Terrace Grill – Lakeland, FL

The Terrace Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown Lakeland, Florida. Inside the hotel there is a restaurant that I visited many years ago. Since that visit, the restaurant and part of the hotel have been remodeled. I was able to check them out for Sunday brunch. The lobby is beautiful when you walk in. There is so much natural light. The restaurant as also beautiful. With the tall ceiling, the restaurant seems much larger than it is.

They did update their brunch menu and they now offer a bottomless Mimosa and Bloody Mary bar. It is a great setup; the waitress or waiter brings a carafe of either champagne or vodka. Then you get to make the drink to your liking.

For Bloody Mary’s, they offer a regular and spicy mix. There are the assorted vegetables that you can add to your cocktail.

I went for the Mimosas. They had several juices to choose from:

• Orange
• Blood Orange
• Pineapple
• Grapefruit
• Cranberry
• Apple Cider

They had an assortment of fresh fruit to accent the cocktail. It was a nice setup. I had mostly pineapple mimosas but did try the blood orange for something different.

I ordered the Terrace Frittata. The egg was mixed with asparagus, red peppers, mushrooms, and gruyere cheese. The plate was garnished with an arugula salad and a crème Fraiche. The frittata was fluffy. The vegetables they included gave the egg a nice earthy taste. The asparagus had a little crunch. The gruyere cheese melted nicely throughout the frittata. It was creamy with a combination of sweet and salty. The arugula salad was a great, fresh element to the plate. The peppery taste of the arugula complemented the sweetness from the crème Fraiche that was drizzled on top.

I came to brunch with family so there was a variety of dishes ordered. I did not try these dishes, but I did make sure to take pictures and ask everyone how they liked what they ordered.

The first dish I wanted to talk about was the Lake Mirror Benny. This is their take on the classic brunch dish, eggs benedict. Their twist on this was using a toasted brioche bun rather than an English muffin. The brioche bun added sweetness to each bite. They used applewood smoked bacon that was cooked perfectly to have a crispness. They placed the perfectly poached egg on top with a creamy hollandaise sauce. The hollandaise sauce has a decadent creamy flavor.

The Open Face Sammy was a unique breakfast sandwich.  They started with a base of toasted sourdough bread. They layered prosciutto, gruyere cheese, arugula, and béchamel (béchamel is a sauce made of flour, milk, and butter). Then they placed a sunny side up egg on top. This sandwich was a blend of creamy and salty with all the ingredients. The runny yoke from the egg added a richness to the already creamy texture from the gruyere cheese and béchamel. The sourdough added a slight tanginess.

Another dish that was ordered was the Open Face Patty Melt. This burger patty was a combination of ground short rib and brisket. The patty that was cooked to a perfect medium, was topped with gruyere cheese, sautéed shallots, mushrooms, a house sauce, and of course a sunny side up egg. All of this was placed on a slice of marble rye bread. The patty was juicy and tender. The way the cheese melted on the meat created a wonderful texture. The shallots and mushrooms helped create a savory flavor.

There was a non-breakfast dish that was ordered by two people at the table. This was the Fish Tacos. The soft taco shells were filled with a battered, flakey fish. They topped the fish with shredded cabbage and grilled onions and peppers. Crispy French fries came of the side. The tacos were filling but both people thought the fish could have used a little spice. It was a little bland for them. Once they got some hot sauce to sprinkle on top, they were perfectly happy.

Brunch was amazing a Terrace Grille. The staff was wonderful and took great care in making sure everything was perfect. I would highly recommend visiting. They do change up some of their dishes seasonally, so check out their menu at www.terracegrillelakeland.com

Enjoy!

T