Celtic Charm
Asheville’s Jack of the Wood offers an authentic Irish experience
It’s 5:30 on a Wednesday afternoon and the warm, woodsy pub is starting to fill up with the après work crowd: CPAs and carpenters, attorneys and artists, doctors and designers. Seated at the walnut bar, local sculptor John Payne, one husky hand wrapped around a pint of handcrafted Green Man Ale, is chatting with painter Kevin Hogan, and he’ll probably stick around, have a bowl of clam chowder, and listen to a little fiddle music. “This is Asheville’s living room,” muses Payne. “No smoking, no blaring TV. You can actually have a conversation in here. Plus, they own a brewery. It’s wonderful.”
Welcome to Jack of the Wood (828.252.5445; jackofthewood.com), a decade-old Celtic pub with the welcoming spirit of a 19th-century village tavern in Ireland. “We’re a true public house,” says Joe Culpepper, who’s been working behind the horseshoe-shaped bar for nine years. “Whether you’re 21 or 71, nobody’s a stranger here. You just sit down and feel at home.”
Jack of the Wood is more than just a pub. In addition to the dozen or so draft beers, half of them brewed just down the street, and the requisite fish and chips and shepherd’s pie ($9 for hefty portions), there’s a long list of single-malt scotches and fine bourbons at exceptionally fair prices, and a menu of eclectic dishes. For visitors seeking something more exotic, owners Joe and Joan Eckert also own and operate the Laughing Seed Café, a high-toned restaurant located above Jack of the Wood that features internationally inspired vegetarian food.
And just five blocks away from the Jack is Green Man, the brewery Joe Eckert started. He appropriated the name from the Green Man, the Celtic deity who is the male counterpart to the Goddess of Fertility. The Green Man story dates back to the second century, and his leafy visage adorns churches and cathedrals throughout Europe. The Green Man is sometimes called Jack, hence the name of the Eckerts’ pub.
Jack of the Wood is a bastion of tradition and good manners. There are two dartboards but no fireplace. Women sit at the bar, and unwanted suitors don’t even think of making a pass. “This is a safe, friendly place for women,” insists Eckert. “Like being with family.” You don’t see many trendy cocktails sliding across the bar, either. Libational options are pints or choice scotches and bourbons served neat — in a rocks glass without the ice — and with a water chaser if requested. Prices are amazingly restrained. A Maker’s Mark bourbon is $5.50 and a Woodford Reserve is $6.50, while a glass of 12-year-old Glenmorangie port wood finish single Highland malt scotch is $9. You can also get a pint of Green Man Dragon, a potent Belgian-style dark and malty ale, for $3.50.
Joe Eckert may have styled the pub after his Irish roots, but he pays homage to his current hometown every Wednesday night with impromptu mountain music jams. Anyone who plays old-time Appalachian music and has a fiddle, banjo, guitar, or bass can get up on stage. On this night, the crowd includes an eclectic group of Jack of the Wood devotees — writers, photographers, metal benders, retired Fortune 500 CEOs, and others who don’t drink to excess or to impress. No Jello shooters here. But I am impressed that Eckert will pour you a glass of California’s tony Manzanita Canyon cabernet sauvignon for $4.50, or a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale for $3.50. Plenty of thirst parlors would double those tariffs — easily.
— Chris Barnett
The Wine Shop
This month, Continental Sommelier David Gordon suggests three California classics.
Hanzell Pinot Noir, Sonoma 2003, $87
Medium bodied, with ripe berry fruit and structure and acidity reminiscent of a premier cru burgundy, this wine will continue to develop for 10–15 years.
Ridge Zinfandel, Lytton Springs 2005, $33
This blend of zinfandel, petite sirah, and Carignane has blackberry fruit flavors and the requisite pepper and spice to pair nicely with boldly seasoned cuisine.
Caymus, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2004, $70
Owner/winemaker Chuck Wagner fashions a classic Napa cabernet that has a touch of tobacco and cedar in the finish.
David Gordon is an award-winning wine expert who lends his expertise to New York’s Tribeca Grill, among other restaurants.
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