For Mother’s Day this year, my mother said she wanted to get her special meal from Teresa’s Place, which is an Italian restaurant that dates to 1921.
Teresa’s Place primarily connects with the community through Facebook. On Friday, May 8, they posted their Mother’s Day menu on their Facebook page. I called in my order that day to pick up the following Sunday.
I arrived at Teresa’s Place on Jackson Gate Road just after 6:00 p.m. I found three people in line ahead of me getting their order from the pick up window, which was located in the patio area on the north side of the restaurant. By the time I paid for my order, there were eight people in line behind me.
After I filled the order, I went to the front door, and one of the family members who run Teresa’s Place (I’m not sure who) gave me a large box with all the food straight away.
I ordered the lasagna with pesto pasta as the side dish, and my mother ordered salmon with baked potato.
Our entrees also came a large salad that was enough for two meals, bread, minestrone soup, antipasto, and cake for dessert.
My Meal
I discovered after I got home that I didn’t receive the pesto pasta. That wasn’t such a big deal to me because the portion of meat lasagna was so large that I couldn’t eat even more pasta.
The amount of antipasto was small but complemented the meal well. Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and green beans comprised the antipasto, which was tossed in a light Italian dressing.
Teresa’s Place is famous for their minestrone soup, and the large amount of soup didn’t disappoint with large chunks of vegetables and a rich broth.
The salad came with arugula, romaine lettuce, large slices of tomato and red onion, as well as slices of yellow zucchini, carrots, and beets. My mother and I both ordered ranch dressing, but we got one cup of ranch dressing and one cup of house dressing. I had the cup of house dressing on my salad, and the dressing is a sweeter variant of thousand island that I liked.
The large slices of unbuttered French bread were sliced thin, which I appreciated because baguette slices are hard for me to chew and swallow. The bread wasn’t warmed and was kept in a plastic bag. There was enough bread for us to eat during the following day’s dinner.
And the dense lasagna was covered in a thick meat ragu. Between the thick layers of pasta, I could see and taste beef, ricotta cheese, and spinach. I couldn’t tell if there were any other types of meats or vegetables.
The density of the lasagna helped keep it warm between the time it was put in its Styrofoam container to the time I started eating it.
Mom’s Meal
My mother’s baked russet potato came wrapped in aluminum foil, so it was nice and hot when she unwrapped it.
The salmon, however, had cooled by the time she put it on her plate, so she warmed up the salmon in the microwave. We could both smell the lightly-peppered, large filet after it was warmed up. She commented that the filet was just as flavorful as she ate it.
The large baked potato came with a small cup of melted butter. My mother appreciated having the opportunity to keep her potato buttered as she ate it.
Dessert
When I opened the small Styrofoam container that contained the chocolate cake, I was surprised to find the piece of cake took up only one quarter of the container.
We decided to split the cake and pair it with pudding (for me) and applesauce (for my mother). The cake was fresh and was topped with a thick layer of milk chocolate frosting.
The Verdict
Aside from the small piece of cake and the missing pesto pasta, our Mother’s Day meal from Teresa’s Place was rather filling. That’s what you want from an Italian restaurant and a good conclusion to Mother’s Day. Two thumbs up from both of us.
The overall cost was about $43 without the tip.
Want to Try Them?
Visit the Teresa’s Place Facebook page to get the latest menu and pickup hours. You can also give them a call at 209-223-1786.
Amador Business Ticker food reviews are adventures in local dining with Editor Eric Butow and his mom.
