Bar manager and cocktail creator, Courtney Nelson, creating one of the signature drinks, the C.W. Francey
Restaurant Feature: Post 70 Indulgence Bar Serves Up After Hours Ambiance
Photos and Story by Sarah Jones Decker
Inside of Filo Pastries (pronounced “fee-loh”) there is a new restaurant that caters to the late night crowd with a refined taste. Post 70 Indulgence Bar kicks into gear at 5 p.m.—and stays open until midnight. The first craft cocktail bar in East Asheville, Post 70 boasts a full bar and extensive wine list. The ‘libationists’ create cocktails with seasonal, local ingredients and offer an ever-changing menu of unique offerings.
Adding cocktails and dinner service is a new venture for the family-run business. Maria Papanastasiou, who trained as a pastry chef in New York and France, opened Filo in 2006. Her nephew, Emilios Papanastasiou, helps run the bakery and opened Post 70 in July.
Emilios is excited about the new venture. “Our bar manager and cocktail creator, Courtney Nelson, gets creative props for the menu,” he says. ”She has created something really special here.”
“We are really filling in both ends of the spectrum,” Emilios says. “A coffee shop and bakery alongside a late night cocktail bar, we are open until midnight, but it doesn’t feel like a downtown bar. You can have a quick meal or stay awhile. We want folks to have a nighttime community center without fighting downtown crowds.”
Post 70 Indulgence Bar offers an extensive bar, wine and cocktail list
Built in 1931, the structure was once home to the American Legion Post 70 and is the inspiration behind the name. One of the signature drinks, the C.W. Francey, honors the previous post commander. The Scotch cocktail features Cutty Sark scotch, Averna Amaro, Punt e Mes vermouth, Fernet-Branca and black walnut bitters and is served over a hand-cut ice cube. The ‘Flight of the Concords’ cocktail features a Brazilian rum, Leblon Cachaca, local concord grape juice, lime, sugar, Italian liqueur Strega and egg white. In addition to nine signature cocktails and classic mixers, like cosmos and martinis, the bar also stocks barrel-aged cocktails on the menu each week.
Although an entirely different menu becomes available after 5 p.m., Post 70 guests can still order items from the pastry counter. “You can always enjoy Filo desserts and coffee,” Emilios says. “And your friend can order from our killer wine list or cocktail menu. If we have it available, we are happy to serve it to you.”
The restaurant’s classically French trained chef, William Jeffrey Rogers, mixes Mediterranean cuisine with Appalachian comfort food. Seared tenderloin is cooked to perfection and combined with brûleéd gorgonzola, toasted brioche, pomegranate molasses, shallots, balsamic vinaigrette and a fried quail egg. Even with basic dishes like bacon, eggs and cheese, Rogers strives for new taste combinations.
Post 70s version of Bacon, Eggs and Cheese
“The menu is always changing,” Emilios says. “We might serve French mussels one night and pork belly with homemade mac and cheese the next. We want to cater to all palettes and serve our community.”
The diver’s sea scallops with Haw Creek honey, lemon orange creme, chamomile, lavender and garden fresh mint combine to create a unique dish, as beautiful as it is tasty.
Diver’s Sea Scallops
“We want you to love everything on the menu,” Emilios says. “Come change with us.”
In addition to Filo and Post 70, Emilios Papanastasiou’s dad, Nick Papanastasiou, has owned East Village Grill next door at 1177 Tunnel Road for more than 25 years. Building on their successes, the Papanastasiou family continues to expand its offerings. This October, the innovative culinary enterpreneurs are also opening Post 25 in Arden in the old Black Forest Restaurant.
Emilios says the new location will be the middle of the road between their other offerings, “a casual dining, all- American restaurant focusing on southern Appalachian cuisine with a Mediterranean influence.”
Post 70 Indulgence Bar (in Filo Pastries) is located at 1155 Tunnel Road in Asheville. Filo opens at 7 a.m., with Post 70 kicking off from 5 p.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday. Post 70 also offers all-you-can-eat oyster roasts, wine dinners, Sip & Smoke events, and other fun pop-up parties throughout the year. See their menu and learn more at post70.bar, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or call 828.298.9777 for more information.
