After hitting up Blue Mountain Brewery and a few vineyards, we came back home for a nap, and then headed over to Ten. Kate and I were both really excited as we’d never been before. My experience with restaurants similar to Ten is that I enjoy the food, but I never find them to be worth the money. Tonight was an exception. We ran up a pretty big check, but as a whole, I don’t feel it was overpriced. (And I’m not just saying that cause Jeremy picked it up).
Over the course of the evening, we ordered the miso soup, Kobe meatballs, seaweed salad, shrimp tempura, calamari, spicy honey and tuna roll, spicy toro roll (a special), the sashimi omakase, and several rounds of cocktails and sake. I’ll review the dishes individually and then review the experience as a whole.
Miso Soup: I’m not really sure why I got this, but I had a craving. It tasted like miso soup, which hit the spot right at that moment.
Seaweed salad: It was seaweed salad. No surprises here.
Spicy Honey and Tuna Roll: We were seated right next to the sushi bar, and I saw the enormous pieces of sushi being prepared. I was disappointed when these came out, and they were six pieces of maki about as big as what you get at Asian Express. The fish to rice ratio seemed kind of low to me, and all in all the roll was tasteless. I would not order this again.
Shrimp Tempura: This actually came out before the Calamari. Honestly, in a blind taste test, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Ten’s shrimp and fried shrimp from your average seafood place slathered in a spicy mayo. I’m not saying it was bad, but I wouldn’t get it again.
Kobe meatballs: This was the dish I was most excited about trying. I’d never had foie gras before. I gently cut the meatball open so I could sample the foie gras center before eating the dish as a whole. I was startled to find that the center was cold despite the rest of the meatball being fried. The foie gras was OK, but I think I’ll reserve my final judgement after having it as a featured dish. As a whole, I really enjoyed the Kobe meatballs. They were very rich and juicy.
Spicy Toro Roll: Now this is what I was talking about when I mentioned watching the huge pieces of sushi being prepared at the bar. We got four enormous pieces of maki stuffed and overflowing with spicy toro. It. was. so. good. The tuna had a much richer and deeper flavor than I was accustomed to. While the fish in spicy tuna rolls is usually overcome by the sauce, this was perfectly balanced. I hope this is something they feature often, because I would love to have it again.
Calamari: ZOMG. This dish has been mentioned ad nauseum in comments at cVillain, so I knew I had to try it. Everything they say is true. I’ve never had calamari this tender. The chewiness that I’ve always associated with it was completely absent. The sauce was bold but not at all heavy. This is definitely a must have.
Sashimi Omakase: This dish is what won me over and will keep me going back to Ten. The spicy toro roll was the last thing we ordered, and this was next to last. What a fantastic way to end the meal. We ordered the $30 omakase not knowing what to expect, and we were all shocked when our server brings out a plate about a food and a half long covered with huge pieces of fish. Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, red snapper, mackarel, fatty tuna, and I can’t even remember what else. It was at least two dozen pieces of fish for thirty dollars. I was in heaven. I can honestly say it’s the best sashimi I’ve ever had. Up until this came out, I was of the “good, but overpriced” state of mind. The quantity and quality of this dish shifted the entire value equation for me. Another must have.
Between the four of us, we tried all sorts of specialty cocktails and a bottle of sake. Every drink had the right balance of liquor and mixers, and those that used fruit (and in the case of my mojito, mint) were all obviously made with fresh ingredients. Our service experience was wonderful. We had reservations, and as soon as we walked in, we were seated. Our server was fairly busy, but at the same time, he never rushed us or went missing. If I had any complaints about our experience, it would be the pacing of the food. With our first round of food orders, the meatballs came out almost immediately, which was actually kind of disconcerting. After that, there was a long wait for the rest of the dishes which trickled out over time. I can’t even begin to understand the logistical planning that would go into managing a kitchen to properly pace a tapas style dinner for every table in the restaurant, but I’d like to think that it’s possible. Am I asking too much?
So given that I only have that one minor complaint about the entire experience, Ten has moved into my top tier of Charlottesville restaurants. I wish I could have it claim the now empty throne as my favorite restaurant, but while I find that it offers a good value proposition, it’s far from being a value. Despite that, Ten will probably dominate our special occasions (and some not so special occasions) for the foreseeable future.
