Terrene opened as a buzz restaurant, one of those places that avid restaurant-goers quiz each other about constantly — "Is it open yet?" "Have you gone?" and the inevitable "But I heard . . . ." You know the drill.
We feel that restaurants must be allowed some time before we attempt to pass any serious judgment. Granted that restaurants, unlike theaters, don’t spend a few weeks in "previews," offering reduced-priced tickets, but reviews that appear two weeks after opening are not a good picture of what the staff and kitchen will do once they get into a groove. We’ve now had several visits to Terrene, and are happy to report it’s hitting its stride.
The interior is modern and fairly light, a pleasant change from the days when it was one of the darkest, smokiest spots in the neighborhood. However, "modern," often translates to hard surfaces, and that means noise. A search is currently under way for something to lower the clamor, but until then, be prepared. It’s not the noisiest place in town, but on a busy night, it’s not the spot for a quiet chat. The pleasant outdoor garden, one of the nicest places in town for a lunch or brunch on a temperate day, with the sun filtering through the leaves, solves that problem well. For a while after its opening, there were problems with service, but the glitches seem to be working out and ours was smooth. Being recognized is a factor, of course, but even on busy Friday night, we saw no evidence of problems.
As many people know, chef and part owner David Owens spent a long time at Cardwell’s in Plaza Frontenac. He’s a vegetarian, and his menus reflect that, without shortchanging the rest of us, and we did a little exploring in that direction. For instance, tofu on a stick is indeed skewered logs of tofu, breaded and deep fried, arriving with a dish of spicy cashew sauce for dippin. The sauce also is tasty to dress the slivered cabbage the skewers rest on, and the tofu is innocuous, as tofu often is.
The appetizers began to gather speed as a fine gazpacho arrived, cool, slightly chunky, slightly spicy, thin slices of avocado fanned out on top. And there was the flatbread, a sort of pizza with a crispy-chewy crust, heavy with various mushrooms and some roasted tomatoes. The tomato game reached a peak with an heirloom tomato salad of several varieties, large and small, yellow and red, whose accessories included some pickled Vidalia onions that were good enough to win a starring role of their own. How tasty they would be on, say, a chicken sandwich or a sub! And speaking of sandwiches, we also mused on other uses for the dip, what is sometimes referred to as a "slather" to accompany butter and olive oil for the house bread. It’s rather like a spicy hummus, not beautiful but bright and charming.
This is a kitchen that seems to have a special bond with duck. Every time we’ve had it there, it was delicious. Whether sauced with blueberries or, as on our most recent visit, mission figs, the breast meat is tender, its skin not padded with a quarter-inch of fat, and the dark meat, whether in a confit or, with the figs, smoked, succulent and seductive. Total yum.
A pasta special of whole wheat tagliatelle arrived with rock shrimp, calamari and clams. Whole wheat pasta is difficult; it has problems achieving the proper texture when cooked. But this was delightful, and the pleasure was increased by the saucing. Most of the time seafood sauces that are broth, wine and olive oil never are reduced enough to give flavor to a solo piece of the pasta. Not here, where the juices were cooked waaay down, providing a happy result.
Hanger steak pops up on several menus around town. It’s a good cut for those who value beefy flavor and for a kitchen that knows how to slice it, thinly and across the grain. Terrene does well by the steak, and the value of the plate is increased by the house French fries. Terrene understands how good the fries are—they’re available as a first course with truffle mayonnaise. They’re about as far from fast-food fries as you can get, deep golden brown, wickedly hot, chewy on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside, and seasoned just enough. They’re among the best in town. For the non-carnivore, we were pleased with the grilled tofu seasoned with Caribbean flavors. It was topped with a mango-tomato salsa and arranged on a bed of coconut rice and black beans, all quite delicious. The chopped greens with it, unnamed, but we suspect kale, were not cooked until they were falling apart, which may bother some diners. They didn’t add much except vitamins and eye-appeal, but the rest of the dish was very worthwhile.
The wine list is excellent in terms of both affordability and variety, and for a summer meal, all hail the sommelier who has rose wines available. Etude, a California rose made from pinot noir grapes, was a delight in every respect, crisp and light and benefitting from a good chill, though make sure it isn’t ice-cold. That tactic destroys the delicate flavor a rose wine will bring to the table.
The rose went well with the appetizers – our long-held theory is that if you give us an excellent wine and an excellent plate, we’ll make them go together. For entrees, we tried an Australian red, Hewitson’s Miss Harry, made from grenache (44 percent), shiraz (43) and mourvedre (13). The grapes, in varying blending combinations, are the same varietals used for the Rhone Valley wines of France, though they (and Americans) call the "s" grape syrah. It was delicious, with fine body, the rich flavor of dark fruit and a long, graceful finish.
Don’t, however, spend all your capacity before dessert. Maggie Kelly, the pastry chef, produced a pie with peaches, blackberries, creme fraiche, and some streusel on top, just to improve the texture. Riding shotgun was a peach-ginger ice cream, a punchy, sophisticated contrast. Another option taking advantage of whatever fruit is in season is the multigrain waffle, served with ice cream and fruit, a nice combination of textures and flavors.
Chocolate lovers have two splendid choices. The simpler is a brownie with creme fraiche, which turns out to be a round of dense cake, topped with what is, essentially, a fine chocolate pudding, the creme fraiche drizzled over it. Minus the creme, it’s a vegan dessert, but absolutely nothing is missing from the dark, rich, penetrating flavor. And then there’s the chocolate 33, a three-part dessert that swings. The first is a wee cup of cool drinking chocolate from Bissinger’s. The second is a piece of chocolate fudge with black walnuts, always an exemplary pairing. And the third is a pyramid of chili-spiked chocolate cake with a little Navan (a vanilla and cognac-flavored liqueur) custard over it, a thrill for the mouth. Talk about an indulgent dessert…most satisfactory.
Terrene seems to be rolling. We’re happy.
Terrene
33 N. Sarah Ave.
314-535-5100