There Is No Such Thing As Too Much Terri

I know; we've discussed this before.  But, it never gets old!

OD has been making more trips than normal to his dentist of late, so it's been pretty much a windfall of Terri riches at my house.

On the day of the mid-January snowstorm it took me 3 times as long as usual to get home...

But, I arrived to a whole Terri feast!

Of course, my favorite chickpea tuna melt: "chickpea salad, Daiya cheddar, tomato, red onion, veganaise" with potato salad.

These sandwiches are so great that I rarely bother making my own chickpea salad anymore.  And, the Terri version is always assembled strategically so that each bite has a little bit of everything:

Truth be told, though: after 3 hours in the car I actually started here: with a Butterfinger shake and a chocolate chip cookie.  Judge not!
 

He had to go back to the dentist soon after (I swear I'm not behind it), so I excitedly requested placed an order for breakfast sandwiches: bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches with hollandaise sauce on an English muffin, to be exact.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize that these were only served (daily) until 11am* and- after spending hours in the chair he didn't make it.  Damn!!!

Luckily, Jennifer Jessica was kind enough to sub the normal "sausage" for bacon in their served-all-day breakfast scramble wrap of scrambled tofu, Italian "sausage" bacon, spinach, Daiya cheddar, hot sauce for me.

I'm not generally a fan of wraps, but I was impressed by this one- which was huge and packed tight with deliciousness.  I think I mainly don't like wraps when that's all I'm tasting, and that definitely was not the case here.

 

I actually ate my second one (no sense in him carrying only one home) for dinner a few nights later because it was way too big for a weekday breakfast.  I see now that there's a reason this is a lunch offering.

Thanks for the message, Jennifer Jessica!  And for customizing my sammie.

He'll be back before you know it, Terri...

*make a note!

Shakes on a Train: Terri Opens in the Financial District, Makes Dreams a Reality

Rumors have been swirling for some time that Terri was to open a second location in the city.  Not too long ago, it came to fruition: in the Financial District.  My initial reaction was, "Oh, boo; I'm rarely, if ever, that far downtown."  But, then my wheels started turning...  OD worked in the World Trade Center for years and still has a lot of contacts in the neighborhood: most notably, his dentist.  That would ostensibly mean that at least twice a year I could have Terri delivered to my door- FREE OF CHARGE (wink, wink); I immediately got to work writing instructions on a drink caddy.

You read that right:

I was able to ascertain from VM a reliable source when his next appointment was scheduled and emailed him my inaugural order: almost a month in advance.  Then I began peppering him with questions about his general dental health.  The mission is Terri optimization You can't neglect those chompers!

VM and I chatted excitedly about the impending delivery, dubbing it Operation BFS.  Before we knew it, the day had arrived.  For VM, our favorite chickpea "tuna" melt: chickpea salad, Daiya cheddar, tomato, red onions, Vegenaise.  She chose not to reheat it and it was TERRIFIC as is.

I decided to try something highly recommended that I'd never had before and went with the bacon cheddar chicken ranch: "chicken", soy bacon, Daiya cheddar, ranch sauce, lettuce.  I put it in a 375 degree oven for about ten minutes and it was great as well.

What a nice dinner on what would have ordinarily been a night of leftovers in front of the tv (not that there's anything wrong with that).  The one thing that was missing, though, was potato salad.  I actually did order it, and OD did buy it; unfortunately, it was invisible.  I tried to call the cafe, but the number I had contained too many digits.  And, for some reason, I couldn't convince OD to go back for it.  Until next time, potato salad!


(212) 74669-686897 [I didn't really try to call!]

Truth be told, I wasn't exactly sure if OD was going to be able to deliver the real goods.  Sammies are one thing, but schlepping shakes on a subway and bus in 75 degree weather is no easy feat.  "Snakes on a Plane" are one thing, but shakes on a train is entirely another.

But, he did it; he secured our Butterfinger shakes.  HE REALLY DID IT!  The lids were firmly taped on, he'd frozen them as suggested, and now it was time to drink them!

VM has no self control is a Terri Butterfinger shake fanatic.  She drank around the edges as it defrosted and even resorted to a spoon at some points.

frozen

I, on the other hand, managed to maintain decorum and allowed my shake to defrost for 2 hours before partaking in its glorious perfection. 

drinkable

And, I'm happy to report that even though it had traveled, been frozen and defrosted, it was just as I'd hoped.  For those of you who aren't familiar, the Terri Butterfinger shake tastes like an ice-cold, super-thick, liquified butterfinger.  In other words: YUM.  Because of the success of the mission, I've already floated the idea of keeping multiple shakes frozen in our respective freezers at all times...in case of emergencies.

But, wait; there's more.  Apparently Terri had samples of baked goods on the counter and OD was so impressed by the banana cake that he got us each a slice.

Full disclosure: I'd made my own banana cake earlier in the week.  This was, admittedly, much better.  So moist and springy!  I'm also a sucker for a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Let's just say that in a showdown between mine and Terri's, the Esteemed Tasting Panel unanimously sided with the professionals.  My feelings are hurt just so much that another Butterfinger shake will be sufficient to ease the pain.  XOXOXO, OD!

All of our best of luck to Terri: especially in their new Financial District digs.  I can't always make it to their location in Chelsea, so it's nice to know that I'm guaranteed a downtown feast twice a year (at least?).  The report from OD was that the staff could not have been nicer and could not have taken greater care to pack the order so that it could sustain its considerable journey (he's been instructed to take an establishment shot for context next time).  If you haven't yet given them a try, I urge you to do so at once!

Terri Again: Another Butterfinger Shake AND a Sandwich!

It was about time that I got myself back to Cafe Terri to enjoy another of their incredible Butterfinger shakes.  Craig was not there so I got to meet the other owner.  Also nice, but there is nothing like having to crop Craig's bicep out of every photo (note: co-owner is also extremely fit)!

I had the esteemed tasting panel in tow, so we quickly ordered three beverages: 2 coveted Butterfinger shakes for the vegan and vegetarian, and 1 chocolate shake for the difficult, omni, holdout.  I bypassed the mocha chip brownie and the chocolate cupcake that I had previously enjoyed in search of something new.  Lo and behold, my eyes fell upon the ever elusive vegan Mexican wedding cookies!

I was contemplating the rest of the desserts when the owner pointed out that they had donuts (score!) and boasted that they were baked, not fried (blasphemy!).  The response that was brewing was, "What is wrong with you; who wants a baked donut?" when he quickly recovered by telling me the available flavors, one of which was chocolate, chocolate chip with icing.  I have no recollection of what the other flavor was; who cared!?  Chocolate, CHOCOLATE CHIP with icing?  SOLD!

The Mexican wedding cookies were even better than I remembered.  Softly crisp with a perfect proportion of powdered sugar: they were simple and delicious, each generously containing an entire nut.  I serendipitously ran into Terri's Sarah the next day at the Vegan BakeSale and was happy to have the opportunity to rave about the cookies.  She divulged that it is actually a veganized version of her grandmother's recipe; how endearing (and incredibly delicious); thank you Sarah's grandma!

Onto the donuts.  I tried to put out of my mind that these renegade chocolate, chocolate chip donuts had never met with a fryer.  It turned out not to be so hard to overlook, as they were mighty fine regardless of how they were prepared.  Soft, chocolatey, chippy, and topped with sweet, glaze-y icing; maybe Terri should simply keep the ludicrous healthy baking information to themselves?  It would have been unfortunate if I'd allowed myself to be scared away by the divulgence; surely there are other anti-health conscious vegans out there like me.

Now I bet you think that I once again allowed myself to be sucked in by the sweets and didn't manage to try a sandwich.  You would be right.  So, I guiltily ordered a Jerk Tofu sandwich to go for the next day's dinner.

Expertly re-heated in the toaster oven under my watchful eye, I think I managed to achieve the perfect crisp to the previously fresh-pressed focaccia.  It all warmed up quite nicely and I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet and spicy play of the peppers, pineapple, and jerk sauce with the neutral tofu and crusty bread. 

Did it beat the Butterfinger shake?  No!  But, what could?  I admit that I may never enjoy a freshly prepared sandwich at Terri if those Butterfinger shakes continue to be irresistible, but I'm already planning on which sandwich will be the lucky one to come home next time (do you hear me, Buffalo Chicken?).  If Terri's sandwiches are this good as leftovers they must be super delish fresh.  But, as long as shakes remain perishable, I will never know.

Important note: the chairs look the same, but they are fixed!  No more teeter-tottering as you scarf down casually relish your meal and desserts.