Restaurant at Terrestrial Brewing in Battery Park Relaunches with New Name, New Menu

For two months now, the restaurant at Terrestrial Brewing has been known simply as the Restaurant at Terrestrial Brewing. But going forward, the attached eatery will go by the moniker Terra Bistro. And along with that new name comes a new menu.

“We feel that it’s important to give the restaurant its own identity because we want to provide guests with a different experience than the brewery,” explains co-founder Ralph Sgro. “It’s still attached to the brewery but we felt that the spaces were a little too aligned, especially with respect to menu items. And once the upstairs is open we want people to be able to move between spaces and have different food, beer and cocktail options and get a different experience in each room.”

Originally, executive chef Michael Lovano has been operating off a menu that he described as upscale gastropub, with hearty but humble items like pretzel bites with beer cheese, beer-braised duck poutine and beer-battered walleye sandwiches. Now, he and sous chef John Baie are taking things up a few notches.

“Now that people are acclimated with the restaurant and have seen the space, we’re going to start going more fine-dining but not pretentious,” says Lovano.

The chef says that diners can expect a more elevated experience all around, with greater attention to detail applied to plating and presentation. But, he stresses, the aim is to remain approachable, affordable and fun.

Already in service, the menu features a selection of small and large plates. In the “small” category are dishes like a kale Caesar salad, chestnut and mushroom bread pudding, and braised duck stroganoff with thick noodles. Large plates include items such as an oyster mushroom banh mi, whole bronzini with fried bok choy, duck breast with acorn squash, and stout-braised lamb shanks with root vegetables and polenta.

For dessert, “pastry wizard” Sonya Kovach is dishing up white chocolate goat cheese tarts, apple cinnamon cake with apple cinnamon mousse, and pot de crème with cherry coulis.

Taproom guests will still expect beer-friendly items like confit chicken drums, beer cheese dip and pretzels, duck nachos, mac and cheese, and smash burgers.

As for that upstairs space, Sgro says that the team is hoping to host their first show before the holidays.