10/Six Grille wows the imagination in downtown Jacksonville

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From Winter Wonderland to Alice in Wonderland, Jacksonville keeps surprising us with new and creative events and locations to explore. The latest is Downtown Jacksonville’s newest addition to the restaurant scene, the 10/Six Grille, inspired by the imaginative world of Lewis Carroll.

10/Six Grille is located off Hogan Street, within Sweet Pete’s Candy. The restaurant and candy shop together offer an escape from the ordinary reality of office jobs and traffic downtown. 10/Six owner Russ Disparti said he chose to open his restaurant in the middle of the mundane for that very purpose.

“With all the stress, people need a place to escape,” he said. “To let go and be weird and quirky.”

Disparti helps ease the stress with the 10/Six bar, with signature candy cocktails and with mocktails created in collaboration with Sweet Pete’s. For those working downtown and looking for a new lunch spot, 10/Six’s Cajun-inspired menu comes with a southern twist, with options like deviled eggs and fried green tomatoes for starters, to jambalaya, shrimp po’boys and stuffed dodo for the main dish.

Stuffed Dodo, whimsically named after the birds in “Alice in Wonderland,” is grilled chicken breast, stuffed with goat cheese and topped with balsamic-glazed mushrooms, walnuts, served with collard greens.

10/Six Grille is also open for brunch, with selections such as crepes, pancakes and beignets, as well as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, two eggs with ham, served over an English muffin and topped with Hollandaise Sauce.

Disparti said he hopes people who work downtown and people who are just visiting will be open to taking a trip down the rabbit hole for a good meal.

“Escape a bit,” he said. “Relax.”

From Carroll’s book, published in 1865, to the 1951 film and 2010 remake, Disparti believes “Alice in Wonderland” is a bridge to all generations. That it’s a story all ages have experienced, relate to and can talk about together.

A quote by Carroll along one wall is one of Disparti’s favorites and fits the theme of the place: “I'd give all the wealth that years have piled, the slow result of life's decay, To be once more a little child. for one bright summer day.”