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| - The space and service alone are worth 3 stars! Really, the restaurant is beautiful with tall french doors leading through the different spaces, and a large wrap-around patio shielded with lots of plants. Likewise, the service was impeccable. To start, the hostess replaced both our white napkins with black when she saw we were wearing black. Everyone was very friendly, orders were brought out promptly, and the food runner kept our dishes in the warmer for a couple minutes while my husband went to the bathroom. Honestly, it was more than I expected for a place inside GVR.
They have a short, but interesting cocktail menu. My husband got a gin drink with thyme in it, that tasted very spicy (like a spice...spice-y), but not too strong with alcohol flavor. I really enjoyed my 2 sips of it. Too bad their mocktail wasn't up to the same standard - just a pineapple orange strawberry juice, but oh well. You can't expect every place to make a great mocktail....
After we sat down, the waiter brought out bread & olive oil (good) and the chef's plate (olives, romano cheese, and zucchini chips - all ok). For our appetizer we ordered the night's special - mussels and clams in a tomato-wine sauce with toast. That was delicious. Even after the fish were all gone, we used the remaining bread to soak up the sauce, it was that good. The caesar salad we split was probably the most disappointing item of the night; it was fine, but the dressing was actually really bland. It had none of that anchovy tanginess that really makes a caesar (to me). For entrees, we had the shrimp risotto and the margherita pizza (but it was called something else). Both were good, and I loved the chewy crust of the flatbread pizza.
Overall, we had a really enjoyable meal at Terra Verde, and the atmosphere and service made it seem extra special & romantic. Be warned, though, it is a little pricier than your standard Italian restaurant - total for 2 entrees, salad, app, cocktail, and mocktail was about $100 with tip.
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