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The global culinary icon balances high-end $98 ribeyes with fancy Wagyu hot dogs in a menu that’s upscale and inviting.
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Terra Grill’s dining room, Laurent Tourondel’s new steakhouse / Photograph courtesy of Terra Grill
Late in November of last year, the acclaimed French chef Laurent Tourondel made his first run at Philly’s restaurant scene with a casual, French-y/Italian pizza joint in Northern Liberties. Called Scusi Pizza, it featured garlic knots and prosciutto sandwiches, whole red and white pies, slices, draft beer, cocktails, vanilla soft-serve with caramel popcorn, and a relaxed, welcoming vibe for the neighbors that was all about making itself into the kind of indispensable weeknight option that NoLibs has been looking for since forever.
It also came with a big empty space next door and the promise that Tourondel and his team were working on something there as well — something a bit more jumped-up than just pizza and sandwiches, but done with the same balance of approachability, quality, and consideration (of ingredients, of wine lists, of concept) that made Scusi work. The same balance that has been the hallmark of the latter half of Tourondel’s long and storied career.
In case you don’t know the name, Laurent Tourondel is a big deal. Over the past few decades, he has built one of the most successful, high-and-low-end hospitality groups around. This is a guy who was named one of the best new chefs in America by Food & Wine way back in 1998 and took that shit seriously. He collected stars from the New York Times like they were Pokémon; ran kitchens in France, Hong Kong, London, and Moscow; and opened restaurants all over the United States — from a Manhattan cocktail bar to a pizza joint in Miami Beach.
Born in Auvergne, France, Tourondel trained with serious, old-school heavyweights like Jacques Maximin and the Troisgros brothers. His NYC seafood restaurant BLT Fish got a star from the Michelin Guide in 2005, and he has never really slowed down. These days, he opens restaurants (like Back Bar in New York and Sag Pizza in Sag Harbor) that feel purpose-built for pleasing customers rather than feeding egos.
He and his team are settled into a groove at Scusi, knocking out Sicilian grandma pies and chicken parm sandwiches, and the announcement has just come down that the space next door — which we’ve known very little about since Tourondel and his team moved in — is going to be opening to the public this Friday, March 27th.
Orange-spiced duck breast and the Wagyu hot dog / Photographs by Laurent Tourondel
Called Terra Grill, it will be a somewhat more involved concept than Scusi. The pre-opening press is calling it “an everyday dining experience,” but really, it’s a little bit more than that. Because you don’t get short rib steamed buns, Japanese-inspired lemon chicken parm sandwiches with tonkatsu sauce, lamb bolognese, roasted half-chickens with cherry peppers, and sweet-and-sour duck every day. You don’t see $98 ribeyes and fancied-up bagel dogs (Wagyu hot dogs and Grand Cru Gruyère served en croûte with spicy mustard and sauerkraut) sharing the same menu every day.
Miso spinach and avocado salad and raw yellowtail / Photographs by Laurent Tourondel
But that’s the game at Terra. Wood-fired grilling is the organizing concept here, with everything from red shrimp and whole branzino to burgers (with raclette and peppercorn sauce) coming off the fire. There are steakhouse options (with the requisite spinach, fries, and potatoes dauphine), Italian and Mediterranean flavors, and a heavy Asian influence (even the rolls are served with white miso garlic butter).
But none of it is as simple and straightforward as the pizza and sandwiches next door. It is an acceleration, for lack of a better term. Like, Hey, if you’re already comfortable at Scusi, maybe you want to put on your fancy pants and check this out on a Friday night instead …
The bar / Photograph courtesy of Terra Grill
And that’s smart. It’s exactly what Tourondel is good at doing: approachable, recognizable food done just a little bit cooler and fancier than you were expecting. The space is classy and gorgeous, with an air of both super-high-end hotel restaurant and a modern steakhouse with its dark woods, dramatically top-lit bar, hanging lamps, and cozy banquettes; in the way the smooth curves and lines of its open, wood-beam ceiling intersect. Everything about the place speaks to remixing classics. I mean, if not for the tiramisu and tuna tartare, it could be a steakhouse. If not for the filet mignon and grilled asparagus, it could be a seafood restaurant. If not for the Wagyu hot dogs and ice cream sundaes for dessert, it might feel too serious; and the whole place might be mistaken for a wine bar if not for the “Quick & Dirty” tzatziki-washed vodka martinis and rosé sangria.
Cocktails from Terra Grill / Photographs by Laurent Tourondel
The opening press release describes Terra as “reflect[ing] Tourondel’s longstanding approach to hospitality: polished yet convivial, chef-driven yet accessible.” And I think that nails it pretty well. It’s all about balance. About being one thing without eliminating the possibility of being something else, too. Not all-things-to-all-people (which is almost always a recipe for disaster), but a couple different things, all mashed up into one cohesive whole.
It’s not an easy trick to pull off. And come Friday, I guess we’ll all get to see how well the Terra team can handle the dichotomy. But in the meantime, you gotta love a place that holds burgers and bagel dogs to the same high standard as ribeyes and bolognese, right? So here’s hoping they get it all right.
Dining and Cooking