New Restaurants: Terence Allen & Harrar Cafe archived
We went to Harrar a few weeks ago & enjoyed it. The food is good, reasonably priced and tasty. The service was also very good.
It's different...check it out.
It's different...check it out.
I think Terrence Allen is a really great addition to town. I had the french toast, bacon, and eggs last weekend.....very good, and reasonably priced. Maybe now I can finally get my New York friends to come out the 'burbs for brunch every now and again.
:bigsmile:
:bigsmile:
Tried Harrar on the weekend and enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a somewhat different take on Ethiopian cuisine than the other places we occasionally go (Mesob in Montclair and Makeda in New Brunswick), but very tasty. They've also done a very nice job with the space, and had a full house.
We will be going back.
Haven't tried Terrence Allen yet.
We will be going back.
Haven't tried Terrence Allen yet.
Terrence Allen has breakfast? I've been there twice for dinner (once inside and once outside) and loved the burritos.
Anyone know their hours?
Anyone know their hours?
I have yet to eat at Harrar but I can tell you that Terence Allen Eatery is a great addition to the area. The quality of the food, the convenient hours and the renovated space itself makes Terence Allen the new local favorite in my opinion.
My husband and I loved Terence Allen! The best part is the owner/chef is a CHS grad. He knew and husband and the two of them caught up on old times for a while. The inside is really nice and I love the outside area. Go support a local!
I ate there tonight (or I should say I took my food out).
They have a small dinner buffet or you can choose the burritos. They make it anyway you want, Chicken, beef, pork, onions, rice, beans, peppers, zuchini, and more. Plus guacamole and sourcream and salsa and whatever you want on it. 6 bucks and I was filled up.
They have a small dinner buffet or you can choose the burritos. They make it anyway you want, Chicken, beef, pork, onions, rice, beans, peppers, zuchini, and more. Plus guacamole and sourcream and salsa and whatever you want on it. 6 bucks and I was filled up.
Tom: Within the eatery there are three stations to choose from: 1) a salad station 2) a burrito station and 3) a hot prepared food station. It is not self serve. There is also a nice selection of fruits and vegetables for sale. There is a seating area for those who eat in and large outdoor seating area as well. Wi-Fi throughout. The space was completely renovated and has a great feel to it.
He has long hours for those coming off the train at night and need to pick up a quick bite.
What I like about Terence is that he has a master plan for the space and is willing to take it slowly - growing his customer base first. I thought that was the biggest problem Lot 15/Village cellar had - that they went too big, too fast.
He has long hours for those coming off the train at night and need to pick up a quick bite.
What I like about Terence is that he has a master plan for the space and is willing to take it slowly - growing his customer base first. I thought that was the biggest problem Lot 15/Village cellar had - that they went too big, too fast.
On Sloan Street across from the train station next to the parking lot.
Tried Harrar Cafe last night and the food was great -- would highly recommend it!
I had a great dinner at Harrar last night. It was very fresh and it's a nice casual atmosphere
I believe Harrar is on Village Plaza, the little street that cuts from SO Ave to Valley by the corner park. Same street as It's A Wrap, Antonella's, and Hunan Garden.
Planned on trying Terrance Allen tonight. BTW, it's closed Sunday.:cry:
So we ate at Bunnies, again.
J.B.
So we ate at Bunnies, again.
J.B.
Sep 18, 2006 at 6:42pm Edited
Ate at Terrance Allen. I got a veggie burrito to go.
My initial reaction, this is NOT your typical burrito. There were a lot of great things going for it. It had fresh grilled veggies, which you could really taste. Great start. Loved the grilled sweet peppers and the sweet onions. I didn't take any of the tofu, but I like how there is a genuine protein for vegetarians. Nice touch. I loved the way you could go down the line and just pick and choose what you want -- sure with Chipotle and Qdoba this is not a NEW concept, but we don't have it locally, and I LIKE IT! I liked, NO I LOVED the price of the burritos. The environment of the place was sorta cool, and next summer I plan on being out in their back courtyard, A LOT. These are all the good things.
Now on to the NOT AS good things. Did I mention this isn't your typical burrito? Well it's tasty but TS and I were torn whether we really felt this was more like a Burrito or more like a veggie wrap with a mild Mexican flavor. I asked for the mild red salsa (because I didn't want the green tomatillo salsa), and if it wasn't for that splash of tomatoey salsa flavor, my mexi-veggie-wrap would have not been very mexi at all. There was the obligatory wee-dollop of guacamole but that didn't add really any flavor. I had the mexi-cheese blend but it wasn't melted -- just thrown on for color. There was the dollop of sour cream and the sploogey goodness of refried beans, but alas it wasn't overly Mexican. Having said that it was good. However, I think they need to work on flavoring the veggies to some degree preferably in a Mexican style. I would also suggest making the guacamole good. It's sort of a KEY ingredient for making burritos rock. I generally prefer the chunky kind instead of the pureed whipped flavorless kind. If it requires making the Guac a side dish where you charge $3 for a side but it's good, I would recommend that over what they have now. Or charge $1.50 extra if you want Guac on your burrito, but make it good, and give more. I also would like to be able to buy chips, if they can't be thrown in for free like they do in CA.
If they make NONE of these changes, I WILL BE BACK. Because the quality of the ingredients are high and a Mexi-veggie wrap is still worth eating on a regular basis. I mean, I make my comments only because I think the burritos could be EVEN better. But it's good already.
The rest of the menu. Well, I'm not a make your own salad kind of guy. I really can't state anything about the salad bar other than, it looks like every other make your own salad place that exists in the city. If you had been wondering why SOMA didn't have one, wonder no more. It didn't look any better or worse than the millions of other ones I've seen before.
The $15 dinner hot plate bar. Well, I'm not a meat eater, so I don't think I'll be spending $15 ever on this station. There was pasta, but the price isn't right for me, and you'd have to be really into everything at the station for this to be right for you, I think. I don't know, I personally thought this wouldn't be right for me, and can't imagine getting it.
Drinks, all fairly standard. The juices are nice for people into that sort of thing -- I'm not. Other than that, I don't remember seeing anything uncommon or noteworthy. The chip/snack selection was pretty good though. They also had a few breakfasty things like yogurts and breakfast bars. Worth a glance if you are a SO commuter and want something a bit more healthy for brekkie. Unfortunately, I'm a Maplewood commuter and won't get to benefit from this.
The fruit/produce cooler, just didn't make sense to me. I'm sorry. I really didn't get it. If you ever wanted a pineapple on the way home from work, well now you know where to pick it up. Oh yeah, and jalapenos too. If it was my business, I think I'd swap out that refrigerator's contents for something else. Frozen deserts? More interesting drinks? Fresh pasta to take home and cook yourself? Prepared food to take home and heat yourself? I don't know ANYTHING.
I really think that TA has a great start though. I MOST CERTAINLY will be back because the place has got moxie.
My initial reaction, this is NOT your typical burrito. There were a lot of great things going for it. It had fresh grilled veggies, which you could really taste. Great start. Loved the grilled sweet peppers and the sweet onions. I didn't take any of the tofu, but I like how there is a genuine protein for vegetarians. Nice touch. I loved the way you could go down the line and just pick and choose what you want -- sure with Chipotle and Qdoba this is not a NEW concept, but we don't have it locally, and I LIKE IT! I liked, NO I LOVED the price of the burritos. The environment of the place was sorta cool, and next summer I plan on being out in their back courtyard, A LOT. These are all the good things.
Now on to the NOT AS good things. Did I mention this isn't your typical burrito? Well it's tasty but TS and I were torn whether we really felt this was more like a Burrito or more like a veggie wrap with a mild Mexican flavor. I asked for the mild red salsa (because I didn't want the green tomatillo salsa), and if it wasn't for that splash of tomatoey salsa flavor, my mexi-veggie-wrap would have not been very mexi at all. There was the obligatory wee-dollop of guacamole but that didn't add really any flavor. I had the mexi-cheese blend but it wasn't melted -- just thrown on for color. There was the dollop of sour cream and the sploogey goodness of refried beans, but alas it wasn't overly Mexican. Having said that it was good. However, I think they need to work on flavoring the veggies to some degree preferably in a Mexican style. I would also suggest making the guacamole good. It's sort of a KEY ingredient for making burritos rock. I generally prefer the chunky kind instead of the pureed whipped flavorless kind. If it requires making the Guac a side dish where you charge $3 for a side but it's good, I would recommend that over what they have now. Or charge $1.50 extra if you want Guac on your burrito, but make it good, and give more. I also would like to be able to buy chips, if they can't be thrown in for free like they do in CA.
If they make NONE of these changes, I WILL BE BACK. Because the quality of the ingredients are high and a Mexi-veggie wrap is still worth eating on a regular basis. I mean, I make my comments only because I think the burritos could be EVEN better. But it's good already.
The rest of the menu. Well, I'm not a make your own salad kind of guy. I really can't state anything about the salad bar other than, it looks like every other make your own salad place that exists in the city. If you had been wondering why SOMA didn't have one, wonder no more. It didn't look any better or worse than the millions of other ones I've seen before.
The $15 dinner hot plate bar. Well, I'm not a meat eater, so I don't think I'll be spending $15 ever on this station. There was pasta, but the price isn't right for me, and you'd have to be really into everything at the station for this to be right for you, I think. I don't know, I personally thought this wouldn't be right for me, and can't imagine getting it.
Drinks, all fairly standard. The juices are nice for people into that sort of thing -- I'm not. Other than that, I don't remember seeing anything uncommon or noteworthy. The chip/snack selection was pretty good though. They also had a few breakfasty things like yogurts and breakfast bars. Worth a glance if you are a SO commuter and want something a bit more healthy for brekkie. Unfortunately, I'm a Maplewood commuter and won't get to benefit from this.
The fruit/produce cooler, just didn't make sense to me. I'm sorry. I really didn't get it. If you ever wanted a pineapple on the way home from work, well now you know where to pick it up. Oh yeah, and jalapenos too. If it was my business, I think I'd swap out that refrigerator's contents for something else. Frozen deserts? More interesting drinks? Fresh pasta to take home and cook yourself? Prepared food to take home and heat yourself? I don't know ANYTHING.
I really think that TA has a great start though. I MOST CERTAINLY will be back because the place has got moxie.
Terrance Allan had great pulley pork. We got excellent burritoes to go. So fresh!
I second the Pulled Pork Burrito. Out of this world. Usually I'm a chicken guy - but now that I have had the pork I don't think I will fill the burrito with anything else.
Pippi and I went for lunch yesterday and sat in the courtyard with Jessie. (Took turns getting our food.)
I enjoyed the burrito a lot. The shrimp was very flavorful. All the ingredients were fresh. As a newbie, it was difficult for me to gauge how much to put in, but next time I know I can (have my server) fill it a little more. (Pippi's was twice the size of mine, not complaining but next time I know). I would love to see shredded lettuce (to make a mission burrito) added to the filling options, sauteed mushrooms would be nice too, but maybe they vary the choices. Didn't see guacamole, maybe it's not always there. Alley is right, it's not typical Mexican, but it's a fresh, tasty burrito option.
The courtyard was very pleasant and it will be nice to go back with the family. I didn't notice on the menu if there were things to get the kids. Anyone?
I enjoyed the burrito a lot. The shrimp was very flavorful. All the ingredients were fresh. As a newbie, it was difficult for me to gauge how much to put in, but next time I know I can (have my server) fill it a little more. (Pippi's was twice the size of mine, not complaining but next time I know). I would love to see shredded lettuce (to make a mission burrito) added to the filling options, sauteed mushrooms would be nice too, but maybe they vary the choices. Didn't see guacamole, maybe it's not always there. Alley is right, it's not typical Mexican, but it's a fresh, tasty burrito option.
The courtyard was very pleasant and it will be nice to go back with the family. I didn't notice on the menu if there were things to get the kids. Anyone?
shh - there was guacamole, you must have missed it. I second the sauteed mushrooms.
I didn't see anything for kids, and that's what keeps me out of the place. The other day I was imagining having J.B.jr pick from the burritto stuffings and eating them on a plate with no burritto.
It's not gonna happen. I guess it's more for the "theater crowd."
J.B.
It's not gonna happen. I guess it's more for the "theater crowd."
J.B.
Well, hopefully they'll add a reasonable children's option to the menu. I didn't look at the hot options, but maybe if they had a child sized portion? Or even the basics that can be assembled as needed, like PB&J, cheese & crackers, etc. instead of a hot item like mac & cheese.
Oct 4, 2006 at 3:11am Edited
I love their burritos, and we were there on Monday and asked if they could do a grilled cheese for the kiddies. Yes, they did, they did the cheese between the tortillas and they girlies devoured them. Not sure about anything else kiddie-fied, but that's a start.
Big thumbs up to Terence Allen after my first foray into their new place. Everyone was very friendly, helpful and of course my burrito was to die for. True, it's not Mexican food, but who cares. They are not touting themselves as a Mexican restaurant. Everything was fresh and tasty. I had the pulled pork and fixins...guac was there. Price was right. I can't wait to go back and try their other foods.
Where is Terrance Allen? I might try it out today since I'm out and about.
I assume that's the SO train station, right? I'm new to town! :smile:
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jmansky