It’s been several years since I ate at Terrain Cafe. When we finished some appointments in the Westport area, we were looking for a relaxing place to dine and Terrain seemed to fit the bill. Given its long-standing popularity, I was a little worried that the dining room would be fully committed when I sheepishly approached the hostess. Fortunately, they did have a table for two.
Terrain has upped its environment since my last visit numerous years ago. The foliage has filled in, and there is no view to the outside environs, it is completely self-contained within a beautiful garden-like atmosphere.
What I also remembered was the delicious bread in the flower pot. When our server brought it over, I was excited, but memories were better than the present. Something was different, first it was now room temperature, not the warmness of previous versions, the second and more disappointing was the flavor. While I remember buttery goodness, this loaf was pallid, not memorable at all.
I also remember the burger was excellent and I was smitten when I saw, “terrain Burger…8 oz. grass-fed beef, Cabot Creamery white cheddar, sweet balsamic onion jam, brioche bun,” it was an easy decision for me. I was a little taken aback that only a salad was included and substituting fries was an additional $2, it’s a cheeseburger, and its companion is fries, not salad.
I ordered medium rare, and when it arrived, I was very impressed, a nice fat burger, with a good amount of melted cheese. Some nice-looking greens sat atop. I cut into the burger, not medium-rare at all, more medium to medium-well, too bad. The meat was loosely formed into the patty and when I cut the burger in half, one small piece fell onto the plate. I always try the meat first and when this morsel hit the tongue, I remembered why I thought it was great years ago. It was deep in flavor, and had to be grass-fed, from an excellent farm. The meat was top-tiered. Now for the whole shebang. The cheese was not strong enough to handle the rich flavors of the beef, and the onion jam was non-existent, but the lettuce and brioche added some nice flavor. What started as a 10 with the meat, quickly fell down the rating scale to an 8. The fries were just OK, but for an upcharge from the included salad, it was more an insult than an upgrade. They should be embarrassed. It actually drops my rating another number to a 7.
The server was great and the environment was so relaxing I would return at a moment’s notice. I will definitely adjust my expectations from my visits years ago. The bread is not as good as in the past and given the quality of the meat, there was so much potential, the kitchen let the meat down, it was a 10 but the rest of the dish detracted much too much.
561 Post Rd E, Westport, CT 06880
Jfood Eats 