The first thing you see when you land on 10&10 Enoteca’s website is a quote.
“If you walk a mile in my shoes, you’ll end up in a wine bar.”
As far as undisclosed destinations go after a long walk in a stranger’s shoes, a wine bar ranks pretty high on the list. A net positive at the least. An enormous success if it’s this one.
International Plaza and Bay Street’s latest venture is more than wine and cheese. It’s a European vacation from Tampa’s typical restaurant scene. The hospitality is warm and endearing. Its unworried interior will make you forget you just spent two hours in a Dillard’s. The staff will help you find a wine you love and won’t flash you a death stare if you can’t pronounce the name right. Their grounds for running the locale seems to genuinely stem from sharing a passion in wine and food and fun. And there’s a lot of it to be had, which is nice.
We hustled in on a rainy afternoon and set up home base at the bar, where the sommelier walked us through some French rosé before an immaculate gorge. To start: Ahi Tuna Shoots and a Caesar Salad. The shoots were a faith-reviving take on what seems to be every new restaurant’s tuna situation. The Caesar was one of the best I’ve ever had throughout Tampa Bay (as absurd as that sounds). Add some prosciutto or white anchovies (they’re proud of their white anchovies here) and kick things up a notch.
In building a charcuterie board, we let them do the building, with the end result much akin to that of ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’—only with less happy tears and more content eating sounds. The Gorgonzola Dolce was spectacularly funky. The Speck, Wild Boar Salami and Rosette de Lyon stood out in ways I didn’t think a board of meat could stand out. They provide heaps of it all. I’m now dubious of any other restaurant’s charcuterie supply. It was the kind of meal that made you certain that every other item on the menu couldn’t possibly fail. Every dish is happiness. This must be the place.
Pour yourself another Rhone after eating. Screw it, order some olives. You’ll leave 10&10 Enoteca a superior being.
And that’s not a chic French boutique upon exiting, it’s still just the Shoe Palace.