So-So Sweet Onion – Waynesville, NC

Unlike onions, which most people either love, hate, or love to hate, The Sweet Onion is quite the crowd pleaser. There’s plenty that’s pleasing on this menu, whether you’re craving carbs, crabs, or just some good old sweet southern comfort. But like the variety on the menu, there are many varieties of onions and not all are created equal.

I started to unwrap The Sweet Onion with the Cornmeal Encrusted Avocado appetizer, which I hoped would be like a red onion. Eccentric in appearance, with a real bite of character underneath, red onions add flair to every dish. Unfortunately, the fried avocado in this dish was unripe, and while it did possess a distinct flavor, this flavor was about as appealing as onion breath. The crab topping was fine, but the preparation preserved none of that blue crab sweetness, ironic at a restaurant called SWEET Onion. The so-called sriracha aioli was indistinguishable from chipotle mayo, and the caramelized onion didn’t go with…well…anything.

Like a sweet, perfectly caramelized Vidalia onion, the Pink Sunburst Trout could have pleased even the biggest fish skeptic, and I dare say even people who hate fish would go for this trout. Firm but soft, cohesive but flaky, all with an herb & garlic butter sauce that was simply to die for. As in I thought I died in ecstasy after the first bite. The side of Sautéed Vegetables made an appropriate accompaniment, but I didn’t love the coarse-ground cornmeal that concealed rather than covered the Fried Okra.

Buddhists believe that onions increase desire when eaten cooked and increase anger when eaten raw. My hotel’s concierge had raved about The Sweet Onion, and after reading some glowing yelp reviews, I had pretty high hopes. Unfortunately, while I found nothing raw at Sweet Onion, I can’t say the way my appetizer was cooked increased my desire to eat there again.

Despite the rave reviews, The Sweet Onion seems to be more of a white onion, the most neutral of onions. It aims to please those who just need an onion, but if you’re not careful, you just might order something that makes you cry.