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| Carpaccio di Manzo (Raw Beef Sirloin Marinated with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Lemon Juice with Arugola & Shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, $11.95) | Funghi Assoluti (Baked Oyster Mushrooms with Parmigiano,Balsamic Vinegar, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic & Parsley Served on Arugola, $11.95) |
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| Pappardelle alla Iosa (Homemade Pappardelle with Homemade Spicy Italian Sausage, Button & Oyster Mushrooms, Peas, Garlic & Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, $15.95) | Fettuccine di Tuccino (Homemade Fettuccine, Tiger Shrimp, Asparagus,Cherry Tomatoes, Mint, Garlic & Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, $15.95) |
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Torta Calda al Cioccolato (Warm Flourless Venchi Dark Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Ganache, $7.50) | Exterior Window of Terroni, 7605 Beverly Boulevard (at Curson) |
Mad Professah and 3 others ate at Terroni one Wednesday evening. With the slightly too-eager encouragement of our server, we ordered two appetizers (the carpaccio di manzo and the funghi assoluti pictured above, in the top row). The carpaccio was delicately tender but a little too infused with lemon juice to be subtle. More successful was the mushroom appetizer, which was warm, hearty and well-matched with arugula. There were no second bites of that one, while Mad Professah finished off the carpaccio (not unhappily).
I ordered the pappardelle alla iosa on the recommendation of one of my dinner-mates who is a Terroni regular. It was absolutely perfect: al dente thick loops of pappardelle pasta infused with slightly spicy sausage accented (in color and in taste) by sweet, supple green peas and counterbalanced by the tang of shredded parmesan cheese. The portion size was not large but after cleaning my plate I was happy that I still had room for dessert. My fellow diners ordered the fettuccine di tuccino (pictured above, declared "very tasty"), a pizza and another pasta dish (no complaints). Although I ordered the torta calda al cioccolato, all four of us were able to get a taste of the rich dark chocolate cake which was coupled with a weakly sweet white chocolate sauce. Overall, the consensus was that the dessert was good, but nothing to write home about.
The ambiance of the restaurant was lively and well-lit, with attentive service. The owner of the restaurant came by our table and unhurriedly chatted with us for 5-10 minutes, generally decrying restaurant reviews (both positive and negative) and making our all-Black table feel comfortable amongst the relatively monochromatic clientele. Terroni does not take reservations and does not allow substitutions or alterations to its menu items.
GRADE: A.
If your table was "all black", then where was your other half?
ReplyDeleteThat was a interesting review, and, while, I must be one of the few people in the country who does not care for Italian food at all other than pizza, the mushroom dish would be worth a drive for it seems as though I can't ever recall them being prepared that way.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to write and say hello. I too love tennis AND the pappardelle alla iosa at Terroni.
ReplyDeleteI just visited Terroni last night and I have to say that I enjoyed it. It was a bit too loud in there and the restaurant was packed for a Tuesday night. We opted for a Margherita pizza as an appetizer between me and two friends. I, too, had the Pappardelle dish, the sausage and peas were perfect with the wide strands of noodles. For dessert I had the almond dough pastry with pine nuts and berries! I want to go again but maybe for lunch. Since it was so loud, it actually distracted me from thoroughly enjoying my food or maybe it was the two glasses of prosecco!
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