Tersiguel's French Country

This is a special occasion restaurant and we were attending for a special occasion. I'll start with the positive. The atmosphere and service definitely made it special. We knew going in that it was a prix fixe menu with 6 courses. However, other than asking for dietary restrictions or allergies, we not only had no choice at all but we also were not presented with a menu ahead of time of what we would be receiving for each course. So the only thing we stated was that my husband could not tolerate any heat spices. Starting with cocktails, I am still baffled that my Cosmo looked and tasted awful. They tried to remediate it but it just never tasted good. The first course of soup was fabulous. The second course featured spicy peppers as a primary element. For my husband they substituted hard boiled egg. However, had I known the MAIN feature would have been these peppers, I would have requested to substitute as well. They were too hot for me. The third course was soft-shelled crab. My husband loved it, which was a good thing since I gave him all of mine. It isn't an allergy or restriction on my part, it just that I just don't like them. Again, had I known in advance, I would have requested something different. Next course was Halibut which was marvelous. Then the venison which was perfectly prepared, but the sauce accompaniment was an awful looking grey sludge, which tasted like it looked. Finally, for dessert there was an olive oil cake with side of berry compote and whipped cream. While I appreciate the uniqueness of it, it just wasn't the celebratory dessert I was looking forward to for this special occasion. While the restaurant is maintaining this prix fixe format, we won't be going back.

My dining experience was superb; this may very well be the best restaurant in Howard County, and unquestionably the best in Ellicott City. Tersiguel's has adopted a chef's-choice type of menu, which is to say no menu per se. Based upon preferences and restrictions you provide in advance, the chef cooks up an outstanding, semi-customized, multi-course dinner. As an omnivore I had a seafood course (soft-shell crab), a fish course (halibut), a venison course, and a veal filet course, in addition to soup and dessert. My dining companion, a pescatarian who also doesn't eat shellfish, was accommodated by substituting fish for meat. The wait staff was attentive but not intrusive, and we had an interesting conversation with the chef about the history of his restaurant, as well as about France and its food. The restaurant will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. Seating is spacious in the main dining room, and you may even luck out as we did and get a room all to yourselves. This is good for those of us who are COVID-cautious, and makes for a quiet environment, with a background of dining-appropriate classical music. Service and food like this do not come cheap--it's quite pricey but less than you would pay at most Michelin-star restaurants, which this restaurant rivals.

Amazing overall experience: food is very well thought through and changes weekly, combination of ingredients and tastes is fascinating. The only thing I would improve is ambience: would love to hear some French music playing in the background. Will be coming back!

I went to Tersiguel's for my birthday and had a wonderful time. Everyone I interacted with kind and knowledgeable. I requested a vegetarian meal, and they followed up to make sure I didn't have any other specific dietary needs. The food was absolutely delicious, and they even brought put a candle on top of the dessert for my birthday. 10/10 experience.

Eating at Tersiguel's is an experience so many exquisite flavors, wonderful wines, attentive service, beautiful ambiance! Charlie the lead waiter is so engaging, like a tour guide on your culinary adventure!