Grilled Oysters and Wine at Eataly's Terra

Eataly, the Italian food wonderland at NorthPark Center, has an authentic wood-burning Italian grill tucked away on its third-floor rooftop, Terra. Inspired by earth and fire, it's where raw seasonal ingredients are cooked over burning flames.

You would think dining at a restaurant that's "technically" inside a mall wouldn't exactly give vibes, but Terra far surpasses the reputations of Auntie Anne's pretzels and whoever sells those massive cookie cakes.

The restaurant's layout, design and aroma actually make you feel like you've been swept away to Italy. Plus, Eataly's whole manifesto is that they cook what they sell and they sell what they cook. Most of the food is imported from Italy and the rest is sourced locally, so the quality and authenticity of the dishes they prepare give them proper bragging rights.

They keep things simple for the food menu, as true Italian cuisine should be. However, the Italian wine menu is six pages, in what we'd guess is 10-point font. If you're not one to absorb six pages of anything, especially without a glass of wine in hand — we get that. The servers are more than happy to guide you.
To start there are antipasti (small shareable plates) like oysters, housemade bread and eye-round beef carpaccio. Or, there's spiedini (skewered and grilled) with shell-on king prawns and Abruzzese lamb skewers.

For mains, they have pasta like cavatelli al ragu di Terra, which is house-made cavatelli pasta, beef and pork ragu and 18-month Parmigiano Reggiano DOP; a grilled butterfly branzino; and bistecca di maiale, which is pork secreto steak.

The Per la Tavola section, designed to feed the whole table, is offered at various price points: tomahawk (the best of Terra), grigliata di pesce (a tribute to Italian coastal cuisine) and fornello Pugliese (a variety of skewers inspired by Southern Italy).

Right now, there's a spring cocktail menu running until June with classic drinks paired with a spring edition by Terra. It's the perfect excuse for two rounds.

We started with a glass of Falanghina wine, a white varietal from Campania, the "shin" of Italy's boot. Interesting note: the name Campania comes from "Campania felix," which means happy land. As any major wine-producing area in Italy should be.

The oysters are lightly cooked over an open flame, served slightly warmed and topped with salmoriglio, a marinade made with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano. Slightly salty and very light, these were bursting with flavor from the salmoriglio.

Mezza luna pasta was new for us to try. It's probably a crime to liken it to a ravioli, but let's just say in structure they are fairly close. The pasta is filled with Calabro ricotta and peas and topped with lemon butter, white and green asparagus, and 18-month parmigiano reggiano DOP. Toss lemon butter and cheese on literally anything and there are high odds it'll be great. The quality of ingredients is what separates this pasta from others. It's very light, even for pasta, and is packed full of rich flavors.
To seal the Italian experience, we finished with an affogato: espresso poured over vanilla gelato. No notes. Utterly delicious.

You may not need one, but make a reservation anyway. Also, there's plenty of parking out front.

Terra (inside Eataly), 8687 N. Central Expressway, No. 2172. Monday – Thursday, 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.