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liralenJet had a Kids' Night Out last Friday, so John and I got to go out for dinner for the first time in a while. We went to the local Terrior, which is an Italian-inspired restaurant that is high end for a little farming community like ours. They try to work with mostly local goods, but in the deep mid-winter, it's pretty scarce around here.
And it was... good for the price. Their tasting menu was just $35, so it was easy to go for that for the both of us, and it was fun to taste several different things.
I wasn't impressed by the starter, at all. It was a bruchetta, and I suspect that they were left too long after they'd been built as they were brought by the manager rather than our waitress. The bread had a very intriguing grilled note to it, but was disappointingly cool and soggy. The cheese had melted, but had cooled until it was just kind of chewy, and the tomato compote on top had warmed. So any good contrasts between cool and hot, sweet and crisp were completely lost by the delay. The flavors hinted at what it could have been, but wasn't.
They also served far too much of it for a starter, three big squares of the stuff when one would have done. Given that it was on their regular menu, I suspect that they simply prepared it as they normally would have.
The salad was presented in a much more timely manner, which worked to its advantage, as the nigh-on-green mango relish was still good and cold on top of the hot slab of grilled fish and the salad underneath was still green and cold and crisp. There were raw kohlrabi sticks as well as the usual bitter greens, oranges, and cucumber.
The third course was two huge sea scallops, perfectly seared, still tender on the inside, on a shrimp-stuffed crab cake with a nice aoli. That was well worth getting, and when we do go back, I'll probably explore that dish further along with what looked like a homemade bolognaise with proper tagliatelle. Their bread was a very nice Ciabatta with great chew, big flavorful bubbles, and it soaked up olive oil and balsamic vinegar very very nicely. Not fancy, just really good.
The desserts were pear crisps with vanilla ice cream, and again, they were too big, really, and a little soupy from all the juice in the pears. Kind of tasty, but they really didn't do that great a job of highlighting the flavor or the texture of a pear, it could have been apple, given the seasonings and how they chose to prepare it.
So it was a mixture of good ideas badly executed and some things very well done all together; but it was quite inexpensive, and, on the most part, other than that first course, the service was excellent and very friendly.
I also found a local chocolate maker just in time for Valentine's Day. *laughs* The sampling proved very, very good.
And it was... good for the price. Their tasting menu was just $35, so it was easy to go for that for the both of us, and it was fun to taste several different things.
I wasn't impressed by the starter, at all. It was a bruchetta, and I suspect that they were left too long after they'd been built as they were brought by the manager rather than our waitress. The bread had a very intriguing grilled note to it, but was disappointingly cool and soggy. The cheese had melted, but had cooled until it was just kind of chewy, and the tomato compote on top had warmed. So any good contrasts between cool and hot, sweet and crisp were completely lost by the delay. The flavors hinted at what it could have been, but wasn't.
They also served far too much of it for a starter, three big squares of the stuff when one would have done. Given that it was on their regular menu, I suspect that they simply prepared it as they normally would have.
The salad was presented in a much more timely manner, which worked to its advantage, as the nigh-on-green mango relish was still good and cold on top of the hot slab of grilled fish and the salad underneath was still green and cold and crisp. There were raw kohlrabi sticks as well as the usual bitter greens, oranges, and cucumber.
The third course was two huge sea scallops, perfectly seared, still tender on the inside, on a shrimp-stuffed crab cake with a nice aoli. That was well worth getting, and when we do go back, I'll probably explore that dish further along with what looked like a homemade bolognaise with proper tagliatelle. Their bread was a very nice Ciabatta with great chew, big flavorful bubbles, and it soaked up olive oil and balsamic vinegar very very nicely. Not fancy, just really good.
The desserts were pear crisps with vanilla ice cream, and again, they were too big, really, and a little soupy from all the juice in the pears. Kind of tasty, but they really didn't do that great a job of highlighting the flavor or the texture of a pear, it could have been apple, given the seasonings and how they chose to prepare it.
So it was a mixture of good ideas badly executed and some things very well done all together; but it was quite inexpensive, and, on the most part, other than that first course, the service was excellent and very friendly.
I also found a local chocolate maker just in time for Valentine's Day. *laughs* The sampling proved very, very good.
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Date: 2010-01-28 05:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-28 06:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-28 07:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-28 07:07 am (UTC)I was just... struck by how much experience I've had with really, really great food and how this just wasn't it. *laughs* But tasty enough for a parents' night out. *grins*
no subject
Date: 2010-01-28 10:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-28 04:35 pm (UTC)It was a most difficult task...
Oh my the hazelnut and mocha truffle was... amazing.
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Date: 2010-01-28 11:59 am (UTC)While I really like the idea of eating local, and try to do so as much as possible, it is pretty hard to do unless you live in a place with a climate like Northern California's. Or really, really wouldn't mind eating brussels sprouts for a month straight in deep winter.
The bruschetta sounds disappointing, but I think I would have been most bummed out about the pear crisp. Still, it sounds like a very good dinner - good company and a good time can more than make up for a few culinary blunders.
Good news about the chocolate! What kinds of chocolates do they make?
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Date: 2010-01-28 05:01 pm (UTC)Yeah... I think I was more bummed by the pears than the bruschetta as the bruschetta had nice burnt notes to the toast... I kind of *liked* that....
But, yes, it was good company and it was a great conversation. John's actually getting interested in the novel idea I've been pursuing...
They mostly do various types of flavored truffles with art deco tops. Things like an Asia with five spice, pistachio with chai, a mocha with hazelnut, a Jamaican rum and vanilla, or the more usual mint, raspberry, and the like. The maker is Italian in origin, but American in inspiration so it's fun to see the workmanship with the fun ideas.