Terry B’s

I’ve only been here for happy hour. It was a decent place to go, but not my favorite among Dexter happy hours.
$ 5 wine, which was good, and $ 5 appetizers. I just wish they had had a couple more items to choose from. Even two more would have been great. I loved the tempura shrimp bun (highly recommend!), but felt it was too small for $ 4 to be a great happy hour deal. I could see it being $ 4 on a full price menu, but it should have been slightly less for happy hour. The fried brussels sprouts looked really good; if we return here I’ll have to try those. Nothing else sounded very appetizing or worth the price.
I did hear that the happy hour menu changes seasonally, so that’s good at least. Looking forward to the next menu.
Oh, and the parking lot only fits like 5 cars. We were fine for happy hour, but I imagine if you come for dinner you’ll need to find a spot on the street.

Valntine’s Day: 2016. I forgot to think of a romantic gift. Sooooo, I bluff and tell her that I have something fun and cool planned.
Fast forward 3 hours and I discover that it is impossible to get a reservation in Ann Arbor on Valentines Day, without breaking the bank.
Not to fear! That is why Unilocal is so awesome. I figure undergrads are too lazy to drive greater than 10 miles for food, so I search for Romantic Restaurants in Dexter.
Terry B’s is the first thing that came up! Also, they had a reservation at 7:30… GOLD.
Because I am a modern day Flavio Flintstone, I don’t tell her where we are going until we get in the car.
She, being the anxious type, steals a peak at my GPS. «Terry B’s» is what she sees.
She asks «what is Terry B’s?»
I cannot help but respond «Dexter’s favorite strip club,» and snatch her phone to prevent her from googling further.
The whole ride there was nothing but childish glee, with my lady thinking I am taking her to a strip club for Valentines day.
When we finally arrived, she was definitely relieved, and got in a few quick punches to my ribs for extra measure.
Anyways, on to the food:
I ordered the Cioppino, which was pretty darn good. Great to have fresh shrimp out here in the midwest.
Girlfriend ordered the Braised short rib– this was the real winner. So tender, flavorful and juicy!!!
For desert, we got the vanilla cake, which was pretty good.
All in all this place is a cute little restaurant that really prides itself on the food it turns out. Ambiance is low key and comfortable, and a great place to spend an occaision

OK, not often I am this wowed by dinner, but the food at this place leaves me speechless. I had the chicken fricassee and it was out of this world as was the corn seafood chowder. Amy was the ultimate server. The atmosphere is very pleasant and relaxing. Mellow guitar layer was a nice plus. Understand that I was job one for the fricasee, so cudos to the chefs. My wife and I thank you for a very nice night.

My husband and I went here for our anniversary and had an amazing dinner with wonderful service. The salmon was a beautiful presentation along with being delish! Would go back in a heart beat!

My favorite restaurant around! Very romantic and awesome atmosphere! The food is always wonderful. We love to sit on the deck in the summer. The music on the weekends is great or you can hear the music from the park on the deck. So fun!!!

Another delicious meal of apps and beer at T Bs for happy hour. We always enjoy our «datenight» here. Betty Dexter resident

There’s a new chef. We loved the old chef and were so sad to see him go. He had promised us the replacement they hired was great and we would still love the place. He was right!!! Haven’t been a bit disappointed he’s fantastic!!!

We love supporting local businesses and came here recently for a birthday dinner. Our spicy duck soup, charred brussel sprouts salad, crispy cod, and spicy fettuccine were all very good. The crispy cod comes with a large lentil cake, making it quite a protein heavy dish. I wish there had been more vegetables. We got the apple strudel for dessert, which reminded us of the fried apple pie you used to be able to get at McDonald’s. I was also disappointed that there was no candle or mention of a birthday even though I mentioned it while making the reservation. Lastly, service was slow at times because our waiter was busy with a large table. The restaurant was half full. Still more positives than negatives, but our experience last night left a lot to be desired.

Dexter’s only gem in town! Terry B’s never disappoints! The food is always creative and delicious. The service is outstanding. I swear I had the best oysters of my life here and my mouth waters just thinking about the roasted pheasant they used to have on the menu. Now I’m just looking for an excuse to go back and have the shrimp and grits!

we have been going to Terry B’s for years, after being turned onto it by friends when we moved to this area. At first we loved going for dinner — food was always good to great, service was good, drinks were excellent and ambiance was nice.
Over the last year or two, however, we started just going for drinks and sitting at the bar. Maybe we would have something to eat but always ordered from the bar. The reason — the service had gotten really slow. It would take 20 minutes to get bread, no one would come back to refill water, you would wait 15 minutes between courses, etc. No kidding, four of us went for dinner one night that wasn’t terribly busy and it took 3+ hours without dessert.
Drinks were always reliable. They have had great bartenders who are creative and entertaining. The food has also always been good and sometimes great. We rooted for Terry B’s but started to drift away due to service.
My wife and I decided to give it a go for the New Years Eve prix fixe dinner. I’m glad we went because it was fantastic! One of the best experiences there in many years. I would give it a 5 star but am leery due to past experiences.
Appetizers — she had squab and I had vegetables. Both delicious and would order again instantly.
2^nd course — wife had carrots medley and I had grilled octopus salad. Again, both winners.
Main — she had veggie pot pie and I had branzini fish. Mine was a winner, hers not so much.
Service was impeccable — thank you Jennifer !!!
Because of this experience we will give it another try in the dining room. But please seat me in Jennifer’s section!

What a hidden gem located in the town of Dexter. Who knew? Every course was prepared creatively with loads of love with thanks to the great talent of Chef Doug Hewitt.
Each dish was played beautifully, picture worthy and exceeded all of our expectations (we are a pretty tough crowd).
Highlights include the smoked fish platter the spicy shrimp crunch roll, sea scallops and charred brussel sprout salad.
If you are looking for an unforgettable dining experience Terry Bs will not disappoint. One last thought… leave room for dessert. Not your run of the mill dessert tray for sure!

Had 40 people for a rehearsal dinner. The food was spectacular. We had some specialized tastes with some vegans & others gluten free. Everyone raved about their meal and the service was stellar. Couldn’t have asked for more!

One of my favorite restaurants!!! The environment is very pleasant and the food is stellar, to start, the bread basket offered many different types of breads and they all were so good that I found myself eating the leftover crumbs! The house salad was so fresh and the feta cheese melted in my mouth, the dressing (balsamic vinaigrette) was the best I’ve ever tasted!

Our first visit to Terry B’s was overall very good. We had a nice table by the front window for our anniversary dinner. We selected the cheese and smoked fish platter as an appetizer. They were out of our first choice of wine… but we enjoyed a 2 Lads Pinot Grigos offered as a suggestion by the waitress. The cheese and fish were excellent! My wife ordered the mushroom soup and I chose the scallops for my meal. My scallops were perfectly cooked… but one had some grit. My wife’s soup tasted great, but she thought it was too heavy. We ended with a Mexican coffee and a interesting dessert (tart with rhubarb… vanilla ice cream… chocolate) — the tart shell was a bit too thick… otherwise tasty.
We would definitely come back. The highlight being the cheese & smoked fish appetizer and wine selections.

Nothing special here. The food is good; however, it is not inventive, creative, or interesting. The skill level of the «chef» appears to be on par with my own, and that is not impressive.
This is the kind if restaurant my parents would love. Nothing on the menu is too obscure and the food is prepared sans herbs and spices so the result is familiar, bland food that looks really pretty.
Seafood Chowder ~ good, yet nothing special. The ingredients seemed to be of decent quality but the soup was missing something (herbs maybe?). It tasted like a soup my mom would make me, which is a good thing; however, my mom isn’t a chef and she doesn’t charge me :)
Caesar Salad ~ definitely not bad, but lacked flavor. It was fresh but the dressing was so flavorless that I had to squeeze lemons on the salad in an attempt to bring out some trace of taste. I could not detect any garlic and the cheese was not Parmesan or even pecorino Romano.
Cheese Plate ~ good. The variety of cheeses was well done; however, the types of cheeses were run of the mill and the accoutrements did not pair well.
After sampling those items, the idea of spending $ 30 on an entrée was no longer appealing.

Went for their NYE prix fixe dinner for my first visit and enjoyed the expereince. Was looking for someplace a but outside of the usual destinations/​locations and this great little homtown spot in Dexter really delivered.
It was a 3 course menu for 70 dollars a pop, plus sparkling wine apertif which was pretty good value all around.
Began with the butter poached lobster, which was delicious, if not miniscule. Followed that up with a wonderful brussles sprouts salad with bacon vinegrette. Irish cheese was excellent and it needed more of it.
For an entrée, went with the pork loin with sauerkraut, spiced pears, pierogi, and a carraway sour cream (which it could have used slightly more of). Great pairing of flavors and the kurobuta pork was intensely porky in a good way. One slight complaint in that my chop came with one bone while I watched as another went by with 2. That made me envious and peeved, in that order. Tried a bite or 4 of the fiancée’s branzino with pickled red onions, arugula, and gnocchi and it was also fantastic.
Ordered a dessert of key lime pie pot de crème which was basically key lime pie without the crust. Good, but not nearly as amazing as my better half’s chestnut crepes. Spoon dropping good.
Good cocktail and wine list. Service that was friendly but immensely slow. I’d blame it on the NYE dinner but in reading others, seems like it’s a recurring theme.
All told, really glad I tried a new place.

I’m torn as to whether to give Terry B’s 3 or 4 stars. Ultimately chose 3 due to the weight of the negatives.
Negatives:
–Slow, slow, slow service. Pacing was just off & in desperate need of a dining room manager. Didn’t order a second drink or a dessert because I couldn’t stand the thought of sitting for another 30min waiting. Long, long pauses in between service.
–My companion’s main dish wasn’t plated correctly. The pork shoulder was room temp (at best) while the polenta cake and roasted squash were perfectly hot.
–Odd service. Dirty plates weren’t cleared. Our main dishes were brought and I had to shuffle our appetizer plate so the server could drop our main dishes. Puzzlingly, he left without picking up the dirty dishes or empty glasses. These were all left on the table until we were ready to pay the check.
–Our server described the Brussels sprouts on my dish as being «quartered» and easy to pick out (I hate Brussels sprouts). They weren’t quartered, they were shredded and mixed in with the other items in my dish.
Positives:
–seafood chowder. It was delicious.
–friendliness of our server.
–pan roasted arctic char. very enjoyable. Nice flavors, though a bit heavy handed on the bacon.
–specialty cocktail. order one, you won’t regret it. ask them to go easy on the ice, though.
So, all in all, I’d return for the seafood chowder and a cocktail. My companion thought the pork shoulder dish was «okay» but not something he’d order again. It was a big hunk of meat, so if you like pork, you’re in luck.
I’m a good cook, so the reason I eat out is 1) to enjoy complex or unusual dishes I can’t or won’t make at home and 2) to enjoy the sublime experience inherent in excellent service. I’m happy to pay good money for both. In this case, number 1 was halfway successful at Terry B’s and number 2 was not.

I think Terry B’s might be the best restaurant in Washtenaw County. I’ve only been there twice, but was completely blown away both times.
The first time we went we had a gift certificate, so we went a little crazy on the ordering (it’s pricy… but, oh, it’s worth it if you have it). We did get to try a couple of small plates, which were special and delicious. I also had a salad with duck confit atop it… amazing. We even got dessert — I still talk about it (and that visit was over a year ago). It was Key Lime Pots de Crème. Ohmigod. I ate it in teeeeeeeny tiny bites to make it last longer.
We went back a month or so ago and wanted to sit on the (lovely, large) deck, but it was (understandably) full, so the wait was almost an hour. We waited for our table at the bar… but we were so hungry that we ended up ordering there. It was a great experience. We were able to linger over our drinks and food, ordered two small plates and it was really enough. We got Banh Mi chorizo tacos. Both were flavorful and unique. I would choose the Banh Mi over the tacos (which surprised me), but it was refreshing to have dishes that I really haven’t seen at any of the restaurants in Ann Arbor (in one place, anyway).
The décor is colorful, but elegant. It’s very festive from the outside and nicely decorated indoors — white tablecloths and all of that, but you never feel inferior. You are just in for a really good experience.

Definite upgrade from our last visit. My husband and I have been wanting to try Terry B’s again, just the two of us. We stopped in on a Thursday night, looking for a good meal. We definitely got it. I ordered the choose two: cheese and fish board. It was inventive and quite good. (though the cheeses are very strong; you need some crackers to defuse the acid assault on your tongue — keep that in mind if you order it)
My husband has the amish chicken. The succotash on the side was the highlight of his plate. It was really tasty and we couldn’t figure out what was the main flavor but it left us wanting more. He’s not a grits fan but he liked what he had. The chicken plate had both smoked white and dark meat. Perfect flavor and not overcooked.
The waiter was nice and attentive. The place was pretty slow for 7:30pm on a Thursday night, but Terry B’s seems more like a weekend place or for special occasions. Our bill was a little more than we expected to spend at about $ 64 including tip: for two meals and two fountain sodas, but we had a better meal and experience than what we were expecting. We will go back again.

Last Thursday night hubby and I went to Terry B’s for their happy hour which includes ½ price appetizers and drink specials. We sat on the deck on a near perfect day and by the time we left we had several cocktails, two appetizers and entrees.
We started with the calamari which is lightly breaded and fried then combined with a black bean relish and spicy sauce. We are never ever dissatisfied with the calamari as it is always perfect. Next we tried a new appetizer panko coated mozzarella cheese with avocado, onion, tomato and arugula. Very nicely executed. The cheese was sweet against the more tart argula making for a very nice appetizer.
As we were thoroughly enjoying our drinks, the weather and the wonderful jazz combo which plays on Thursday nights, we decided to stick around for dinner.
Hubby had his usual Thursday night favorite, oysters. At the suggestion of our knowledgeable and attentive server Jeff, hubby tried sriracha chili sauce on his oysters which sent hubby over the edge as it was, according to hubby, the perfect accompaniment.
I had the chicken salad appetizer for my main meal. Presentation was pretty and the salad was OK. Salad was filled with small cubes of white meat chicken, cherries, cashews, celery and onion. The salad had a tad too much onion for my taste but onion is not one of my favorites.
Dinner ended as usual with two scoops of the vanilla gelato drizzled with carmel sauce and sprinkled with cashews. Yum.
Terry B’s? Still one of our favorite spots!