On a chilly February Thursday night, you’ll have an easy time getting a reservation at Three10. It’s a great time to pick the brains of the waitstaff before they ready themselves for the weekend rush. There’s a charming patio with lots of seating which you pass through on the way in the building (a 1920’s bungalow rescued from demolition to become a southern seafood restaurant). 310 Bladen was the original address of the building before it was picked up and moved to its current home on 4th Street in downtown Wilmington.
Three10 is a restaurant that you simply must return to again and again. Their focus on seasonal and local ingredients means that the offerings change often and the owner is like an artist making a masterpiece with whatever is available to her at the time.
For drinks, I started with a Vodka Vagabond: vodka from a distillery in Asheville with cranberry juice and rosemary. It was quite summer-y for a cold winter night. On the mocktail menu, the Amalfi Coast Spritz captures most of the bitterness of a traditional spritz— a difficult challenge without the aid of alcohol.
The Tuna Tartare is a tower of excellently balanced ingredients. This lovely presentation begins with beets on the bottom, then a layer of sweet potatoes and finally the tuna with a ginger-soy vinaigrette. The tower is topped with small freeze dried sweet potato shavings. The beets, a notoriously earthy flavor, mellow out when combined with the rest of the dish.
Living in the south, I’ve had a lot of hushpuppies. These Carolina Gold Hushpuppies were freshly cooked and paired excellently with the sweet pepper jelly.
A classic Caesar salad is great if you like a crunchy salad. And this Caesar delivered! Romaine lettuce and croutons topped with freshly grated parmesan. The conundrum of parmesan cheese, however, is that you have to choose between aesthetics and utility. The large slices make for a beautiful presentation, but the larger pieces don’t “stick” to the lettuce and will fall off the fork.
On the list of specials was a vegan gumbo. This hearty soup with a delayed spicy kick was perfect for the cold weather outside. This evening, the musical selection was mostly made up of instrumental covers of pop songs. But, just as this classic New Orleans dish came out, the theme song for the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise came on. I couldn’t help but wonder if the staff had queued up the song.
My second pick from the list of specials was a pork belly smash burger. Oozing with pimento cheese and what the staff called “fancy sauce,” this filling dish was the grand finale of my meal. It was served with pan fried fingerling potatoes which I just picked up and ate like french fries. That seemed appropriate for a burger entrée!
Three10’s winter menu selection is creative and well balanced. I look forward to seeing what they offer when they have spring’s ingredients to work with.
