Watch out, Hearth, Terroir might steal your thunder

If you know me at all, you are well aware that chicken liver pate and certain types of cheese make me a very happy camper.

Last night's discovery of Terroir made me not only want to sing in the (pouring) rain but empty my wallet on pate and cheese alone. Fortunately, the shot glass sized portion of creamy, flavorful chicken liver pate was probably a blessing in disguise for my waistline. The crusty little rounds of country bread were perfectly toasted and begged to for heaps of pate. Heaven!

Our waitress was such a little gem that we decided to nosh on some manchego and robiola (almost Camembert-like!) to extend our time at the long wooden communal table that was rapidly filling up. Since it was still considered "Riesling Summer," I went ahead and sipped on a dry guy from the Finger Lakes region while Kara went for one from Tanzania. Both were delicious and delightfully refreshing from what appeared to be a summer downpour outside.

Totally unpretentious and laid back, Terroir's little slice of heavenly East Village real estate will definitely be at the top of my wine bar list.

Artisanal: Should it really be called a fromagerie?

I've always had relatively positive Restaurant Week experiences (best: Gramercy Tavern and Spice Market; worst: Vong). So, since I'd always pass Artisanal on my way home and have an abnormal love of cheese, I thought it would be the ideal RW match.

Karlyn and I decided the last Friday of RW would be the night of our Artisanal experience. Arriving about 15 minutes late, we were hurried to our table and from that moment on, we were constantly being hovered over by servers and bus boys. However, I was willing to overlook the over-eager waitstaff but that "wow" moment never actually came.

First course: parmigiano gnocchi with summer veggies. These were the most enormous gnocchi I had ever seen and were probably also the dryest. They tasted more like flour balls with a dusting of cheese than anything else.

Second course: Moroccan salmon with couscous. Perfectly cooked salmon with a nice, flavorful glaze. Paired with the couscous, this course balanced out the heavy, rock-like gnocchi quite nicely.

Third course: Obviously, the cheese plate, consisting of three different cheeses and ZERO accoutrement. Literally, there were just three little slabs on the plate. The waitress didn't even do an adequate job explaining what each cheese was as she was probably too focused on shoving us out the door. Again, tasty but subpar for a fromagerie.

If you're looking for great cheese in a less harried and hectic setting, try Tarallucci i Vino. They'll definitely please your taste buds AND give you the attention you're looking for.