My experience at Terra starts with a bang! That "bang" is Jenny, both hostess and waitress. With a great deal of confidence and courtesy, Jenny greeted us, asked where we wanted to sit then suggested (almost at the same time as I started thinking) an alternate table for two away from a draft on a cold day at the front door.
The table setting is refined with a crisp table cloths, clean cutlery and glasses and comfortable chairs. There is a variety of seating options and getting their early for lunch or dinner will allow you more choices. However Terra is a favorite of many regulars in the area and I suspect many tables are reserved for their best guests. They also have a private dining area for larger groups.
The food is excellent and not cheap. Paying $13 for a tomato soup may seem excessive however when a very hot plate arrives with some crumbled goat cheese and basil and the waitress pours the steaming hot heirloom soup from a small tea pot you realize that it is worth every dollar. The Heirloom Tomato soup was excellent!
I would have given Terra 5 stars however they forgot my dessert. How a restaurant forgets a dessert with a largely cleared out lunch crowd at 2:15pm is hard to understand. Perhaps they were busy getting ready for dinner. Or maybe someone was telling me I didn't need dessert. It's good that Symposium Cafe is just a few doors south with great cheesecake.
In order to enjoy Terra, you have to forget about the prices. Yes they are a "tad" high, but given the other choices in the immediate area, and the quality of the service, I believe the prices are not excessive. Trying to do this type of restaurant on a budget, never seems to work out well.