300 East in Charlotte

300 East is a quaint little restaurant in a house on..well..you know. It has plentiful parking in the back and even some seating outside in the front. It also has these gorgeous picture windows that if you are lucky, like me, you can sit behind and see all that the folks outside do, unobstructed, and still enjoy the air conditioner.

For starters we had soup and salad. I had the tossed salad which had organic mesclun greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and topped with a Balsamic Vinaigrette that was tangy with just a touch of sweetness. It was fresh and delicious. Dustin had the soup of the day, which was tomato basil. It was creamy and hearty, and the basil provided a refreshing bite to the rich soup.

For his entree, Dustin got the Asian Tuna burger. That’s a burger made with fresh ground tuna (not from a can), grilled and topped with Thai chili sauce, seaweed salad, pickled ginger and wasabi served on a wheat Kaiser roll. He chose black beans as his side. Though he loves tuna, I don’t think it was rare enough for him (gross), but he ate the whole thing. I did try the black beans and they were flavorful and spicy!

I chose the Grilled Shrimp BLT Panini ~ The shrimp were grilled and cut in half (to life flatter on the bread) and topped with applewood smoked bacon, pepper cheese, arugula and a tomato aioli on crispy sourdough bread. It was served with a side of potato salad. The bread was so crunchy it was a perfect balance to the tender shrimp and the tangy aioli. That peppery arugula was the perfect capper to cut through all of the richness of the aioli and the cheese. It was the waitresses recommendation, as well.