Didn’t expect my next favorite Huntsville restaurant to be located next to a T-Mobile store in a University Drive strip mall. Yet here we are.
Terra Italian Restaurant & Bar wowed me on my first visit, and I can’t wait to go back. It’s from the same people behind the excellent Mozza Pizza, on local food hotspot Jordan Lane, and well-received spinoff Mozza Pizza & Rella Gyro, in south Huntsville.
So I knew Terra, which soft-opened in fall before going full-on this year, was gonna be better than OK. But after reading some of my real-life friends rave on Facebook about the food, my expectations were raised.
On a recent Thursday lunch, those expectations were met and exceeded. The food’s a smart mix of tradition and creativity. Like having a home-cooked meal, if the person making it is a killer chef.
Terra Italian Restaurant & Bar in Huntsville, Alabama. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
There are tied-back black curtains across the Terra’s wide storefront. Upon entering, that aesthetic continues.
It’s a dimly lit, expansive, open layout with a couple rows of booths to the left of a dado rail height partition. On the other side of the dining room, more tables. Towards the back, a long metallic full bar with seats and a couple TVs. Piano jazz wafts from overhead.
The interior’s a mix of industrial and warmth. Seated in a booth, it’s a surprisingly cool and slinky vibe for a dining room that vast.
I mention to my server that I didn’t expect this atmosphere in a shopping center whose tenants also include a dentist and stores selling paint and appliances. She smiled and said, “Everybody’s always surprised. It’s different.”
I’m old — albums released the same year I was include David Bowie’s “Honky Dory” and Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” – so dining out before the lunch rush is my jam.
It’s around 11:30 when I get to Terra. There’s just one other table of guests, no doubt adding to the intimate feels. This place was clearly optimized for the night. Romantic dinners. Special occasions.
My server was exactly the kind you want. Knows the menu and makes great suggestions thereof. Friendly and attentive without hovering. Asked for an app suggestion, she noted the yellowfin tuna crudo. Let’s do it.
The the yellowfin tuna crudo appetizer at Terra Italian Restaurant & Bar. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
Hitting the table, the app was plated with post-modern, fancy-pants flair. Shaved tuna over mashed avocado and radish, with a pool of soy ginger vinaigrette and two pieces of crostini.
It tastes even better than it looked. Rad mix of textures, fresh and balanced natural flavors, set off with the zingy vinaigrette. A perfect opening act that doesn’t wear out its welcome. Or drown out the headliner.
The pollo scarpariello entrée at Terra Italian Restaurant & Bar. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
For an entrée, I went with the pollo scarpariello. Medallions of tender chicken, dotted with chunks of aromatic sausage, accompanied by gold and purple mini-potatoes and deftly cooked garlicy spinach.
The gravy really tied it all together. Nuanced and viscous. Savory without being too heavy. As a whole, the pollo scarperiello was rustic yet refined. Oh yeah.
The menu has other updated Italian entrees, homemade pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, wraps and desserts. The lunch menu doesn’t appear to be on Terra’s website. But the dinner menu is and gives you an idea of what you’re getting into. Peruse it here.
In a previous life, the Gallery Shopping Center space Terra occupies (4925 University Drive N.W. Ste. 178) was home to another Italian joint, the since-shuttered Lil Capone’s. So the bones were already there. The Terra folks have made it their own, though.
Terra Italian Restaurant & Bar in Huntsville. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
Decorations on Terra’s sizable wall acreage are pretty minimal. A notable exception: a large black-and-white print up front, depicting three gals enjoying a pasta lunch upon inflatable rafts. But Terra’s a place where the food’s the star and décor’s a supporting actor.
Below are three more new (and newish) Huntsville restaurants – no chains — also worth a try, in my opinion.
Dragon Alley in Huntsville, Alabama. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt WakeDragon Alley
1030 Mid City Drive, eatdragonalley.com
Dragon Alley is now the city’s most Instagrammable joint. The Asian street food specialists opened in March. Stepping inside feels like being immersed in one of those Hong Kong films Quentin Tarantino ripped off.
Dragon Alley in Huntsville, Alabama. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
There’s a neon dragon overhead. Lots of neon everywhere, really. A faux tree, whose branches extended over one corner of the dining room, imparts ballast to the bright lights, big city appeal.
The duck bao appetizer at Dragon Alley. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
Dragon Alley’s food is vibrant, too. Tried the duck bao appetizer and “Alley Mama’s Chicken.” Would recommend both.
The buck bao boasts savory smoked waterfowl on pillow-soft buns, with some scallions and fried shallots. Alley Mama’s Chicken is sweet-and-sour battered bird with peppers, chilis, potatoes. Asian flavors and spuds work better in cahoots than you might think.
The Alley Mama’s Chicken entrée at Dragon Alley. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
Dragon Alley comes from the same restaurant group who launched other standouts including Kamado Ramen and Korean fried chicken food stall Seoul Good.
Located in the Mid City development, in the shadows of Orion Amphitheater, Dragon Alley has all the makings of an epic pregame before a night of hot live music.
Al pastor tacos and fried tamales from Sophia’s Roadside Cantina in Huntsville, Alabama. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt WakeSophia’s Roadside Cantina
9086 Memorial Pkwy. S.W. #310, sofiasroadsidecantina.com
I grew up in south Huntsville, or as I’ve winkingly referred to it before, SoHu. Being from there, I can call it “ZorpZap” if I want to. Deal with it. Anyway, south Huntsville’s an unchic area that’s a great place to raise a family.
During Huntsville’s recent years’ development boom, interesting new local restaurants mostly went to hipper zones. Specifically, to downtown and to west Huntsville.
But that’s changing. Places like Bubby’s retro diner; Cap’s Philly Cheesesteaks, and Fatso’s Famous Pizza have brought fun, tasty, affordable fare to south Huntsville.
Pieces of pizza at Fatso’s Famous Pizza in Huntsville, Alabama. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
Add Sophia’s Roadside Cantina to the tally. Vibrant flavors served in a festive, cozy atmosphere. It opened around March within the Hays Farm development, the commercial part formerly known as Haysland Square.
I love standard-issue Mexican joints and taquerias as much as anyone. Sophia’s is a different hue, though. Handmade food with clever combinations and personality. It’s a specific place.
I liked their fried tamales app and “Antonio” tacos. The former sounds like state fair fare, but the frying is subtle. The side of avocado ranch, a luscious accomplice.
The latter is stuffed with al pastor (seasoned pork to us gringos). Fresh cilantro and pineapple slaw for counterpoint. A salsa bar lets you to dial in more tones. Do it.
The gator bites appetizer at Cajun Roux Bar & Grill in Huntsville, Alabama. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt WakeCajun Roux Bar & Grill
20 Town Center Drive N.W. Ste. 1101, cajunroux.net
New Orleans is a beautiful, crazy, wonderful and weird city. Funky place. Funky music. Funky food. Funky people.
Back when I resided there in the early aughts, it was like being an expatriate in some foreign country, often in good ways. It’s an organic thing. Grown like ivy for hundreds of years.
In contrast, Huntsville’s Providence area is completely manufactured. It replicates a classic stately Southern town. Well done, though. Providence’s downtown-esque commercial center is home to restaurants, shops and hotels.
Cajun Roux — the second location of a Hoover, Alabama-founded eatery — opened in Providence around late last year.
Cajun Roux’s founder is a former New Orleans resident, who after moving to Birmingham, missed Louisiana cuisine, so he started a restaurant that served it. Write the book you want to read, as the saying goes.
Cajun Roux’s Providence location does a solid job of channeling NOLA food and aura. The frontage wouldn’t look out of place in the Garden District. The interior evokes a locals haunt, albeit well-scrubbed.
Food menu includes classics like po-boys, gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, red beans and rice. There’s also an array of entrees that update that spirit. Like the “wicked chicken,” with crawfish, caramelized onions and bacon cream sauce over rice.
The Mardi Gras pasta entrée at Cajun Roux Bar & Grill in Huntsville. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)Matt Wake
Their Mardi Gras pasta’s comprised of chicken, shrimp, shaved parmesan cheese — and in an Alabama touch, Conecuh sausage. It’s served over penne, and topped with a decadent tangy cream sauce you’ll want to mop up with the accompanying French bread.
Appetizers? They include stuff like a roux seafood dip, with shrimp, crab and spinach baked in a cream cheese sauce and served with grilled bread.
There are also touristy larks. Like a gator bites app, served blackened (recommended for pepper-bellies) or fried. Consuming an apex predator like that seems like it could lead to karmic retribution…of someday being eaten alive by an alligator. Oh well.
Dining and Cooking