Tryon Inn and The Backdoor Bar

I'm sorry as I hate to write a negative review but I must. We (5 of us) ate here last night (8/11/13). The ambiance is similar to what it must be like to eat at a Best Western. Just a room of large round tables with old fashioned, ugly decor. The food was very average, the menu quite limited. Had a vegetarian curry dish which was ok. Petite filet which was ok. Hamburger was ok and 2 others had a chicken francais which they called 'chicken french'. Ugh. Salads were ok. Nothing was special or worth the prices they charged. We ordered a bottle of red wine. Waitress came back to tell us they were out of that bottle and suggested another. She said it was 'great', 'everyone loves it' AND, 'its screw-top so it's easier for me!" Really? Ugh. The waitress was sweet, young (probably too young to have tried the really wonderful wine she was suggesting) and totally unprepared to be a waitress. I lost count of how many times she came over to the table and spoke VERY loudly to interrupt our conversation to say, "is everything ok?"

Go to the Mexican restaurant in Cherry Valley. It's delicious and fun.

The positive side is that this place has been renovated and is open. The negative side is the food and decor.
Have been there twice and can honestly say..blech.
The best thing I can compare it to is old people wedding food.  Over salted, over and under cooked, and unimaginative.
We tried the Tryon burger .  We were told they were cooked to 'medium' and even then they arrived burned on one side, closer to well. Fries were soggy.  The salad (or soup) that came with it has bitter yellow greens ( the kind you throw away when you find them in your container) and the cheddar broccoli soup was too salty.
The pasta was not aldente but cooked a bit too soft with an off tasting meat sauce. They say there is a vegetarian option but it is not listed on the menu for some reason and when we asked what it was we were told it was ' something with tomatoes'.
We also had the crab cakes and they were mushy.
Our friend ordered the chicken piccata which came in a heavy white sticky mystery sauce.
All in all the Tryon will appeal to many in this area of very few restaurants.  But if you are looking for quality, freshness and innovation, keep on moving down the road.