Best Hot Spot Restaurants in Mercer Island

Look, I judge restaurants by the food primarily. So the small things I prefer or don't like about noise, value, or service timing matter, but not that much. Because the food at Terra Plata was really really good. We had one course from each quadrant of the menu (starter, earth, land, sea), and they were all good. We had the albracore crudo (really really good despite finding one pinbone), shishito peppers (normally an afterthought at restaurants - not here, the spices added a lot of depth), and the truffle and mushroom risotto (perfect texture). The land course (portuguese roast pig) was probably the only disappointment because it just wasn't as much of a flavor bomb as we expected from the ingredient's listed and just lacked something special. But it was still quite good, just overshadowed by the other dishes. And finally, the dessert (Basque Cheesecake) was amazing. No store bought pre-made dessert here. Unbelievable texture and the blood orange caramel was perfectly balanced. Tiny notes: the food comes out as it's done, which sometimes leads to awkward timing unless you plan what makes sense to have in what order. The service is good, but the restaurant was busy and you won't have them checking on you often. Not inherently an issue - I would rather have someone bothering me less than more. And we did find a pin bone in the crudo. But overall, it's a place I would recommend to foodies.

Great food! We just thought that 2 things were missing to be an authentic Brazilian churrasco: chicken heart and farofa! It would be nice to have dessert options at the buffet as well.

Luis and the food were amazing! Spinasse continues to be our favorite!

The swordfish was amazing. Service was excellent. The pinapple upside-down cheesecake was so delicious I was sorry that I was too full to finish it. We ordered the Dungeness crab bisque. Our server warned us that it was rich. No joke. Yummy, but you could eat it with a fork. Could only eat a bit to save room for diner. But the swordfish *chefs kiss*!

We spent around $50 per person, it was busy because it was Valentines but the service was exception regardless!! Super kind servers and delicious food and drinks! We love coming here for date night, but when we come for birthdays or special events they always make it special. Joci (I hope I’m spelling that right) was our server and was so kind and attentive!