Lunch at Three is a feast for the eyes and stomach

Earlier this month, Chef Norman Van Aken re-opened his Three Restaurant at the Wynwood Arcade for lunch. We were treated to a tasting of a variety of his dishes and as always, they were beautifully presented. Oh...and they tasted fantastic too.Hitting up their bar first, I enjoyed a tasty gin cocktail that was better with each sip. As we were led to the table, I brought along said cocktail and prepared for what would be a feast of epic proportions. My son joined me this day and his cocktail was gorgeous and delicious as well.The refreshingly light and bright looking fluke crudo with amarillo coconut curry, cara cara oranges and cucumber kicked off the meal followed by crispy East coast oysters with apple and cabbage slaw, horseradish and salmon roe. The latter dish was a meld of flavors, textures and colors.The hammock greens salad consisted of delicata squash, crunchy green beans, radishes and candied pecans in a tangy buttermilk dressing. A wonderful blend of unexpected combinations.My mother loved beets but me, I'm not a fan...until now. I was transformed after my first bite of the barbeque'd borek beets with queso guayanes and black olive crumble in a citrus chimichurri. Smokey, creamy and briny all at once. Next came a couple of seafood dishes, the octopus a la plancha with alubia blanca beans, shishito peppers kosho and marigolds and pan roasted grouper with carrot glazed carrots (yes, you read that correctly) and herb salad in a thai basil vinaigrette. Standout dishes, both of them.Pork secreto is the Rolls Royce/Bentley of pork and for our meal they served it schnitzel style with pineapple mostarda, smoked new potato and an avocado and tomato salad. If you like schnitzel you're going to go crazy for this version.To finish the savory dishes they brought out a perfectly cooked, immensely juicy, fatty burger made of grass fed beef and chorizo topped with cheddar and served with skinny fries and mojo ketchup. I think the description says it all (and so does the picture).  An eye-popping plate of Artisan cheeses, cotton cheesecake with key lime curd, cilantro olive and powder and chocolate caramel tart served with a side of vanilla chantilly, ended the meal. Oh what a sweet ending it was.Three, 50 NW 24 St., #101, Wynwood (305) 748-4540