Birthday Dinner at Terra

We had a wonderful meal at Terra with the Hawks and Naan. After hearing mixed reviews about the place, we were a little apprehensive, but this meal easily landed Terra in our top 10.

Overall, we gave the food an 8.75. All of it was solid, from appetizers to dessert. This is quite impressive, since often times a restaurant will be really great in some categories and only okay in others. Terra was very good across all courses, and, since there were so many of us, we were able to try a lot of food, making their consistency all the more impressive.

Soft Shell Crab appetizer special


Cream of Green Garlic Soup with Dungeness Crab Bisque


Carpaccio of Kanpachi with Radish Salad, Hijiki, Yuzu Tobiko and Ponzu Sauce


Ravioli of Liberty Farm Duck and Foie Gras in Game Sauce with Asparagus and Peas


Grilled Lobster Tail, Abalone and Scallops in Escargot Butter with King Trumpet Mushrooms


Broiled Sake Marinated Alaska Black Cod and Shrimp Dumplings in Shiso Broth


(Clockwise from bottom right): Orange Risotto in a Brandy Snap with Passion Fruit Sauce and Citrus, Rhubarb Crostata with Honey Lavender Ice Cream, Strawberry Soup with Ricotta Fritters, Chocolate Caramel Tart with Espresso Ice Cream and Cocoa Nib Tuile, Tiramisu (center)

The service was good, but not very polished. We gave it an 8.00. Our server was really nice, but kept flubbing her descriptions of the courses, and it was hard to get her attention once when we were trying to flag her down. She kept standing there staring off into space, and finally one of the hosts came to help us since he couldn't get her attention for us either.

Décor was nice, but the layout of the restaurant is a little strange. When you first walk in, you enter this tiny little vestibule. There is a glass door leading to the left and a glass door leading to the right. To check in, you need to go to the right, as that's where the host's desk is, but it is not at all intuitive when you first enter the vestibule. Tables are located in both rooms, but the two spaces are not connected except by that vestibule (and, I assume, by the kitchen). Strange. Once seated, we liked our little corner, and the stone walls of the room make it very romantic. We gave the décor a 7.75.

Overall, they scored an 85.00. Like I mentioned before, this place easily ranks in our top 10. We'll definitely be back.

With Pastry Chef Lissa Doumani and Executive Chef Hiro Sone

*For a refresher on our rating system, check out this previous post.*