Food delights at new bistro

News Special Writer

Terry B's Restaurant & Bar - which opened in July in the former 1850s farmhouse that was once Cousins Heritage Inn in Dexter (with a detour in between as Tuscan House) - offers one of the finest dining experiences in the area. It provides a splendid combination of excellent food at relatively reasonable prices; an upbeat and attractive atmosphere; and knowledgeable, friendly servers.

Though the exterior maintains the traditional charm of a historic house, albeit with fresh paint, there's not a trace of Cousins on the inside. While Cousins had the distinct feel of an antique, historical country home in its ambience, Terry B's looks more like a contemporary urban bistro.

The new owners, Terry and Kate Braciszewski, spent nine months transforming the restaurant. Gone is the carpeting, ornate wallpaper and the look of eating in a Civil War-era home. Instead, there are wood floors and high ceilings. The walls are painted maize and burnt orange, with sparkling white trim. There's a bar in the center with a large flat-screen television overhead. The result is an exquisite, warm, open set of rooms.

"We hope to provide good quality, fresh food at a reasonable cost,'' said Kate Braciszewski.

The Braciszewskis own Ann Arbor Rehabilitation Centers, and their goal for the restaurant is to provide a place of employment for their rehabilitation patients. While that may be the case, it's clear that the Braciszewskis also know something about preparing high-quality dishes and providing a delightful dining experience.

The décor maintains the charm of its predecessor, with a more informal, relaxed personality. Cousins was a "special occasion'' restaurant. Terry B's is the kind of place where parents were lingering with their kids on a school night - there's a kids' menu featuring favorites like pizza and chicken fingers. On a Thursday night, our first visit, there was live jazz and we were seated a bit too close to the musicians. It was so loud we asked to be moved to the adjoining room, where the music provided a quieter background.

The noise level in the room was one of the few chinks in this otherwise impressive restaurant. Terry B's allows you to choose from more casual fare, like hamburgers and sandwiches, as well as entrees like steak, lamb, chicken and fish.

What I like here is the inventive mix of ingredients, like a cashew crust on the whitefish and a sesame crust on the halibut. Both were terrific, with a slide-off-your-fork fresh consistency. Eggplant triangles were another interesting offering, spicing up the taste of eggplant with prosciutto and mozzarella for a moist, dense-tasting appetizer. I also enjoyed the big chunks of salmon in the thick, hearty roasted corn and seafood chowder, another great dish.

All of the meals are artfully presented in a way you'd expect to find at pricey establishments. Vegetable spring rolls were stacked upright, in a triangular formation, while desserts all had the gourmet trademark drizzles of syrup adorning the sparkling white plates.

Despite the decorative touches, there's not a hint of pretense here. Servers were extremely friendly and casual, happily steering us to the best food choices.

They did their job well, because almost everything we sampled was wonderful. The pasta is hand rolled, making the ratatouille ravioli soft and chewy. And the light cream sauce coating the pillows of ravioli was absolutely exquisite.

The seafood pasta was topped with a similarly appealing sauce. The seafood in this dish, and the sea scallops entrée, was incredibly fresh. The scallops were surrounded by a wonderful mix of corn and baby shrimp, providing some innovative touches.

Based on my two visits, the fish and pasta were the highlights. The filet mignon we ordered was fine but not spectacular. Also, the calamari was a bit dry from a cornmeal crust and could have benefited from a dipping sauce.

Dinner portions are not especially large here, and I had no problem finishing off mine. The same goes for the desserts, except for the vanilla bean ice cream, which consisted of three gigantic scoops of the rich, creamy delight, topped by a caramel sauce.

Desserts are prepared by Terry B's own pastry chef. My favorite was the chocolate gateaux, which was served warm. It had a thick, fudgy consistency and oozed a pudding-like filling in the middle. Everything we tried, including the turtle cheesecake, stood out.

We were the only diners left in the restaurant at 10 p.m. on a recent Saturday visit, as sleepy Dexter closed down for the evening. Still, we never felt rushed and our server continued to refill our coffee. As word gets out about Terry B's, especially in Ann Arbor, I'm guessing there won't be many more opportunities to be the last lingering diners at that hour.