Terrene

Loved all the options for a vegetarian! Great atmosphere, clean hip décor and great service. We dined here in Feb. and I look forward to returning.

I’ll start by explaining that if you have a great reputation and if your entrees typically are over $ 20, you have a higher standard to live up to than some place I might just walk into when I’m in a neighborhood. Terrene was recommended to me by a friend I consider to be a restaurant snob and the ratings here on Unilocal,some by friends, were really excellent. And I suppose that’s why we were disappointed.
Let’s do the good news first:
Cocktails: wonderful. Well-​made and quickly served.
Ambiance: Terrene has these great lamp lights over these simple, warm dark-​wood tables. The chairs look like something out of a FroYo, but believe me, that’s not my quibble The seats were perfectly comfortable. There’s also a large abstract painting that is almost the length of a wall… I’d guess it’s about 20 feet long. Behind it is the kitchen.
Oysters: Ordered one of each of the seasonal, oft-​changing varieties. The oysters were delicious, but here’s where our service started to turn…
Bad News
Wait Service: Those oysters should not have taken 15 minutes to come to our table. It’s not a standard app and our waiter had maybe 3 other tables… oysters are one of those things you can literally shuck, plate, and bring out. Our waiter was, all night, uninterested. The one time I really tried to engage him was when I pointed out how stupidly my beet salad was plated, «Wow, what a great salad,» I said. «I clearly ate it all. But why is it plated like this (it was plated on what reminded me of a sushi plate — long and rectangular)? This is absolutely terrible to plate this way: my salad keeps falling off.» «Uh-​huh.» He seemed offended, so I tried again to soften it, «Salad was wonderful, lovely presentation, really bad plating.» He asked my date if she wanted another cocktail, then left. No empathy with my concern, no sharing with a manager so I could share some constructive criticism.
The food: the frites (a great appetizer) with the homemade horseradish catsup were wonderful. My scallops were also excellent and presented wonderfully. My date had the strip steak, which I presume to be a staple of the Terrene menu, as they also had a «special» version of it last night, served with a different sauce. As it is, I asked my date what was wrong, and she said, «it’s just no good.» Our waiter wasn’t around, otherwise she might have had another cocktail and a chance to send the meal back. My plate was clean, my date’s had a good half of her food on it, and instead of asking «if she liked it» our water asked if she was done. Again, he was not worried about waiting on us that night.
Runners: Restaurants run how restaurants run, but our food runner delivered my salad to the wrong table initially. I like having my waiter there to supervise the delivery of food, but again, like the chairs I mentioned above, mis-​delivering my salad did not ruin the experience. The other negatives did.
So, before I make this 2-​star rating official, I need to give a few caveats. First, here’s «my interpretation» of the star ratings.
5 stars: unique, excellent, wonderful, clearly coming back
4 stars: same as above, but perhaps not particularly unique
3 stars: adequate, satisfactory. Nothing really bad
2 stars: disappointment, usually based off high expectations or wonderful previous experiences. Will need a strong incentive to return.
1 star: it’s probably time to call Gordon Ramsey.
The overwhelming majority of my reviews are 4 and 5 star, but that’s because I don’t just wander around and spend my money anywhere. I do a bit of research and really only go to the best places. Life is too short to eat bad food or not be treated well. Everytime I’ve given a 2-​star (not very often at all) I’ve hesitated for two reasons:
1. I’m a business owner myself, and I know how hard it is to keep all those balls in the air.
2. The review is permanent and persistent on the web.
Even though I know those two things, I do hope that those in charge at Terrene can use my review as one experience that explained why someone would not be coming back, and I hope that Unilocalers will not necessarily avoid Terrene, but will maybe come in expecting a 3-​star experience, and then not be as disappointed as we were if it doesn’t deliver, and hey, if you have a fabulous night, like so many Unilocalers before me, then what a pleasant surprise!
PS This is the longest Unilocal I’ve ever written, so I can’t believe I have a PS, but I needed to share this part separately from the review, because it’s not entirely Terrene’s issue. I used a
gift certificate on this visit to Terrene but I was grieved because I had planned to tip 10% and write a short note to my waiter explaining that the tip would have been higher had he been more attentive. The
Terrene gift certificate mandates an 18% tip before the discount, which takes away any opportunity to critique the waiter based on service. I’m more and more over
, full

Really enjoyed our experience at Terrene. The restaurant hits the trifecta of restaurants — good food, good ambiance and good service. I like that the menu is kept small to focus on local and seasonal produce (except for the Oysters of course).
To start, they have a nice set of unique cocktails (The Dragonflower Mojito was a cinnamon hinted twist on the original — certainly some fancy mixologist thought it up). We had the cheese plate which I thought was perfect (and the honeycomb was just melt-​in-​your-​mouth wonderful). I chose the scallops as my main which were fresh and well-​prepared. For dessert, none of the options really struck my fancy, but the selection of ice creams and sorbets were a nice cap to the meal — flavors such as salted caramel and rocky road quieted me to contented «mmms.»
This is a great place for a date, midweek meal with friends or even for a younger crowd business dinner. The bar, while not busy on a Wednesday night, seems like a great place to catch a drink — maybe for a first date?

Terrene is good, but a few things missed the mark and force me to knock the place down a notch.
My wife and I started by splitting their frites, which were really just normal-​cut french fries cooked to a darker-​than-​usual color. They were served with a horseradish-​ketchup that tasted like cocktail sauce (which I guess is little more than a horseradish-​ketchup to begin with) and a cheese sauce that I thought was a little on the bland side. But that’s okay — the frites were good enough to enjoy without the sauces.
In addition to the frites, I got three small items.
First was the sweet potato soup, which I really liked a lot. For lack of a better description, it tasted pretty much like someone had liquified sweet potatoes and added a welcome bit of richness. Good for someone like me who likes sweet potatoes; bad for someone like my wife who does not.
At the suggestion of the waiter, I chose their small plate of coffee-​and-​mustard-​rubbed smoked ribs. There was a lot of gristle in the ribs — something I also remember experiencing unpleasantly at Sage, but have never noticed anywhere else — and the flavor was all right but would have benefited from some sauce.
Finally, I ordered the citrus brown butter pan-​seared gnocchi. These were good, but in a way they almost tasted like lemon cookies to me… I mean, how else would you describe something that’s crispy, lemony, and buttery? Like I said — good, but unexpected.

Just as I’m used to, I was totally impressed by my experience last night at Terrene; the cocktails, the food, the ambiance… everything here is always top-​notch. I’m fortunate enough to live about 2 minutes away from Terrene so my best friend and I dine in quite often.
There were a lot of positives this time but there were also a few glitches, but I’ll start with what I loved, ’cause there’s a lot to discuss. My biggest romance of the evening was with the French Gimlet… this cocktail is just incredible. 360 vodka, St. Germain, and fresh lime juice. I’ve had gimlets other places but whoever is crafting them up behind the bar at Terrene gets a huge thumbs up from this girl. I may have had a couple…
When it comes to the food, I usually get a large plate or maybe the evening special, but feeling a little less hungry than usual, I ordered the romaine salad and the mushroom flatbread. Both were beyond good, and I was so satisfied with my choice… the romaine salad is filled with asiago cheese and hard cooked egg, and is flavorful without being overwhelming like a lot of ceasar-​type salads can be. The mushroom flatbread was my dream come true… it was topped with mushrooms, goat cheese, caramelized onions and fennel pollen. I pretty much would eat a piece of cardboard if it had goat cheese on it, and this thing was covered with the creamiest, meltiest (new word!) goat cheese on earth. That combined with the earthy mushrooms and tangy caramelized onion created quite the dinner!
Just a few issues during this visit… my best friend and I are 9pm dinner eaters or sometimes even later, so it’s nice to go somewhere that’s still buzzing and alive even a little later during dinner. Terrene’s kitchen closes at 10pm and when we got there it was nearly empty, and by the time we were done our server was practically pushing us out of the dining area and into the bar. That leads me into my next comment which is that our server was just not the best. She started out the dinner with the things they were out of, which is understandable since they buy so many items fresh, and she told us the special which we were totally going crazy over. Few minutes later, she came back and said they were actually out of the special. Like a knife in the heart! Not her fault, I know, but she was just kind of all over the place.
My nose would grow ten inches if I said I won’t be back within the next couple weeks. Bravo, Terrene!

I had a
certificate burning a virtual hole in my pocket, so the beautiful wife and I hit Terrene a couple of Fridays ago.
We showed up after work (and basically when they opened), so it was pretty empty, but at least it wasn’t that uncomfortable «oh we weren’t expecting people» vibe. We were promptly greeted and seated.
We started off with a couple of cocktails — honestly, I don’t remember exactly what I had, but it had some name like the «Bigwig» or something. And basically it tasted like something you’d expect Nelson Rockefeller to drink. Which isn’t an insult. After I was done with that, I moved on to wine.
I should note that beyond trying to shave a couple bucks off the bill, another factor in escalating the need to visit Terrene them offering higher quality oysters. Per our waiter, they usually offered more varieties, but because a shipment came in frozen (rather than just on ice), so they weren’t going to serve them. Pride in quality, love it.
A couple dozen ended up being consumed — and while (obviously) not local, they have very fair prices for them as well.
I had the frisee salad (how they prepare it changes over time). This variety had a poached egg, bacon, and probably a couple of other things. I love frisee, so I thought this salad was incredible, others might get a little turned off by the bitterness. I will say that the wife’s potato soup was pretty awesome (she shared, very kind).
Because we were obligated to order two entrees, I went with scallops (for going to a place that prides itself on local meats and produce, I kept ordering long distance). They were excellent, but admittedly, scallops are something that ought to be prepared as simply as possible, so compared to the wife’s Flintstones-​esque rib (and those crazy good bleu cheese grits), the scallops placed a close second.
Service was awesome — our service was friendly, attentive, offered his opinions, and best of all, helped keep the pace of the food to a leisurely level. When we ordered our second dozen oysters, he actually apologized for having already put our soup and salad orders in. Very cool.
I was completely impressed by Terrene and look forward to future visits.

Great tofu + great atmosphere = great date night location. My boyfriend brought me here on a date and I will forever be thankful to him for it. This is what vegetarian dining should me like. No more side salads for me thank you very much!
The tofu tacos still haunt my dreams. I actually emailed them to figure out the recipe but they never got back to me :-(I loved everything about them and would order two orders next time I go. The one thing that bothered me and my boyfriend was that they didn’t have very many vegetarian entrée options. I got a different type of tofu that was good but not outstanding like the tacos. I wish they had more entrée options.
That being said I would go again. Make sure you make a reservation as this place fills up quick! Who knew such great food could be found in St louis?

We came in around 7:30pm on Saturday for a little pre-​game on the way to a party. We just wanted cocktails and a snack. There is a little area with a bar and a few cocktail tables. Some tables were open, but we chose to sit up at the bar.
If you didn’t know, Terrene has a great inventive seasonal cocktail menu, each drink being around $ 10. We got a Movie Star (champagne and other stuff w/​a piece of fizzing crystallized ginger) and a Gingerrita (gingery margarita) Both were really good. There were some cool-​sounding whiskey-​based concoctions I want to try next time.
Next was an order of the mushroom flatbread, which is fantastic and goat-​cheesy and easy to share. And a couple raw oysters. Yes, Terrene has oysters! There were 4 kinds (all Pacific I think) from $ 2 – 3 apiece. Served on ice and came with cocktail sauce and another spicy little topping on the side. Good stuff.
The bartender/​server dudes were great, the indie-​pop background music was cool, and it was a really fun time. Even if you’re not up for a big dinner, Terrene is a cool place to stop by for some treats.

We effortlessly made a New Years Eve reservation a week in advance on Opentable and had it confirmed by phone the day prior. Easy street parking made for a quick walk to the door in the rain (few other businesses are open on this block during the evening). We were sat immediately to a 75% full dining room. The dining area is cozy, eclectic and warm. The modern-​contemporary touch was immediately welcomed, followed by prompt service from the wait staff. The crowd was older at our 7:30 seating, but progressively got younger as the night wore on. We’re off to a fantastic start Terrene.
I ordered the pork and my companion the special vegetarian meatloaf (see below), with the mushroom flatbread as a starter. The dishes were well prepared and well spaced. The pork was incredibly tender and the apple made for a tasty accompaniment. The meatloaf was inventive and very flavorful. We finished the meal off with the recommended flour-​less chocolate cake which easily melted in our mouths. Very well done.
We frequently saw the owner chatting up with the regulars and the maître d circled the restaurant many times during our two hours — a good sign. The restaurant’s dining space made intimate conversations achievable without feeling too dark. Our main draw to trying Terrene was for its locally sourced ingredients and we were not disappointed. The prices may say special occasion for St Louis, but Terrene should be on your regular go-​to list for fine dining.
The absolute only thing that was a disappointment was the special new years eve menu offered upon being seated. There was not a mention of this on their Website so the choices were limited, but thankfully, still as diverse and decadent. I mention this because I was expecting a fish offering but none were provided and the available dishes were greatly reduced.

The scallops here are divine… I didn’t leave a bite on my plate! My friends ordered the yellowfin tuna, the fish special of the night, and also just about licked their plates clean.
We all ordered dessert. I had the apple galette which was the perfect ending to a rich a meal. I tried my friends lemon cheesecake which was also delish. We vowed to come back soon and make our way through the menu. I’m not sure I can wait longer than a week!

Everyone knows that as part of the tradition of anniversaries, you take your signother out to a fancy place to eat. This year I wanted to surprise Steph with a dinning experience from not just any fancy restaurant, but one that featured natural, locally cultivated fare. Turning to Unilocal led me to Terrene, so thank you fellow Unilocalers for the help! I got mad brownie points for the selection! ^_^
The atmosphere of the place was perfectly romantic– soft mood lighting and colors, well spaced tables and a reverent sense of quiet prevailed. We were quickly greeted, seated and had drink orders placed.
Contrary to popular opinion (Steph!) I did NOT know what I wanted (lol!) — and it was extremely difficult to choose an entrée because there were so many tempting options. Nevertheless we started with several ‘small plates.‘
A *teensy* tangent regarding the term ‘small plates’: I have realized, after much reflection, that I HATE the term. To me, it is a scam implemented by shady, swanky, pretentious tapas bars (*cough*Mosaic*cough*) to offer the customer double the price for half the food. But I digress– to my happy surprise, Terrene’s version of the small plates were by NO measure small. Enter the fried calamari, frites and pork belly.
All were phenomenal. Excellently prepared, seasoned and equipped with dippables; a peppery anchovy & caper sauce, horseradish ketchup & a something resembling a much improved ‘flowering onion’ sauce, and a creamy, sweet potato purée respectively.
I had agonizingly decided on the special of the day: the pork tenderloin with a side of grits and greens. But the rote description the waiter gave us never prepared me for the succulent, perfectly prepared pork tenderloin, gently reclining in an exquisite splash of buttery grits and greens. I was, and remain, speechless. Though several, very pleased, very primal sounding noises accidentally escaped while eating.
As THAT was happening Steph was waiting. Apparently her order had taken longer to prepare than mine. When the waiter placed the mountain of black mussels in front of us, we both made the same ‘wtf?’ face. Somewhere in the shuffle ‘scallop’ had become ‘mussel.‘
Which, considering their place in the animal kingdom, is an easy mistake to make.
While we waited for the scallops (mere minutes!) we were treated to a free soup of our choosing– which happened to be sweet potato. Unfortunately, it was nothing special in my estimation. Though it was fairly tasty and the texture was VERY silky-​smooth it just became less and less interesting to eat. Just like plain old tomato soup.
Minutes later Steph got her scallops, gnocci and beets. ALL definitely worth the wait! Everything was texturally on the mark, well seasoned, and at the perfect temperature. I kept stealing forkfuls of the gnocci and scallops like the well trained vulture I’ve become. The beets were good too… for beets.
That ENTIRE meal plus two rounds of drinks were a steal at around $ 80. So not only was the evening a hit, not only was the food fantastic, both in execution and proportion, but it was RIDICULOUSLY inexpensive in light of the circumstances.
You want to score points with your signother? BELIEVE THE HYPE, and check out Terrene.
Like, right now. Seriously.

I wanted to take my best friend somewhere nice (but not pretentious) for her birthday… so when I found out about Terrene on Unilocal,learned that Terrene was all about the locally sourced & grown foods, and found the
coupon, I took these as signs that Terrene would be the perfect birthday dinner destination. Perfect choice, indeed.
We started off with their pork belly appetizer. One word: amazing. It was served with butternut squash and pepitas. the only thing stopping me from licking the dish clean was, well, public decency. It was THAT good.
I decided on the lamb pot roast and my friend got the chicken pot pie. Her chicken pot pie was deliciously creamy and really, I’ve never met a cream sauce I didn’t like. My lamb pot roast hit the spot — a spot I didn’t even know I had. We both pretty much devoured out entrees despite having previously agreed not to get too full for dessert.
But of course, we found extra room for dessert. They only had one chocolate dessert and we both don’t really think it’s dessert unless it’s chocolate dipped in chocolate served on the side with chocolate… thus we decided on the flourless chocolate cake. Although it wasn’t dipped in chocolate or served on the side with chocolate, it was still glorious.
Terrene is the perfect place to have a nice, quiet dinner with friends, family, or a date. And the
coupon? That’s just the cherry on top of an amazing meal!

Okay, so I’ve procrastinated enough. Time to buckle down and write my review of Terrene!
Andy took me here for our three year anniversary (all together now: awwww!). That man knows the way into my heart. *swoon*
Enough of the mushy stuff. Let’s get down to business!
We came on a Saturday night, and it was surprisingly empty inside. I suppose the weather outside was nice enough that most people were outside on the patio. We opted to stay inside.
Our waiter was super friendly and brought us our menus and water right away. We both had perused the online menu, so we already knew exactly what we wanted.
We were ravenous, so we started with a few appetizers: calamari, frites, and pork belly.
The calamari was amazing. It was fried and was served atop a caper and anchovy green sauce that was to die for! You couldn’t taste the anchovies at all — it was just light, cool, and refreshing. The calamari was so tender and flavorful. Yum!
Next up? The frites! They were hand cut fries served with black pepper salt and 2 dipping sauces: picked onion mayo and horseradish ketchup. Both sauces were good, but I loved the onion mayo. Yum! The fries were hot and crispy, and for an appetizer, they sure did pile them on! Don’t worry — we demolished them. :)
Our last appetizer was the pork belly. It was served on top of a sweet potato purée and sprinkled with pepitas. It was so tender and succulent, and the meat practically melted in my mouth.
On to the entrees! I ordered the sea diver scallops. They were delicious. I die for these scallops! (10 cool points if you can guess that reference). They came with potato gnocchi and beets. It was my first time trying gnocchi, and I must say I was extremely impressed. The beets rocked my socks, too!
Andy ordered the pork tenderloin, which came on a bed of grits and collard greens. I was quick enough to snag a bite before he scarfed everything down, and it was delish!
Like I said before, the service was awesome. They initially messed up my entrée order, so while they corrected it, they brought out complimentary soup of the day for me to try. It was sweet potato soup, and even though I’m usually a fan of sweet potatoes, this fell flat for me. Oh well — free soup! :)
Terrene prides themselves on using local food, which I really respect. I would definitely come back! I hear they have pumpkin bread pudding!!! I need to try that. They didn’t have it this time. Maybe they will soon.

This is definitely one of the best restaurants in St. Louis (which justifies its five stars).
I’ve had a number of delicious meals here, all made with an eye towards locally-​sourced and fresh proteins and produce. The wine selection is great, as are the happy our specials (try the veggie sausage flatbread!)
The outdoor patio is killer on a nice evening.
I’m thinking about their frites and (one of) their (current spectacular) dishes, the chicken pot pie. It’s the right balance of creamy, light, and has a perfectly baked, golden crust.
Oh, go right now, too, to get some freakin’ tasty pork belly. YUM.
This is clearly not one of the more clever reviews I’ve written, but I can’t stop thinking about the food. I want to go eat there right now.

With rave Unilocal reviews and a
coupon in hand… why wouldn’t I want to try Terrene. It is in a part of town I don’t normally venture so it was nice to go some place new. The crowd that was there looked to be more affluent and older. The décor is pretty simplistic. Lots of earthy colors, keeping with the «Terrene» theme, and modern, clean lined furniture.
The menu was in a little bit of a foreign language for me, I had to choose my entrée based on the main meat ingredient because I didn’t really know what the other stuff was exactly. I could really use a photo menu please.
The service was wonderful and quick. I still can’t figure out how it is that my husband always orders a better looking entrée than me! He can pretty much bank on finding a wandering fork on his plate. He ordered the strip steak and it looked amazing… it tasted pretty alright too for someone (aka ME) who isn’t all that into steak.
I had the oven roasted chicken. The breast meat was smaller than I expected, but it’s probably because the chicken was all-​natural/​local chicken rather than steroid enhanced/​mass produced on some poultry «farm». It came with artichoke hearts and a seared polenta cake. The best way I can describe polenta, because I didn’t know what it was, is that it looks like mashed potatoes but taste like corn bread.
I would like to give this place 3−½ star’s because it was very enjoyable with wonderful service…4 star’s would imply I’d be planning to go back.

Sunday night dining options, at least nice ones, can be limited. So when the hunger arrived and we were wanting something out of the ordinary, we turned to Unilocal,and Unilocal set us on a course for Sarah Street. Terrene did not disappoint. Never has.
Special mention for our server, Elizabeth, who was the epitome of good service: personable, professional, prepared, with good sense of pacing.
Extra star for creativity in the drink menu. I enjoy trying new combinations. From a number of appealing suggestions I went with a Killer Buzz: Three Olives vanilla vodka, espresso, sweetened condensed milk. Delicious, refreshing, unusual.
It was 8-​ish and I was starving when we arrived. A plate of frites appeared with haste; fresh, hot, salty, fried to perfection. Again, star for creativity. I generally shrink from anything mayo-​based but the pickled onion mayo drew me in; and the spicy horseradish ketchup holds its own as the alternative.
My «big plate» was the pork shoulder w/​mole, sweet potato fries & hominy. Thank you for choosing combinations that entice me and challenge my assumptions! Hominy is not a starch I would gravitate toward but as prepared by the chef I found it appealing. I might suggest that my pork could have retained a bit more moisture, but the flavor was excellent. I’m a huge fan of color on my plate — orange, brown, yellow, green — colors of the earth. The baby cilantro was a super accent. Great with a glass of Hogue (?) Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley.
The quail was not on offer for the evening, so Peter went with the chicken, but his appetite disappeared between the door and the entrée :/​. Not me, though. Panna cotta? Yes please! Espresso? Definitely. So satisfied, really. Excellent food, excellent service, excellent ambiance. It does make for an expensive meal, but for locally-​sourced items prepared well, I will feast and enjoy.

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I visited Terrene on a Friday during Lent with the best intentions – ordered the halibut special… and ate the delicious, crispy pancetta that accompanied it. D’oh.
Ah well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but at least my taste buds were in heaven.
Terrene had been on my list since I moved to St. Louis in ’08. I’m not quite sure why it took so painfully long to get there, but I can guarantee it won’t take that long to get back for another lovely meal.
My meal was like the embodiment of Spring. Fresh and flavorful with locally-​sourced, in season produce – right up my alley. The beet salad with house-​made ricotta and baby arugula was so wonderful and not at all skimpy. I’m used to miserly portions of beets, but after finishing my plate, I had to wonder if my teeth were stained pink, so generous was the helping.
And then… on to more beets! Yes, the pan-​seared halibut dish was accompanied by beautiful golden beets, delicate shaved fennel and the aforementioned damning crispy pancetta. The combination of sweet beets, salty pancetta and herbaceous fennel was so nicely balanced and the fish so perfectly cooked, the meal renewed my faith in the St. Louis fine dining scene. Just absolutely perfect.
Justin doesn’t bother with the no-​meat Lenten Fridays, so he went whole hog (literally) and ordered the pork shoulder, accompanied by green chilies, hominy, honey and sweet potato fries. Another revelation in flavor combination and we now have grand plans to include chilies, hominy and honey in our next barbecue. The pork was fantastically tender and flavorful (what? I’d already damned myself with the pancetta; might as well try Justin’s pig, too) and the sweet potato fries were the best I’ve had anywhere.
Dessert was an orange blossom, white chocolate panna cotta with candied orange peel and an edible orchid. It was good, but honestly, even though I’m a sugar junkie, I would have liked a few extra bites of my entrée instead.
Our server was just right – not hovering, but not MIA; personable, but still professional; knowledgeable but not a sassy know-​it-​all. Everything about our experience was exceptional, from the soothing surroundings to the terrific service to the delicious meal.
Justin and I fancy ourselves pretty good cooks and don’t go out *too* much anymore because we often feel we could prepare meals as good as or better than what we find in restaurants. Both of us are smitten with Terrene, though, and were more than happy to splurge on a meal we know we can’t replicate in our own kitchen. Even if it means I have to go to confession to save my pork-​loving soul.

Upon the advice of Joel C. and his review of Terrene, I decided to make a Saturday evening reservation for myself, the BF and my parents, who were visiting from Decatur, IL. I had dined at Terrene awhile back, but it had only been the small plates so I was looking forward to eating a big girl meal there.
The dining room is very simple, but elegant — I especially liked the eco-​friendly chandeliers that hang from the painted tin ceiling. The table decorations and the menu mirror the simplicity of the décor with a single votive in green glass and menus on a small clipboard. We were all pretty hungry when we got there, so ordering dinner and a bottle of wine were our top priorities.
Although there were several small plates and salads to choose from, the entrees were limited to 5 – 6 selections, plus the daily specials. I surprised everyone at the table (myself included!) by ordering the steak. Normally, I’d head straight for the seafood special but it didn’t come with any good carbs. The steak, on the other hand, came with a bleu cheese twice baked potato. Never met a potato that I didn’t like, so that was the winner! It was cooked perfectly and didn’t even require the use of a steak knife. Everyone enjoyed their meal very much… I don’t quite remember what the rest of my party ate because I was seduced by the steak in front of me :)
All of our meals were pretty small, so we just *had* to get dessert. My dad and I both tried the pumpkin bread pudding, which was very rich! Neither of us could finish it, which leads me to believe we should have split it. My mom had the deconstructed s’more and she loved the chocolate. The BF had their pumpkin ice cream (his second serving of ice cream for the day… NOT a good idea for a lactose intolerant person, but that’s a whole different story!) and he liked it.
The only negative about our meal at Terrene was our server. He was just OK. Despite the fact that there were only two specials that night, he couldn’t seem to remember them. And he also didn’t have a clue as to how to present or open a bottle of wine to a table. That, and he disappeared on us several times and came back smelling like a cigarette. It’s cool if he smokes on a break, but we didn’t want that smell near us while we ate. Oh, and he didn’t offer us bread with our meal, so we had to track him down mid-​meal and ask for some. He wasn’t terrible, just seemed to be preoccupied with other things besides us.
The food was delicious, but also small and moderately expensive. Since the parents paid, I certainly can’t complain too much! I like supporting local restaurants, especially those who get their produce from local farms/markets…and Terrene does. Overall, we had a really nice evening meal and left in a slight food coma :)

I was fortunate enough to experience an 8 course tasting menu at Terrene this past weekend.
This also took place after a seasonal menu change. I know it will come off as hyperbole, but this was honestly one of the best meals of my life. My mouth is filling up with saliva just conjuring up the memories of this meal.
A Quick breakdown:
1. Goose liver mousse, black mission figs, huckleberry sauce, crostini. A balanced play on sweet and rich. Fellow diners who don’t even like liver, left the plate clean.
2. Potato encrusted cod with deconstructed tartar sauce. A clever play on fish and chips. Even fellow diners who weren’t fans of tartar sauce were pleasantly surprised. Another round of clean plates.
3. Roasted beet salad, house made ricotta, mango vinegar, shaved black radishes. Quite simply a revelation.
4. Pork belly confit, sweet potato biscuit, smoked apples, molasses. This was like bacon times 100. As delicious as it was indulgent. A real winner. A fellow diner described it as an elevated version of barbecue.
5. Sturgeon blanquette, parsnips, celery root, muscles, leeks. A perfectly cooked piece of fish amidst a bed of tiny pockets of flavor explosions. Pleasantly surprised with this course.
6. Grilled elk stroganoff, house made whole wheat noodles, chantrells, carmelized onions, baby spinach, finished with a chantrell cream sauce. A table favorite. Better than any stroganoff you will ever have. When we found out this wasn’t a regular menu item, fellow diners sternly urged that it be added. Dictionary definition of when a chef «hits it out of the park.»
7. Braised beef shortrib, barley, hen of woods, pearl onions. Falling off the bone. Earthy. Comforting. The perfect ending to an already perfect meal.
8. A flight of desserts (which sent us over the edge):
S’mores — a delightfully sinful play on the campfire classic;
Pumpkin bread pudding — nuff said;
Quince crème brûlée — delicate and creamy goodness.
All in all, the meal was an inspired journey of flavors and seasonal comfort. I can’t think of a better way to experience this restaurant than in with a tasting menu. Fellow diners agreed that it was a top ranking meal in their experience as well. I can’t wait to go back and get full serving versions of these dishes.

I’m not blown away after my visit to Terrene tonight, but maybe I ordered the wrong thing. I’m willing to return and give it another shot. My chicken entrée was a hearty size, but it was unnecessarily heavy and overly salted. The appetizer I tried was also really heavy and I regretted ordering it (the Mixed Fry: fried calamari and veggies). I didn’t try any of the salads or desserts in this visit.
Their hours are confusing. According to their website, they’re open from 5 to 8:30 on Sundays. But the sign on the door says they close at 8 on Sundays. The hours for other days may have changed as well. I would call ahead before going. When we arrived close to 5:30 on a Sunday, the door was locked. They hadn’t gotten around to opening it yet, and we were the first patrons. Not sure how much point there is in only being open for 3 hours, especially when no one comes for the first half hour. I normally eat on the later side and think that 8 is way too early to close a restaurant.