A magical night when everything came together beautifully – five of us, food-lovers all, met at Terra for dinner. We were a media-centric group, there to meet Chef/Co-owner Mike Davis and see if stories about what he sends out of the kitchen were true.
One or two in our group had been before and wanted the rest of us to try their favorites. The rest of us had our own ideas about what we wanted to order. Solution? Order a little of everything and share!
“Simple Food without Pretension ~ We chose the name Terra from the word of Latin origin meaning earth or land. Our goal at Terra is to showcase the beauty and bounty that comes from within.”
Why yes, we would like to start with drinks ($9 each):
Whiskey Smash: George Dickel No. 8 Tennessee Whisky, Mint, Lemon over crushed ice
Old Fashioned: Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Bourbon, Orange, Brandied Cherry, Angostura Bitters
Harvest Mule: American Harvest Organic Vodka, Cannonborough Ginger Beer, Lime
Kentucky Mule: Evan Williams 1783 Bourbon, Cannonborough Ginger Beer, Lime
The Knuckleball: High West Double Rye, Mexican Coke Reduction, Orange Bitters, Pickled Peanuts
Appetizers at Terra are as interesting and thoughtful as entrées. Mac and Cheese? Chef’s take, “Lamb Mac” ($9) made with smoked lamb shoulder, Poblano peppers, and Goat & Fontina cheeses. It was served with a perfectly browned, crisp top. Gently breaking though with my fork released a wisp of steam while revealing a bubbly mixture of tender lamb, cheese, and macaroni. Mmm.
A Butcher’s Plate ($14) arrived at the same time. What a beautiful assortment of house-made charcuterie, house-made pickles, grilled baguette, and mustard. Every bite was delicious. Next time PIC and I are in Columbia, we’ll have a glass of wine each and share one of these boards as part of a light dinner.
“Quack” Madame ($9) stole the show among the appetizers when it came to presentation. Toasted Brioche was topped with duck confit, caramelized onions, and a fried Quail egg, served with a fresh Arugula Salad. Break the yolk first, letting all that lovely flavor drip down over the duck, onions, and toast. Delicious!
We all thought this soup had great depth of flavor and was seasoned perfectly. Unfortunate note fail – not sure what kind of soup this was. Might have been a squash-based special?
Another dish I’d love to share with PIC, Terra’s Domestic Shrimp Remoulade ($9). Pretty and fresh, Fried Green Tomatoes and Benton’s Country Ham are topped with fresh greens and shrimp cooked pink & just firm, in a tasty remoulade.
We’d heard good things about Terra’s Wood Oven Pizzas, so thought we should try at least one. You would think we’d had enough duck, but no, we ordered a Duck Confit Pizza ($10). Some may consider this a “personal pizza” (good for one), but I’d probably order it to share when at Terra for a “normal” dinner out.
Talk about luscious. Along with the duck, caramelized onions and Port-soaked cherries – yes, Port-soaked cherries – were topped with just the right amount of melted cheese on this pie.
Duck, cherries and onions not your thing? There are usually four pizza choices on the menu, all creative.
Once our entrées arrived, it was even more like a family dinner. Plates were passed around the table.
I’m a gnocchi fan, so my choice was a no-brainer: Wild Mushroom Ricotta Gnocchi ($18), made with Lobster and Oyster mushrooms, Pink Eye peas, grilled zucchini, and corn in a mushroom broth. It was full of subtle flavor. And don’t let the photo fool you, it’s surprisingly filling.
Between the five of us, we ended up sampling just about every different type of protein on the menu: fish, chicken, pork, and beef.
I loved the way Chef Mike brought together sea and earth with this Seared Flounder ($26) dish. The Flounder had a nice sear and was flaky, tender, and flavorful. It rested on a delicious mixture of Couscous, Tasso ham, mussels, pickled Banana Pepper, Heirloom Tomato, and Pink Eye Peas, in a Mussel Veloute sauce.
Did I say “chicken”? Correction – “Poussin”. Absolutely beautiful, this Truffle Stuffed Half Palmetto Poussin ($25) was fabulous in every way.
“Palmetto Poussin has a very delicate flavor and tenderness. Even the drumstick and thigh are “white meat.” Poussin is often referred to as the ‘veal of chicken.'” ~ Palmetto Pigeon Plant
The picture below doesn’t do justice to the presentation of Poussin, roasted Fingerling potatoes, Lobster mushrooms, braised leeks, broccolini, and Sauce Perigueux. Interesting to note is that Sauce Perigueux “is flavored with Madeira and Truffles and is named after Périgueux, a city in the Périgord region of Southwest France that is noted for its truffles.” (foodterms.com) Love that attention to detail when constructing a dish.
And how fun is this presentation of Duo of Carolina Heritage Farms Pork ($25)? Love the plating. But of course, plating doesn’t stand on its own. The food has to be good or there’s huge disappointment after expectations have been raised.
Here we have a grilled pork chop, Andouille (pork sausage), eggplant, Tasso and oyster Gratin, Haricots Vert, and pickled Banana Pepper. I don’t say this too often, but that chop was one of the best I’ve ever tasted. It was incredibly tender and had amazing flavor. Absolutely loved it! Of course the Gratin and veggies were good, too. Wouldn’t expect anything less. But that chop . . .
Rounding out our entrées, Steak Frites ($29). Again, Chef hits it outta’ the park. That steak rivaled the chop in tenderness and flavor. It arrived at table cooked exactly as ordered, too. Unpretentious is the word that comes to mind when thinking back on this one. It’s all about the steak, a 12oz Angus Rib-eye. Pommes Frites and a “simple salad” framed the steak. Melting a dollop of Blue-cheese Butter onto the steak was perfection.
There was no way we were going to order dessert. Those of us new to Terra didn’t know that a Chef Mike has a tradition of finishing off meals with complimentary mini meringue swirls. Flavors vary nightly, so you won’t know exactly what to expect. This night they were cherry. Light, airy, crunchy. Perfectly sized to pop in your mouth.
I was concerned that I wasn’t dressed nicely enough for dinner at Terra, but those worries disappeared as soon as we were seated. The dining room was filled with a mix, from “nice casual” to “dressed” to baseball caps – still on heads, I might add. Overall, the vibe is upscale, but warm and “comfortable”.
Terra anchors a West Columbia city block at the corner of Meeting and State streets. Large dining room windows overlook the Congaree River and downtown Columbia. The view is great any time, but after dark it’s spectacular (see below).
Chef Mike changes the menu frequently, even daily, taking advantage of seasonal changes and what local farmers are harvesting. So, you may find some of these same dishes on the menu when you go, but don’t be surprised if they’ve been replaced by others just as wonderful.
Terra
100 State St
West Columbia, SC 29169
(803) 791-3443
Meal compliments of Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau and kaw Communications.