Eno Terra

We went for dinner last night. The food, cocktails and staff were amazing! I tried a number of foods that normally «scare» me (beets and octopus to name a couple) and I’m now a fan because of Chef Joe’s creativity and talent. We all tried each others meals (gnocchi, short ribs, crab stuffed cod, and buccatini) and now know what we will order on our next visit. And the desserts are to die for. Amazing flavors and so beautifully presented. I don’t have enough great things to say. I can’t wait to return!

Came here for dinner with my wife and two daughters. There is free complimentary valet parking which Is a plus. When You walk into the restaurant the hostess stations is straight ahead. There is a nice bar yo your right. There are light wood floors present well. My daughters were already at the bar when my wife and I arrived. We checked in with the hostess and were offered the option of sitting outside or inside. It wasn’t too hot so we chose to sit outside. There is a nice stone wall so there is privacy from the parking lot and those entering the restaurant.
The wait staff was prompt in asking us about water and then drinks. Still and bubbly water were both offered. Wines are offered in three different sizes as well as by the bottle.
There was an octopus as an appetizer so I split it with my daughter. My wife ordered the melon with prosciutto and my daughter had a salad. The octopus was tasty but I roil have preferred my octopus to be grilled but it was still very good. My wife enjoyed her melon and prosciutto.
My wife and I both ordered the scallop special. You received four nice sized scallops that were tender. My youngest daughter ordered the salmon which was cooked as requested. My other daughter ordered the Ricotta Gnocchi.
We ordered dessert the cheesecake, olive oil cake and chocolate cake for the table. The desserts were very good and was s good finish yo s very good meal.
We were all very satisfied with the meal. Service was excellent and would highly recommend this place.

This is a great place for quite dinners or happy hours!
The service is always impeccable. During our last dinner, I had written it was a birthday celebration in our Open Table reservation. The waitress was so kind as to bring biscotti with ‘happy birthday’ in chocolate because she wanted to acknowledge the event even though we didn’t order dessert. During a prior happy hour our waiter was able to keep up with our group and other patrons, somehow remembering our drinks and not mixing up charges on checks.
The burgers are great, short ribs are delish, and seasonal pasta dishes haven’t failed me.
Seating outside or in the bar is great. Inside is okay as long as it’s not the tables against the bench inside — it’s like you are sitting with others but not quite :)
The only reason that i dropped a star is that the appetizers options aren’t that wide and would like to see some local beers on the menu.

We had a business dinner, very good atmosphere for a business dinner. Nice wine selection, excellent food. After getting several recommendations when in the area, I was very pleased with this choice and so were our partners.

A little on the expensive side, but the food definitely earned the price tag. The ricotta fritters were divine! I split the Strozzapreti and the Griggstown Farm Chicken with my sister, and both were fantastic.

This place was very spacious with an upstairs and outdoor area. They had wood floors with lots of interesting décor. It was a nice environment to enjoy a meal. The service was very attentive and appreciated.
We decided to participate in the 5 course tasting menu ($ 60 per person) they offered that night. They usually change it every few weeks I believe the waiter mentioned. We did not opt for the wine pairing. Each course is described below.
Red Pepper Vellutata — This was a soup with blue crab, chives, and smoked olive oil. This was a solid start to the meal. The soup was very smooth and the little amount of crab that was received was a nice touch.
NJ Arugula Salad — This salad consisted of arugula, pink oyster mushrooms, white anchovies, frico, and smoked blue cheese. This was way too salty. There were too many anchovies present. I am a big fan of anchovies too, but this salad had too many. The frico was even saltier.
Ricotta Gnocchi — This was probably my favorite dish of the night. It contained olive oil cured tomato, prosciutto, basil and scampi butter. The gnocchi was cooked to perfection and the other ingredients were a nice touch.
Carolina Shrimp — This was a very interesting dish. It contained farro, shishito and Fresno peppers, a crab stuffed piquillo, tropea onion and black squid ink. There were 4 medium sized shrimp that were kind of bland. The rest of the dish was alright. The crab stuffed piquillo was too sweet for my liking, but the farro with the other peppers was solid.
Grilled Skirt Steak — This came with fennel, arugula, red onion, and grana Padano. My steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare with just the right amount of seasoning for a skirt steak. I was surprised arugula was served once again. There was also some sort of potatoes that were deep fried. I do not recall the name of them, but they were great. They had that nice crunch on the outside.
Kings Creamery Goat Cheese Panna Cotta — This dessert just did not do it for me besides the strawberry sauce and strawberries present. I wish I could say more about this, but I just did not enjoy it.
Will I go back? I might to try the regular menu.

The three star review is based on expectations and overall experience.
We had five course tasting menu with wine pairing.
First course comes out and we asked the guy what it was. His response was that he was new and will call waiter with the information. Waiter comes out and explains that it’s basically soup. Aha… We couldn’t have guessed that! And wine pairing was really sweet sherry that did not pair well.
The arugula salad was mediocre. And the wine was served after I was done with the salad.
Rest of the meal was good. But wouldn’t call it excellent.
My steak was cooked medium rare and hers was cooked rare. (We didn’t ask for that, it’s what they decided).
Yes, we did make a little mess of the table. And they proceeded to serve dessert without cleaning the table. So I had to remind them. Upon which, they immediately cleaned it.
Wait staff needs to be trained better on the menu. And service.
I will probably go back but not really excited about he place.

Dinner was pretty good, enjoyed the crab crusted cod and mushrooms/​fingerling potatoes. Drinks excellent. Overall nice experience

After many visits to Teresa’s I was excited to come here for Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, our party of ten was put into the private room, which I expected would have been lovely had it not been for the single waitress attending to our table and the party of treble next to us. We were forgotten several times, rarely checked on, and constantly waiting to ask for simple things like salt or water refills. The waitress only gave us two baskets of bread and dipping oil for the entire party, which quickly ran out and were never refilled. The food was so so — nothing like the excellent fare at Teresa’s. Not a fine dining experience in any sense.

One of the best (and most expensive) steaks I’ve had. Not pretentious like Ruth’s Chris.

Been here twice (lunch and dinner). Food is high quality, fresh, healthy choices, but enough grill/​meat options to satisfy the most devout carnivore. Known for their wine offerings and scads of wines-​by-​the-​glass with fun flights.

The food was decent and the drinks were okay as well; personally I think there are much better food options available nearby and at a better price point.
Service was slow, although the layout was adorable and intimate. The menu was fresh and there was a by of variety, although not too much.

Have come here several times over the years and thought restaurant and food were ok but not exceptional. I recently came here on a Friday night with a group of friends for HH and stayed in the bar and stayed until 11:00. Had a great time. It’s a great atmosphere and they have a wonderful HH until 7:00 with great food on the menu. I will definitely try again for dinner some time. Burgers, lamb meatballs awesome!

Had Easter dinner here tonight. We were immediately seated and not rushed at all. The lovely dining room was crowded but not loud. The staff was wonderful — constantly checking in to make sure everything was OK. Sommelier was attentive and assisted with the wine choice and decanting. Food was great. I had the Striped Bass which was delicious and served with usual vegetables. My friends had the salmon and the lamb chops which they loved.

I love Eno Terra. This latest trip was just for Happy Hour, but I have enjoyed some delicious food here as well… And they have great deals for Happy Hour. $ 5 wine, yummy burger.
An update:
I came tp Eno Terra for dinner with my adult kids and a friend… And there was an issue with my dinner — very fatty cut of meat. When I brought it to the waiter’s attention, he didn’t hesitate to replace the cut. While I waited, they brought me a free appetizer. And after dinner gave the whole table free dessert.
I admit that ANY establishment can have issues, but what matters, is how they deal with the issue. Eno Terra handled it beautifully. And my dinner was worth the wait.

We were getting sick of visiting our same few favorite NJ restaurants and were on the search for something new. After reading great things about Eno Terra, we had added that to our wish list a few months ago, a fact that we recalled just in time to get us there for their Valentine’s Day menu. For $ 79 each, we were able to enjoy an extensive 4-​course meal.
We arrived at the attractive building, which had been a general store in the 1800’s, but was now reminiscent of a modern farm house. Both the lounge and dining room were very rustic with vaulted ceilings and décor made of real wood. Many walls were lined with wine bottles elegantly displayed behind glass, letting diners in on the exceptional wine program happening there.
Our server was at our side almost immediately, and we proceeded to order a small quarttino of Malbec. Since we were not overly in the mood for a beverage, we were grateful to have this smaller option. The waiter stopped by several times throughout the meal to pour us each a little taste at a time, making sure the tiny bottle lasted us throughout the entire meal. We placed our orders and whet our appetite with slices of their moist bread, which we dipped into their delicious, seasoned olive oil. The first course soon arrived, and I simply loved my cream-​less Celery Root Velouté, which was infused with a Spingold apple relish, sage, and brown butter. The velvety purée was herbaceous, but also sweet. In fact, I thought that the apple selection was a bit too sugary and a more balanced variety, perhaps Braeburn, would have been a better fit. The Goat Cheese Sformato was essentially a creamy semifreddo of very mild cheese that made us miss the traditional funk. The accompanying candied walnuts and roasted beets were the real flavor stars of the dish. A light dressing of cranberry and blood orange also added some character.
My pasta course was actually my favorite dish of the entire evening. The al dente Cavatelli was tossed with a TON of roasted mushrooms, as well as a sprinkling of mustard greens and shredded, fresh Vermont goat ricotta. A thin layer of porcini broth was at the bottom of the bowl, which allowed the pasta to stay firm, but still added an aromatic, hearty vibe to each bite. The House Made Gnocchi, on the other hand, had more of a fluffy consistency and were perhaps overcooked. However, I did not mind that so much, as the accompanying oxtail ragu was phenomenal! The pulled meat was in a sauce of tomato and red wine, studded with sofrito, parsley, and Pecorino Romano. I also detected a hint of cinnamon sweetness, which was a great compliment to the oxtail.
Next, we moved onto entrees. My Beef Short Rib, sourced from Joyce Farms, was a very substantial portion of moist meat, but it had a bit too much fat for my liking. However, I did find the Barolo wine sauce was a perfect compliment. The short rib was served over a delicious parsnip purée and alongside roasted carrots and Hakurei turnips. There was also a somewhat bland buckwheat polenta cake thrown in. The seared, local Sea Scallops were sheer perfection in both preparation and flavor. They were served with roasted cauliflower, capers, raisins, and a chive and brown butter sauce that paled in flavor comparison.
Though we were full by this point, we were grateful for the dessert course, because they were just SO great! The Flourless Chocolate Cake was a far cry from the cookie-​cutter version often served at popular steakhouses. In fact, it was more like one of the richest, creamiest candy bars ever! Thankfully, it was plated with a subtle pillow of coconut cream and bruleed bananas to balance it out. The plate was also studded with cookie crumbs and an espresso caramel. The Cranberry-​Pear Crumble was served in a deep ramekin packed with warm, fresh fruit. It was covered with a thick crumb topping, a scoop of aromatic Cardamom Ginger Ice Cream, and a dusting of sage powder.
While I would not say that every dish was sheer perfection, we were more than satisfied with the robust flavors and casual elegance of the space. I definitely want to go back for a regular evening dinner.

Here’s the quick review: Beautiful décor and ambiance, great service usually, well thought out cuisine, creative desserts, fresh and often locally sourced ingredients, and impressive wine list.
This is the nice place you’d take your parents or family friends on a special night out, or even celebrate an anniversary of sorts. It is cozy while being upscale, but if you’re not willing to splurge on dinner, the lunch is quite good too and in a more reasonable price range.

My last stop for late night nibbles and cocktails during my recent holiday in Princeton. Wish i had made it my first! Sunday night is half price wine night on all bottles including vintages.
The atmosphere is killer here. Sort of old farm country outside and modern wine country inside. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable on all offerings. We were lucky enough to have the wine purveyor serve us tonight. He made some excellent recommendations including a nice 2004 Lini champagne and the octopus appetizer.
The octopus was intense. Braised then seared served with salsa verde, crisp prosciutto, saffron, and squid ink emulsion. One of the best preparations I’ve had.
Highly recommended. Looking forward to another visit.

Been here many times, finally writing a review. Wife and I are big fans of the proprietors, and have known them for some time. They care deeply about the customer experience, and work very hard to create a memorable, relaxing, quality atmosphere, then hire great chefs and let them go to work. As reliable a restaurant as there is in Princeton.
Tip for seafood lovers: they recently took the brodetto off the regular menu, but offer it as a special occasionally. If you’re into it, ask. if they have the goods they’ll make it for you (and importantly if they dont, they wont). It’s easily one of the best dishes in Princeton.

I have been a fan of Eno Terra since day one, but it’s been awhile so I was anxious to give this cozy, high end restaurant another go.
While the service (thank you Lauren) and ambiance is still top drawer, five star stuff, I feel the food has fallen off a bit. On every previous occasion I have been «wow’d» by the food here. This time it was very good, but down a couple of notches from the truly amazing quality & presentation I have come to expect of Terra Momo.
We started off with a shared portion of gluten free pasta in Bolognese sauce. This part of the meal was amazing. Whether you dine at Eno Terra or Mediterra, their bolognese sauce is the best around — maybe the best I’ve had. And the GF pasta they use here is the really good imported Italian corn-​based stuff (which tastes like good regular pasta — something that cannot be said of the more typical rice based GF pasta). So far, so good right? Yes, well things went downhill a bit from there.
The blood & roses martinis were delicious, but the glasses were about ¾ full. C’mon people, really? An excellent cocktail is an excellent cocktail and Eno Terra makes some of the finest, but I’d rather pay an extra buck and get a full drink. If nothing else, the perception is, «Hey, did you spill some of that coming from the bar?»
For dinner, we had the wild caught halibut & the pork shoulder. Both were very good, although the pork was a bit more tough & chewy than I’d expect from the kitchen masters here. The halibut, while nicely done, was a very small piece for $ 34, and with just a very few tiny root vegetables as accompaniment. The taste was good, but really nothing special.
Now look, I know better than to expect diner-​sized portions at a fine dining establishment, but I don’t expect to leave almost hungry because the entrée is nearly tapas sized. I feel at the price point Eno Terra is playing in, they ought to offer diners a little more for the money both in terms of quantity & taste.
With so many excellent dinner choices in the central NJ area, Eno Terra still ranks among the best, but my hope is that they are not getting complacent and expecting discerning diners not to notice.