John L.
Yelp
Terra Mare opened on June 18, 2022, at the former location of Intipuqueño Restaurant. Angel Mendoza is the chef and co-owner. His previous restaurants include Baronessa Italian in Rockville and Angel's Pizza and Pasta in Wheaton Mall. The menu had mostly Italian food with some Mexican/Central American dishes. My first visit was for a Yelp Elite event. The experience was good so I came back twice with my wife for dinner and carryout. We bought chicken wings, Salmone de la Casa, Pasta Mare e Monti, a Garden pizza, and a Terra Mare Platter. The chicken wings had a good grilled flavor with a peppery lime sauce coating. It was complemented with a ranch dressing dip. This had a great combination of flavors. It was spicy, tangy, savory, and smoky.
The Salmone de la Casa had a salmon filet, jumbo shrimp, broccoli, and homemade linguini in a tomato cream sauce. The linguini and broccoli were cooked well. The salmon and shrimp were tender and moist. The sauce was creamy and had a nicely balanced flavor combination of tomatoes, herbs, and seasonings. This was a flavorful dish.
The Pasta Mare e Monti had homemade smoked paprika tagliatelle, jumbo shrimp, sausage, tomatoes, onions, garlic, green peppers, and vodka cream sauce. Everything was cooked well. The sauce had a similar flavor to the tomato cream sauce in the Salmone de la Casa. However, this dish was more flavorful and savory because of the sausage, onions, garlic, green peppers, and smoked paprika in the noodles. This dish was outstanding.
The Garden pizza had fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms. It had a thin crust that was soft and slightly chewy. The vegetables were fresh. Overall, it was a well-made pizza that was surprisingly flavorful for a vegetable pizza.
The Terra Mare Platter had steak, chicken, shrimp, and ribs. It comes with rice, beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo. The steak and shrimp were grilled well and had a good flavor from a light marinade. They were moist and tender. The chicken was grilled breast meat. It was overcooked, dry, and bland. The ribs were tender and had a good smoky barbecue flavor. The rice, beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo were typical. If they improve the chicken, this would be a very good dish.
The service was polite, attentive, and responsive. The restaurant is old and dated. The decor is nothing like Baronessa Italian Restaurant. It is a functional minimalist design that is cost-effective. The dining room was clean. The restrooms were clean, but they could use some renovation. The food was impressive though and that is the most important aspect of any restaurant. We plan on returning to try more of their interesting dishes.