True. Buzzkill Kitty.

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“Corvallis Culinary Week” is taking place and we made 8pm reservations at Terzo.  During Culinary Week, each participating restaurant offers a “Sampler Platter” for $10.  Not a bad deal… We thought we’d try it out.  (We tried to go last year to Aqua during Culinary week, but it was booked).

I will give you my opinion of our experience and will encourage Andy to write a blog post about his experience:

Terzo:

Nothing I hate more than making a reservation and not being seated on time… What is the point of a reservation if this happens, right?  This is what I feared would happen.  I was in luck.  The staff at Terzo seemed very organized and we were seated promptly — no additional waiting.  I was so happy about this.

We ordered one Sampler Platter and one Appetizer.

Here is what we got to taste:

Sampler Platter (first 3) and the Appetizer we ordered is 4:

1. Seafood Al Forno Dip
   fresh Oregon bay shrimp, local dungeness crab, andouille sausage, Italian cheeses, with house-made crostinis
2. Grilled Bruschetti Carne
   sopressata, coppa and genoa salami
3. Crab Cakes (this was supposed to be a Fried Cheese Ravioli, but their fryer was broken)
4. The “Melt”
   Oregon Dungeness Crab and Bay Shrimp with chives and pesto-alfredo sauce

Basically everything was delicious.  I was very impressed.  If I had to rate the dishes in order, they would go: 4, 1, 3, 2.

The “Melt” was excellent.  I could eat this everyday (flavor-wise).  It was rich and a little creamy, but it didn’t feel heavy or greasy — how is that possible?  No idea, but I am glad it was!

The Bruschetti was my least favorite, but even it was pretty good.  I think it might have had a goat cheese spread on the bread (which would be the leading factor of my dislike).

I was also very pleased with the service we received.  The waitress was nice, friendly, and prompt.  Overall, it was a great experience and I will return to Terzo to try more!

We didn’t stuff ourselves because we thought about heading to another restaurant for more of Culinary Week.  After Terzo, we went upstairs to Aqua, a place we have wanted to try.  They were nearly empty, so we stopped in for dinner #2.

Aqua:

Andy had initially tried to get reservations at Aqua, but their answering machine claimed that they were completely booked and were not taking any new reservations.  I don’t know how that could be true since there were 10 empty tables at around 9pm (when we arrived).  Oh well.

Here is what Andy and I tried on their Sampler:

1. Spicy Seared Ahi Cakes (1 Ahi Cake and 1 Salmon Cake)
   Sesame Seaweed Salad, Kabayaki Sauce and 7 Pepper Beurre Blanc
2. Wok Fried Prawns
   Garlic Hoisin Chile Sauce
3. Applewood Smoked Pork Slider

Well, the Spciy Seared Ahi Cakes had some major issues.  It was way too sweet.  The Kabayaki Sauce was unappetizing.  Then, the pepper spice was far too spicy.  It wouldn’t have been too spicy on a normal dish, but the spices lingered in your mouth and it made it hard to enjoy the other dishes when you couldn’t shake the taste of the first dish.  Definitely something a chef should consider:  don’t burn your customer’s taste buds on the first bite.

The Wok Fried Prawns were large and beautiful.  Very good looking and well cooked meat.  But…. Sweet, sweet, sweet.  Sugar, congealed Hoisin sauce that was served cold.  Cold shrimp and cold Hoisin sauce?  Did I mention congealed?  Overall, unsuccessful.

A pulled pork sandwich is one of my favorite things.  This was nothing special.  Some tender pulled poker slapped into a roll (not toasted or anything).  The roll was fresh and good, and the pork had a good taste, but there was nothing to it.  Normally a pork sandwich calls for some slaw or something to give it a crunch and some texture.  This was just bread and pork.  Ehhhh…..

Aqua was disappointing.  If this is what the chef had to offer, I would not return (especially to pay their premium prices).

The night ended with a brief walk downtown and a gelato for me and a chai for Andy.  It was a great anniversary day.

Share your opinion, Andy!