Well we didn’t actually start our evening out seeking fish and chips. That’s just kind of where we ended up. So Terry’s Terrace in Harrison Township has been around since 1938. That’s an impressive 81 years. If an establishment has been around for that long, they have to be doing something right. We have drove by many a day, and many people have recommended we go. I am not sure why but we always had a reason we didn’t go. Not sure what it was??
We decided tonight was the night we were going to check it out. The place doesn’t look like much from the outside. A pretty standard looking place. A restaurant one can easily overlook. Upon entering, the place was darker than I expected, more pub like than restaurant. We were giddy to see the bar was adorned with 50 taps from beers ranging from IPA’s to Ambers to Stouts to Sours. They certainly had a selection for the masses.
We were seated right away and our waitress Coco came over immediately. She was funny and super personable. She offered sage advice on food, drinks and life’s mysteries. We started our evening with a flight of beers. Why order one when you can get a sampling of 4!
My beers consisted of Perrin Black Ale, looks like a porter, drinks like an ale. This may be one of my favorite beers that I discovered this year. Light, but full bodied and has that deep roasted flavor. You get the rich flavors of a porter but a beer you can drink all night. A Lexington Kentucky Coffee Barrel Cream Ale, light, with deep coffee flavor. Fillmore 13 Hazelnut Porter, a dark rich beer with slight hazelnut overtones. I was a bit concerned with getting Nutella in a glass, but was pleasantly surprised with the minimal hazelnut flavor. Lastly for me was a Cheyboygan Back Forty Strawberry Saison. This was my least favorite selection. The beer was light, drank like an amber with a hint of strawberry. It was too sweet a contrast against the other rich beers on the flight.
Omar also ordered the Hazelnut Porter and the Coffee Cream Ale. Adding to his flight was a Pigeon Hill Nitro Salted Caramel Porter, take a standard porter, mix in notes of chocolate and caramel with a hint of salt, and you have yourself candy in a glass. Last for Omar was an Uberon. That’s not a typo. Uberon. I think this was Oberon’s slightly hoppy strange ugly step child. This is supposed to be an Oberon that is aged longer, drawing flavors our of whiskey barrels, but to us, just amped up the hops for a super bitter beer.
We placed our order and I think Coco was worried we were starving because she brought us out some coleslaw each. She said she didn’t want us to sit there hungry. I saw a lot of coleslaw go out to tables, maybe they use that instead of a bread basket. The slaw was good, not great. It needed a bit of tang, and more salt and pepper, but a valiant effort and free was nice.
I had to start with French Onion Soup. Yes, you know by now it is how I judge a restaurant. This soup did not disappoint. Cheesy goodness, atop perfectly dried croutons (no, not Rye!). The broth was beefy, rich and flavorful, with the right amount of carmelized onions.
We also started with Baja Shrimp Poppers. Now this was very similar to bang bang shrimp, from Bonefish Grill. It was tasty, shrimp cooked well. Fresh green onions on top and a spicy red pepper chopped jalapeno relish.
For dinner, we were told that we must go with the beer battered fish and chips. We were told the fish is moister with this batter. Better yet, order the craft beer fish and chips. Tonight, made with Oberon. We split a dinner since it seems we always have leftovers. What a great idea! They split the dish for us, 2 pieces to Omar and 1 to me, with fries in a tiny adorable basket. Man am I a sucker for fries in a little basket, or a cone! The fish did not disappoint. The fish was moist, batter crispy, thick but still light. Relish and dill filled tartar remoulade complemented the fish nicely. Omar did not care for the fries, he felt they were battered double-fried fries. I was pretty neutral, but a perfectly cooked, skin on fry, with malt vinegar would have taken that meal up to a level of perfection!
We signed up for the frequent diners card as we found out you can use it at their sister companies, Ale Mary’s and Tom’s Oyster Bar, both in Royal Oak. Dine and get points you can use for money off later. Not a bad deal! We will go back, if for nothing else but to try the Poutine. It took everything in my power not to order it! I am a sucker for a good Poutine. If you find yourself down that Jefferson corridor, among other places like Mike’s on the Water, and Brownies on the Water then stop in, you will not be disappointed! Speaking of Brownies, this is where we headed to after dinner for some cocktails and to watch the boats go by. As summer is winding down to a close, we have to get the most summer fun in as we can.n