It was a rainy day and so I did not do much during the day. The weather pattern has been rain one day, sun the next day and then rain again. I am hoping we will go back to better weather soon.

I have been going to Terra Tolosa for lunch since Easter of last spring. The food has always been fantastic and the staff has been wonderfully inviting and welcoming to me. The restaurant has a small table right next to the kitchen and that is where I eat my lunches.

I was talking to the chef two weeks ago about the difference between the lunch menu and the dinner menu. After the discussion, I decided to go for dinner. It was definitely a good choice.

There are three menu choices at dinner. You can have a regular formule which included entree, plat and dessert. The second option is a découverte menu which is the chef’s choice and it comes with amuse-bouche, an entree, a fish course, a meat course and dessert. The degustation menu is the third option is amuse-bouche, two entrees, a fish course, meat course and dessert. I opted for the découverte menu as I knew the chef’s choices would be good and I thought I could eat that much food as I thought two entrees with the rest would be too much. Entrees in France are starters in the United States.

The Amuse-bouche was a dried cod bite with wasabi cream on top. The wasabi cream had flavor but not spice. It was definitely interesting.

The entree was shredded braised beef cheek in pain perdu (day old bread) that had been spread with butter and baked. It came garlic flavored whipped goat cheese, carrot purée and beef jus reduction with red wine. The meat melted in your mouth and was great with the crisp bread. The jus was so intense and flavorful that you wanted more of it.

The fish course was a kind of cod that was cooked perfectly and was served over mashed potatoes with chorizo. There was a homemade fish soup that was poured over the whole dish. The fish was crusted with nuts and baked. The chefs mixture of textures and flavors is amazing. There is not conflicts in the food. It was served with grilled bok Chou and roasted carrots.

The meat course was slowed cooked lamb that again had been shredded and then made into a block. It was cooked with four spices. This is the dish the restaurant is known for according to the chef. He also makes a reduction of the juices with red wine and cooks it for hours. He told me his girlfriend requires that he brings it home with him whenever he makes it. I can understand as the jus is incredibly flavorful and delicious. He offered to add more to my plate if I wanted it as I ate it. The dish was served with parsnip purée, roast carrots (this always seems to be an accompaniment at whatever restaurant I go to) and roasted plums (for the acid according to the chef). The garnishments were roasted fig purée and parsnip chips. The dish was fantastic!

I was stuffed at that point but I knew dessert was coming so I took a little break before the dessert course. Also, I, generally, do not eat this much food but I definitely finished all the dishes as I could not insult the chef. It would not have been that I did not want to finish, it is just an incredible amount of food. I cannot imagine eating the large option.

The dessert was an apple and fennel tart. That is not a combination that I would have ever considered but it was the perfect combination of flavors. Also, the dessert was light compared to the other dishes so it made a refreshing end to the meal. The cream on top was anise liquor infused which very well with the fennel. It was a delightful end to a fantastic meal.

I had a glass of white wine to start and a glass of Syrah to go with the lamb. Both lines were ones I had never heard of but were good accompaniments to the dinner. It is really nice to be able to try wines that I could never get in Alexandria. It is broadening my palette and teaching me more about wines. Remy is always good about explaining each wine to me and telling where it comes from. I hate to ask to take pictures of everything so skipped pictures of the wines.

The staff as usual were incredibly nice. The chef is great to talk to as he explains things to me and discusses his cooking and thought process. The other sous chefs are great as well. Everyone calls me by my name and welcomes me when I come in.

One of the sous chefs is leaving in December and the chef jokingly offered me a job. This was after I told him that I enjoyed cooking and was taking tips from his menus and cooking to take home with me so I could try them at home. It would never be as good but would be fun to try.

They have a room under the main dining room called the cave and it holds up to 15 people and is all brick with wine stored there. The chef showed me pictures of it. I wish I knew 15 people so we could eat down there.

All in all it was a fun evening and a fantastic dinner. For those in the U.S., this entire dinner cost me $72.00 with wine. I cannot imagine where I could get a similarly creative and fantastic dinner with two glass of wine for that price. This is one reason I love living in Toulouse for the three months stretches.