Restaurant/Wine Review – Terra Grille

Meg and I went out to have a nice Valentine dinner at a place that is just down the street from us, Terra Grille. Their concept is based on eating right for your body and creating a place that is fun to work in and customers love to eat. Even though it is located in a strip mall, you would never know once inside. Meg has eaten there for lunch before, but never dinner. One day while there at lunch, she noticed a card advertising upcoming events and she thought the Valentines pairing dinner would be fun and good for us. So she made a reservation online. Yesterday she called to confirm the time and they said she didn’t have a reservation but they could fit us in. Then she asked if they were still doing the Valentines wine pairing dinner and the guy on the phone didn’t know what she was talking about. After asking a few people close to him, he realized they were doing it. Not a good start to the evening. We should have taken that as a clue and stayed home or gone somewhere else. Anyway, we went on the restaurant and of course our table wasn’t ready when we got there. There is no bar there but did offer to get us a drink while we wait. We ordered a glass of champagne but we were actually seated before it arrived. That actually worked out well. Also, when the waitress, Ashley, realized we were there for the Valentines wine pairing dinner, she sent the sommelier over to talk to us about the options.

They were actually running two different pairing options. Each started with champagne, so we were well on our way, and then you had a choice of white and two fish dishes or a red and two red meat dishes. After hearing more about the wines, we decided to go with the 05 Domaine Cortochot ‘les Jeaunes Rois” from Burgundy. Notice how we pick the wine first then decide what we are going to get to eat. That is having your priorities in the right place! Anyway, is wine is 100% pinot noir from Burgundy and was very complex.

Once we decided on the wine, the sommelier came over to the table and opened the bottle and decanted it so it could breathe and open up. We hadn’t even ordered our entrees yet and there was a full bottle sitting in front of us in a crystal decanter. The night is looking up!

After getting the important things out of the way, ordering the wine, we decided to look into what we were going to eat. Meg and I rarely order red meat while out but after listening to the sommelier we both were craving red meat and couldn’t wait to see how it went with the wine. Meg went with the Lemon-Thyme Lamb Chops and I chose the Black Angus Filet Mignon. As soon as we finished out champagne, our salads arrived. After taking a bit of my salad, I took a sip of wine. It had already changed in flavor since when I first tasted it when it was opened. Before it was tight and had a tangy twinge to it. Now it was slightly chalky but smooth. After finishing our salads, the entrees arrived. The presentation was nice and they both smelled wonderful. Each of our meals also included garlic mash potatoes, which were heaven! Meg’s lamb chops came basted with olive oil, lemon juice and fresh thyme marinade. She said they were delicious. My filet was lightly marinated in olive oil and spices. Most of it was cooked perfectly, but the center was a little too raw for me. Meg’s lamb also was cooked nicely but one of the chops was a little on the raw side as well. Those two raw areas were not enough to deter me from thoroughly enjoying my meal. But what really made the meal was the wine. It was constantly changing while we were sitting at the table. It definitely tasted best with the food. The wine became big a bold with the red meat and it felt like we were drinking a nice spicy zinfandel not a pinot noir. As the night progressed the wine did to. By the time we were done with our meal, the wine had yet another taste to it, more of a mellow easy sipping wine. This wine was extremely complex and it was like drinking several different glasses of several different wines.

The food at Terra Grille was great, but there was nothing outstanding or exceptional. But the wine was both outstanding and exceptional. Terra Grille is a nice little neighborhood restaurant. Not overpriced, it has a nice atmosphere and wait staff. But if you go, please ask to speak to Chris the sommelier, to get some suggestions on the wine. He won’t steer you wrong! Even with the rocky start, the night turned out pretty nice. Meg and I had a nice valentines night, good food, incredible wine, and wonderful company!

I truly love my Valentine!