooked everything from fast food to high-end steaks to upscale Chinese. Until recently he ran his own kitchen, as the head chef at Carolina Bistro at Cummings Cove Golf & Country Club.

Like lots of veteran chefs who slave in kitchens for others, he dreamed of opening his own place. When a restaurant space opened up in the 500 block of North Main Street, he signed a lease and plunged into the life of chef-manager-owner. It’s working, maybe a little too well.
Cask & Vine drew overwhelming crowds this past weekend, Bevins said on Monday morning as he fretted that he’s be unable to reach enough suppliers to restock his depleted ingredients.
“We were totally at capacity Friday and Saturday night,” he said. “Our last several weekends have been great but this will be our best one.”
Bevins mix of the familiar —a meatloaf grinder, Cobb salad, mac and cheese — with the adventurous — brisket chili, overstuffed pork chop, barbecued shrimp skewers — has garnered rave responses.
“Right now all the reviews on line are positive,” he said. “We’ve still got five stars.”
The décor includes vintage travel and movie posters and photos of the Rat Pack, Dirty Harry and Andy Griffith under gentle lighting and a pressed-tin ceiling for an upscale pub tone. It’s pretty urban for Hendersonville but it fits with the raised-bar of the newest places like The French Broad and Shine.
“It really is a walk back in time,” Bevins said of the interior design. “Hendersonville has a much older population. I want people to come in and see things that bring back memories from their childhood.”
A native of Asheville, Bevins has worked at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse and P.F. Chang’s before Cummings Cove.
“I always wanted a bourbon and wine bar,” he said. “This felt like it was going to be the right location.”
The long attractive bar serves specialty cocktails and “40-plus” kinds of bourbon, which Bevins is proud to personally pick out.
“I’m definitely the bourbon aficionado here,” he said. “It’s definitely my favorite.”
The bar also has 50-60 brands of wine.
“We’ve got something for everybody for sure,” Bevins said. “Just about every type of wine you can think from all over the world.”
He plans to change up the menu every three months, using vegetables that are in season, serving comfort food like meatloaf in the winter and more fresh fruit in the summer. All of it was moving out of the kitchen fast over the weekend.
“We ran out of everything,” he said.
Pub fare includes a meatloaf grinder for $12, brisket chili ($7), Hot Browns, turkey, tomato, bacon, white cheese sauce and scallions served open face on sourdough bread ($12); Back Country BLT ($11) and beef brisket sandwich ($12). Entrees, with house salad and roll, include Southside scallops ($19), overstuff pork chop, stuffed with garlic and herb cheese served with gouda mashed potatoes ($18), BBQ shrimp skewers, Mediterranean salmon ($18) and Appalachian meatloaf, with caramelized onion and smoky barbecue sauce. Sides include wild rice, smoked gouda mashed potatoes and mac & cheese.
Sunday brunch features traditional eggs and bacon and pancakes plus Black Forest Benedict, Black Forest Sammie (two eggs cheese sausage, black forest ham, bacon, maple syrup and home fries) and a Loaded Tater Bowl. Prices range from $9 to $14.
The bar serves nine specialty cocktails plus a world tour of bourbon options (from a $7 Wild Turkey 101 to a $20 Whistlepig rye), wine and domestic and craft beer.

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Cask & Wine, at 536 N. Main St., is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.