Terry’s Italian Restaurant
If you’re dreaming of a dining experience as comfortable as Cheers—with a fine Italian twist—look no further than Terry’s.
We Love
Every dish at Terry’s Italian Restaurant is made to order. That means, while your food may take slightly longer to cook, it’s always as fresh as can be and made exactly to your specifications. One dish that always dazzles is the filet mignon, featuring Au Poivre sauce, crispy onions, and fresh cut fries with a side of vegetables. Executive Chef TC Winters sizzles the steaks up in a cast iron skillet, amalgamating the seasoned pan with the fresh, local meat for matchless flavor. Eggplant parmesan steals the spotlight as well, with amazingly tender bites achieved by slicing the eggplant evenly with a meat slicer. Finally, look for seasonal specials like the handmade butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sage sauce, which tends to be wildly popular and subject to availability. A thorough menu spotlights Italian entrées brimming with seafood, chicken, veal, beef, and vegetarian options. You can also look forward to freshly baked bread infused with rosemary and thyme.
Cheers
Terry’s bar offers something for everyone, with a rotating quad of beers on tap and a selection of wines. Fresh-squeezed fruits add a splash of flavor and the bartenders infuse some of their own spirits, too, like the jalapeño vodka that goes into the Angry Mule (a spin on a Moscow Mule). If you’ve got a hankering for the best Bloody Mary on this side of the Delaware, stop in when Tom’s working the bar—his version is made from scratch with a reputation that precedes itself. His other creation, the Gingertini, has taken off like wildfire. Homemade Sangria is another crowd pleaser, featuring triple sec, peach schnapps, apricot brandy, and fresh cherries, lime, and oranges muddled with Paisano or Moscato wine.
What’s the Vibe Like?
Set alongside sprawling views of the Delaware River, the restaurant caters to generations of Lehigh Valley residents dating as far back as 1951. The restaurant carries an unassuming, heartwarming ambiance you can find only in such a family-owned and operated establishment. The setting is comfortable and natural, as the owners wanted it to feel like a place for family. A retro air marked by original slate floors and other details complements modern upgrades including updated murals and a renovated concrete bar. The bar scene generates the perfect coupling of relaxing and energetic, with a vibrant social scene emerging, especially on Friday nights.
Q&A with Owner Nancy Winters
What sets Terry’s Italian Restaurant apart from other area restaurants?
I think the most important thing people should know is that everything is truly made to order. There are no warming lights and no holding bins. When you come in and order a dinner vegetable medley, we are cutting the vegetables and adding them to the pan while you are sitting there. Because everything is made to order, your food may take a little bit to come out. You’re not going to be in and out in 20 minutes—we want you to stay for two hours, sit back, relax, and have a cocktail or soda.
How does Terry’s procure fresh, delicious ingredients?
We don’t use a food delivery service like Sysco. My son (TC Winters, executive chef) gets up in the morning and purchases the produce and local meats himself. The only thing we have physically delivered to the restaurant is seafood, which comes from Philadelphia. He buys ingredients on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, depending on our needs. I think that’s important because, with a lot of places, trucks deliver produce and you take what they have. This way, we get the freshest, tastiest ingredients.
How did the Winters family become the owners of Terry’s?
Terry’s has pretty much been an icon in the community for 67 years. When we first started talking about buying restaurants 10 years ago, we went to Terry’s and had dinner for two hours. We went in as “secret shoppers” and watched dynamics, and that’s what drew us to it as a family run business. I said to Tom, if you want to buy a restaurant, that’s the one we need. We got to sit and watch people come in and they all knew each other. We saw generations of families sitting there. There was just such a comfort.
Terry’s Italian Restaurant
200 S Delaware Dr, Easton
terrysrestaurant.com | 610.252.5330
Gingertini
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz. Ginger Liqueur*
- 2 oz. Tito’s Vodka
- Large squeeze of fresh lemon
*Ginger Liqueur Recipe
Peel and grate about 18 oz. of fresh ginger. Transfer ginger to a 1-gallon jar with 1.75 liters of brandy and cover. Cover and set aside for 2 days to infuse. Strain the ginger and reserve the brandy. Put the ginger, 7 1/4 cups water, and 3 cups granulated sugar into a large pot. Bring contents to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Combine ginger mixture and brandy in the large pot. Divide mixture into two 1-gallon jars. Add 1/2 of a split vanilla bean and 1/2 the zest of one orange to each jar, cover, and infuse for 2 days. Strain and filter the mixture with a mesh sieve or cheese cloth and bottle the liqueur in 1-liter flip-top bottles. Store in the refrigerator. (Yields enough for 60 cocktails)
DIRECTIONS
Fill a shaker with ice. Add all ingredients. Shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass.
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter
INGREDIENTS
Butternut Squash Filling
- 1 butternut squash, approx. 2 lbs., cubed
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt + pepper
- 2 small shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan
- 2 medium eggs (1 for egg wash)
Ravioli Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour + a little extra for dusting
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Browned Butter with Sage
- 1 stick butter
- 6 sage leaves, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1. Make the ravioli filling:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. On a foil-lined baking sheet toss the butternut squash, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until soft and golden, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the shallots and garlic until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Once cool, combine the butternut squash, shallots, garlic, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and one egg in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Sprinkle the mixture with salt and black pepper, and pulse until smooth.
2. Make the ravioli dough:
Pour flour onto a clean counter and form a well in the center. Crack all 6 eggs into the well. Slowly start mixing the eggs into the flour with a fork, adding the flour, little by little. When the dough starts to form, fold and knead the dough until it turns a rich yellow color. The dough is done when it’s elastic enough that it reforms when you push your finger into it. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Sprinkle the counter with flour. Cut the ball of dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out the dough into a rectangular piece about 1/16-inch thick and ensure it will fit into a pasta roller. Start the roller on level 1 and run the dough through. Each time you run the dough through the pasta maker, increase a level until you get to level 5. You will probably have a 4-foot long piece of dough. Lay the dough on the floured counter and cut it into two 2-foot long pieces. Repeat with the other pieces of dough as you progress with making the raviolis.
3. Assemble and cook the ravioli:
Transfer the filling to a pastry bag or a zip-seal bag with one corner cut off. Crack the remaining egg into a ramekin, add a splash of water, and mix with a fork to make an egg wash. Pipe quarter-sized dollops of filling about 2.5 inches apart from each other along the center of a sheet of dough (so when you fold the dough over, the filling is at the crease, making it only 3 sides of dough to cut and seal). Once the filling is in place, trace the outside edges around the filling with your egg wash. Now fold the other side of the dough over to cover the filling. Gently work your fingers around each dollop of filling, pressing the dough together and getting rid of any air bubbles that have formed. When the dough is sealed, cut out the raviolis using a knife or pasta wheel and place on a piece of wax paper dusted with flour until you’re ready to cook. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then, drop no more than 12 raviolis and cook until al dente, 5-8 minutes. When they start floating, they’re almost done. Remove cooked raviolis with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Make the browned butter sauce, and serve:
Heat a stick of butter in a large pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it bubbles and turns a caramel color, 4-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in the sage. Add the al dente ravioli to the pan to finish cooking. Transfer the raviolis to plates and top with browned butter and grated parmesan. Serve.
Yields 6-8 servings
