With its “Tuesday Trios”–three courses for $30–Terry B’s offers fine dining at a bargain basement price. The dishes for this promotion usually come straight off the Dexter destination’s seasonal dinner menu, with three choices each for an appetizer, salad or soup, and an entree (but not dessert).

Our own trio decided to try out this special offer one black, frigid night in February. As we examined the limited menu, a tempting description for a special cocktail–inspired by house-made blood orange syrup and sugared rinds, unfortunately burdened with the moniker “Bride of Chuckles”–broke any resolve for moderation on a school night. The tart, slightly bitter, well-crafted gin drink indeed proved irresistible. (Really, with so many local places producing such thoughtfully made cocktails, how is anyone to maintain resolve?!)

The three appetizers opened the meal with a dazzling start. An unusual pairing of tender pink duck breast, brined and seasoned pastrami-style, with cashew rice and apple kimchi produced raves. House-made chicken sausage was also exceptional, as juicy and flavorful as any pork version. Seared dark brown but barely cooked inside, a single large sea scallop arrived beautifully set in a pea puree dotted with salty steelhead caviar and bits of Meyer lemon.

Our resolve broke down further. With food so delicious, how could we not order wine from their extensive list? We felt as if we should have been celebrating an anniversary or a special event.

And we continued to feel that way when we received our next course. Skipping the Caesar salad, my mother ordered Terry B’s house salad, a fresh, generous plate of greens garnished with vegetables, egg, crispy house bacon, and sharp cheddar. My husband and I fended off winter weather with roasted corn and seafood chowder–rich, gratifying, and deeply flavorful.

The entrees were not as uniformly well executed. With crispy skin and juicy flesh, the pan-roasted chicken breast held court on a mound of smooth, whipped potato puree, surrounded by a moat of opulent brown sauce garnished with soft, light dumplings; a wedge of roasted fennel; and a scattering of mushrooms. In contrast, the escolar, a meaty white fish, was dry and overcooked, though the beluga lentils underneath, dotted with fava beans and pickled tomatoes and onions, were delicious. My mother’s veal scaloppine was tough, as were the thick, hand-made noodles beneath it, and the rich cream sauce, over-reduced, had broken. Even so, our threesome, treated on that Tuesday to Terry B’s trio, couldn’t help but celebrate and conclude that three was indeed our lucky number.

Terry B’s

7954 Ann Arbor St.

Dexter

426-3727

terrybs.com

Tues.-Sat. 5-10 p.m. (summers 4-10 p.m.). Closed Sun. and Mon.

Tuesday Trio: three-course dinner for $30/person

Wheelchair friendly