Light Fare, a Dark Bar, and Drama

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It’s All Walking Distance at The Biltmore Complex

One of the great things about attending a performance at Gable- Stage, besides the enjoyment of live professional theater, is the fact of its geography. GableStage is located at the Biltmore Hotel, so theatergoers can imbibe and dine just a few steps away.

We went to see “Left on Tenth,” the second production of the season; by the time you read this, it will have finished its run. But fear not, the production of “Sotto Voce” – the bittersweet encounter of a young Jewish-Cuban researcher with a survivor of the ill-fated MS St. Louis – will enthrall you starting January 23.

Our first pre-theater stop was Fairways, the restaurant which faces the golf course at the back of the Biltmore complex. Formerly The 19th Hole, it relaunched last year as Fairways, a contemporary restaurant and bar with more space, higher ceilings, larger windows, and a wider deck outside. And it’s an easy walk from the Biltmore’s huge western parking lot.

The fare here is light, especially when compared to the formal cuisine at Fontana inside the hotel. There are lots of handhelds (wraps, etc.) and light appetizers; the dinner menu is the same as the lunch menu, and they are open until 8 pm – perfect for our 7:30 pm start time at the theater. We sat outside on the porch under the open sky, with a view of the vast expanse of the Biltmore golf course, as the last of the evening light faded into deep blue and then star-dappled black. Our party ordered a Caesar salad, onion rings, the Fairways burger, steak frites (with yucca fries), yellowfin tuna nachos, and an old-fashioned BLT – all excellent, especially the tuna nachos (crunchy wonton wraps of silky salmon with spicy mayo) and the BLT (on toasted sourdough with heritage tomatoes and apple wood-smoked bacon, maybe the best in the Gables).

The gablestage theater production of left on 10th featuring actors margot moreland (left) and dalia aleman

Next stop was Brandi’s, another Biltmore upgrade. Formerly the Cellar Club bar, the ground-floor space was also enlarged, and the lights dimmed way down low. It now has a long back-lit bar and couches and chairs nestled in the dark corners. Having just eaten, we passed on the gourmet bar menu, though next time I’ll go for the Crab & Shrimp Louie. Instead, we ordered cocktails – vodka martinis and negronis – and settled into a comfortable corner to pretend we were in Manhattan, in this “discrete escape for hotel guests and discerning locals,” as their website professes.

The GableStage theater is connected to the hotel, and you can get there by a circuitous route from Brandi’s, up to the main lobby then down a long hallway. But we sauntered through the ground floor entrance and walked around the front of the hotel, which provides a spectacular view of the Spanish-Mediterranean tower that defines the landmark building.

The theater itself is intimate enough (135 seats) that there’s no bad place to sit. The performance we saw, “Left on Tenth,” is the memoir of Delia Ephron, the sister of Nora Ephron. Like her sibling (who wrote “Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail,” and “When Harry Met Sally”), Delia is a gifted writer with a clever tongue, and the performance was thoroughly entertaining. While you may not see this performance, you will enjoy the craftsmanship of scenic designer Frank J. Oliva, who creates magic within the constraints of the stage.

Regardless of which performance you see, this 27th season of GableStage (and the fifth under talented Producing Artistic Director Bari Newport) carries on its tradition of award-winning live dramatic theater. With the Biltmore literally next door, it makes for a fine night on the town.