Restaurant Review: Third Culture in Titusville combines interesting food, great service

Increasingly, when Brevardians who love food converse, the subject is likely to be about our gastronomic growth and the increased sophistication of our palates.

If you seek a case in point, try Third Culture Kitchen, which is precisely the sort of restaurant Brevard in general and Titusville in particular have craved for years.

Third Culture Kitchen is not located in any culinary hub, but on busy Cheney Highway, an egalitarian statement in its own right, and it has the stylish, low-key exterior of what could be a sushi house, a Latino joint or a bulgogi restaurant. The interior is decorated with colorful, but not over-the-top, modern art and tile, and everything is informal and immaculate. Nothing is expensive. It is full of good ideas.

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Just to make sure diners know this is a full-service restaurant that takes things quite seriously indeed, the front of the house boasts a small bar with high-end spirits and a bartender who does creative and traditional cocktails, well. Decent scotches and bourbons, though not what you’d expect in a five-star restaurant, amount-wise, are on the shelves, and the gentleman ordered a Sazerac cocktail with much doubt, but pronounced it one of the best he’d ever consumed.

Service is exceptional and the menu is varied, with mezze, “a mano,” small plates, bao, tacos, skewers, salads, soups and entrees that include the likes of Korean-style short ribs, enchiladas and Szechuan Ragu. Variances on any of them (a little less spice, a few more beans, etc.) are heartily welcomed.

We ordered a special, coconut shrimp spring rolls ($7), as an appetizer, and what an appetizer it was: two little rolls fried crisp, with big hunks of shrimp in a creamy, coconutty base, served with sweet chile sauce: simple brilliance.

One of my companions went for bao this time ($10.50), which were supposed to have come with chicken but didn’t, but that was quickly rectified. He loved the fillings, which included shrimp and vegetables, but not so much the buns, it appeared. He can be taught. It was delightful. So was the cauliflower and vegetable mix skewer ($9) that he ordered to accompany it.

Pad see ew ($11) came highly recommended by our server and so it was ordered. Think of pad Thai with a twist, this one involving a little ginger, a little egg, a little lime, a sprinkling of peanuts and rice noodles, with lots of chicken. 

Truthfully, it could have used a touch more ginger and another squeeze of lime, and that chicken would have been so much more satisfying had it been white, rather than thigh, meat, but there was a lot of the stuff. No way are you leaving Third Culture Kitchen hungry.

For what it’s worth, no desserts appeared on the menu and none were offered, which was just fine with a couple of people who already were full.

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Third Culture Kitchen’s website says it “represents the ongoing natural fusion of cuisine that occurs as society becomes more unified.” Well, maybe, but if you take away sociology and politics and think of it as a place where you can bring a group of people and taste lots of interesting food, adding good drinks and conversation, this is your place.

It’s already ours. We’ll be back. Often.

Friends, just a reminder: If you like to discuss things food-related, your fellow readers are at 321 Flavor: Where Brevard Eats, on Facebook. Join us at www.facebook.com/groups/321FlavorWhereBrevardEats.

Third Culture Kitchen

Three and a half stars

Address: 1000 Cheney Highway, Titusville

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Call: 321-225-4103

Online: www.thirdculturekitchen.com

WiFi: yes:

Other: Full bar with high-end spirits and specialty cocktails; vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and other diets accommodated; take-out window; indoor, outdoor and patio dining.

Want to talk food? Tweet @lyn_dowling or email 321foodreviews@gmail.com.