Terraza

Annabelle Goodman —

372 Harbord St     647 343 3283

I was in fabulous New York all last weekend. Would you believe I was craving my visit to Terraza this week? I truly love the place. How could an old car repair place be so transformed into this cozy charming dining spot? I always feel as if I am in an Italian village café. The warm fire was glowing. This was the first time I noticed the blue lights around the bar area. The place is always busy but on this evening all tables were reserved. Not a vacant chair anywhere. I was so pleased I had booked in advance. I don’t know how Madison did it? She looked after each guest with a smile and kept her charm throughout. I don’t know how the chefs performed so well. It is a tiny kitchen and they were busy ‘full blast.’ The service is always superb. Sometimes Joelle waits on us and at other times the charming Madison is willing and so able. Poor owner, Frankie Lasagna had a broken wrist from his hockey. He manages to keep control over this delightful spot and it was obvious everyone was happy. There was a buzz in the air.

I have enjoyed the Grilled Salmon. ($21.00) It has been flaky and moist. It is served with two sides of your choice. I love the broccolini and asparagus. You are welcome to choose potatoes, rice or salad. What could be better? On my last visit two of us shared two Salads and a Pizza. I declared at the time it was the best pizza I have ever eaten. We adored the Winter Salad with a variety of sautéed beets, squash, mixed greens, goat cheese and a superb citrus dressing. ($12.00) The Avocado Salad is a mixture of fresh greens, tomato, red onion, cranberries, sunflowers and pumpkin seeds, with goat cheese and an avocado- cilantro dressing. ($14.00) Both had a ‘wow’ factor. The Vegetarian Pizza had a thin crust and had the most vegetables I have ever seen on a pizza. Grilled eggplant, zucchini, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, caramelized onions and goat cheese made this a gourmet dish fit for royalty. ($18.00) The portions are very generous. Do come hungry.

On this occasion I wanted to try a Shrimp Pasta dish. ($16.00)  I even opted for the Gluten Free Pasta It was $3.00 more and well worth it. The shrimp were succulent and moist. There were plenty of them. The sauce was spicy hot as requested. It was all served in a giant white bowl. How quickly it all disappeared.  Loved every bite.

My dining companion has had Lamb Chops on several occasions.($25.00) She claims it is the best and once again opted for that dish even though she was tempted momentarily with the Lipstick Burger served without a bun.($14.00) A choice of toppings is available. There were several other creative burgers listed on the menu. The lamb chops were perfectly prepared. She had the choice of a salad, vegetables, potatoes or rice. She opted for broccolini and asparagus. We both were ‘deliciously happy’ with our choices.

We love the ambiance. This is such a friendly restaurant. We always end up chatting with some of the guests. On this occasion three gentlemen were celebrating a lady’s birthday. She wasn’t even there. They phoned her and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ over the phone. Only at Terraza would that happen. I have a feeling that most of the clients are from the neighborhood.  Works of art keep coming out of that tiny kitchen. I have never had room for dessert but will definitely try next time. Frankie’s mother, Kathy, makes a fabulous cake and I want to try it. This is a real success story of a young man who wanted to cook. He certainly is fulfilling his dreams and doing it with pizzazz.