Summer Dining at Terrapin

“Get me two Utah. Two.” Last night we visited Terrapin which was number two in a list of 10 of Hampton Road’s top dining establishments. I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying Terrapin on a few other occasions but it was nice to go back and discover that they have an outside patio. While it was still a little warm outside it made for a nice summertime option. I want to say the space is almost as large as the interior dining room. It would be a great venue for a cocktail or dinner party.

I decided to take advantage of the tasting menu. I enjoy sampling a variety of dishes with smaller portions. My man love seems to forget that “tastings” mean his meal would be a mini-version and about dislocated his jaw when he saw his kid portion of lobsta pasta (really lobster pasta, we’ve asked them to change the name).

For my first course I had the Bibb salad with roasted sweet corn, fresh guacamole, black beans and creamy cilantro - chipotle dressing. Fan-freakin-tastic! It was light, it was fresh and it had cilantro. I enjoyed more cilantro during my second course which was Prince Edward Island mussels with green curry and coconut milk broth, cilantro and dried Spanish chorizo. All those flavors in one bite = love. For my entrée I went with the crispy-skin Maple Leaf Farms duck with local, organic and wild mushroom mix with duck confit, local organic spring onion and local field peas and grilled summer squashes. The duck was done to perfection. The sides were a little heavy considering the heat of summer but that doesn’t mean they weren’t good. Finally for dessert I had the house made sorbets sampler with coconut, mango and some berry (for the life of me I couldn’t figure it out) served over macaroon crumbles and fresh mint. I sold a sample of the coconut to a dining companion saying that it was “a taste of Hawaii in your mouth.” He agreed and enjoyed it as much as I did.

As always, the service at Terrapin exceeds expectations making sure our motley crew felt just as special and the fancy, “established” couples sitting next to us.

“Back the bus up!” I took a look at the “About Us” portion of the website and saw that it is owned by Dr. Gerald Einhorn and his son, Chef Rodney Einhorn. Pretty sure that Dr. Einhorn’s brother, another Dr. Einhorn, was my childhood dentist that my family loved to pieces. He was (and perhaps still is) a pediatric dentist and they kicked me out when I turned 18. I was so sad. Now I love Terrapin even more because of the family behind it.