Preston — Restaurant in Wilmington

This is a great restaurant addition to Wilmington with creative delicious dishes and excellent customer service. We made a reservation on OpenTable. But you don't need a reservation if you just want to come for cocktails. There is indoor and outdoor seating for either dining or for just cocktails. Dress code is smart casual. They label their restaurant as fine dining but it is laid back. Upbeat music was playing during our dinner such as Mumford and Sons I will Wait. The decor is very nice, elegant, and the seats are comfortable.

Wines are organized on the menu from light to full body. We tried Boen Tri-App Pinot Noir 2021, California, Louis Jadot Pinot Noir 2021 Burgundy, France, Elouan Pinot Noir 2020 Oregon, and Domaine Galevan Rouge Red Blend 2020 Cotes Du Rhône, France (organic, no nitrates). Our favorites were the Boen Tri-App and Louis Jadot.

Before eating, we tasted a complimentary palate cleanser, a small square shaped blueberry gelee topped with lemon zest, egg yolk, and a chili crisp.

All of the breads and pastas are made in house. Started off with the House Parker rolls and the bone marrow. The rolls came warm with a crispy edge crust, served with butter. They were perfect, soft and fluffy. The bone marrow dish was delicious-comes with golden raisin agrodolce, horseradish aioli, fried garlic, on a slightly thin piece of grilled focaccia. The horseradish flavor was subtle. I loved the sweetness mixed with the garlic flavor.

For entrees and sides we had the Lobster Sugo Rosa, 16oz CAB Ribeye, potato gratin, and red beets. Everything was good. The ribeye was tender and cooked perfectly of the requested medium. You have a choice of butters either garlic, chimichurri, or chili. It comes by itself so you'll need to pay an additional charge for sides. The lobster sugo rosa was a little lukewarm, but they offered to reheat it and ended up just making me a new dish. It came with a wide noodle pasta, vodka cream sauce with pancetta, fresh basil. The red beets were roasted chunks with pickled fennel, Chermoula, preserved lemon yogurt, fresh cilantro and parsley.

Our waitress Shannon was great. The general manager was generous and wanted to make sure our experience was enjoyable. I liked hearing the backstory of Preston before ordering our food.

For dessert we had the hazelnut chocolate mousse, which comes on a small piece of hazelnut cake and toasted Meringue. It was a nice sweet ending to our meal.

If you parked far, they offer a shuttle service (golf cart) to take you to...

From beginning to finish we were totally blown away with an amazing experience. From the minute you enter you’re welcomed with hospitality and treated like royalty. The ambiance of the dining room was spectacular with its historic charm, warmth and special attention to detail was incredible. The waiters, bartenders, hosts, managers and staff were most attentive and incredible. To start off the bar menu and selection was exceptional as I started with my favorite drink The Preston which I truly enjoyed to kickoff the meal. For our taste selection we enjoyed the deviled eggs that were delightful and perfect along with my absolute favorite bone marrow, which was a hint of sweet with the perfect balance of savory, the Preston Caesar, House Parker Rolls and the Louisiana Shrimp. Chef Thomas Calhoun and his staff hit every note so perfect with every bite as you can tell their level of detail to give us an extraordinary experience like to no other. Then for our main entree I enjoyed the most delicious Japanese Wagyu strip that was cooked to perfection with a side of the pomme pure. I’m a sweet tooth and no meal isn’t complete without dessert as the highlight and star was the citrus and honey. For Wilmington this dining establishment is a must and cannot be complete without experiencing this fine dining establishment you will not be disappointed! I cannot wait to come back with friends and family and have a drink outside in the front around the marvelous fire pits and seating arrangements. This place sets the bar...

The best restaurant in Wilmington!

The historical building the restaurant is inside of is beautifully on its own. There’s a super cool and relaxing lounge to have some cocktails before dinner and a great ambiance. Excited to go back to listen to some piano.

Inside the restaurant itself… I loved it. A nice darker blue vibe that was both relaxing and welcoming with perfect lighting.

Perhaps the best part of my experience were the people. A great team of cooks and servers made my experience welcoming and fresh.

The food was A+. A real big ribeye steak was just what I needed and was cooked to perfection. The menu was great as the chef puts his own spin on classic dishes. We tried it all! The appetizers were very unique and rare to find in any other restaurant. And the desert with the honey bees was delicious (you’ll have to try it)

The cocktails were also the best cocktails in Wilmington from my experience.

So what is the best food in Wilmington? I...