La Terraza on 4th Street — Restaurant in Louisville

I used to work at the Seelbach (Oakroom and Old Seelbach Bar.) Both establishments had their finger on the pulse daily of what was happening in the city to get an idea of crowd size expectations and demographics (themed drinks, chef specials, etc.) La Terraza is also on 4th street but located very close to the Louisville Palace, Mercury Ballroom, and the Brown Theatre, so it's assumed they would be aware of the entertainment calendar.

We had a reservation for 6 people at La Terraza so they knew we were coming. Typically, restaurants have a "theatre menu" of quick meals that will get people out the door for a 7:30pm show. We arrived at the reserved 6pm timeslot and were seated. After flagging down a frustrated waiter, we finally placed a drink-and-food order ("place the entire order while you had the waiter's attention") at 6:30pm. Two basic drinks took 15 minutes to arrive. Our food came out as we were walking out the door at 7:15pm to go take our seats. Other tables had chips and salsa to at least have something on their stomach (we didn't), but they didn't get their food either and walked out with us.

It is possible the chef was out sick or stuck in the bridge closure traffic. Whatever the case, it is common practice for restaurants to be up front about this, have a limited menu of things the remaining line cooks can make, or you say "it will be a very long wait" so other plans can be made. That is fair for the customers and fair for the wait staff as it sets the mood for the tables that will be served.

If you have tickets to a show and are in a hurry, I strongly suggest checking out any of the other establishments...

I didn't dine in because I had just gotten back from lunch, so I ordered something to go. Will be back Monday with a few coworkers to try out the menu and the lunch dine in experience. I will say that I am very impressed with the cocktel de camarón. Not only was the cocktel reasonably priced, it was fresh and had a very exquisite taste. The usual in the cocktel is present here, the shrimp, the tomato juice, onions, cilantro and diced tomatoes. What caught me off guard what's that they add jalapenos. I love spicy food. And these jalapenos did not disappoint. The real deal here is that unlike most Mexican restaurants, they use smaller shrimp rather than the 4 or 5 jumbo shrimp that you usually get. So this cocktel will have you taste everything with every bite. No more searching for shrimps all the way down at the bottom of the container! Another thing I noticed was that they used a refreshment container. It is a very interesting idea for a to go cocktel because, i was holding the cup in one hand and my spoon with the other. Walked around the office for a lap just to see how it would work if you're walking and eating at the same time. I liked it! And i can see what they're going for here by having a smaller menu. Makes it easier to decide on what to eat, specially if you work in an office environment like me and want to grab lunch with your coworkers or business partners. This was by far the best cocktel de camarón I've had. Great value for what you get. If you love shrimp, then this a must! Looking forward to the other items...

It was a ghost town when we arrived just after 6. Literally one guy eating there. That should have been the first clue. Very limited menu to choose from . We got guacamole which was very bland with just avocado no tomatoes or onions and very light seasoning if any. The chips were crisp but unsalted. We both ordered burritos. One chicken and one carne asada . The meat was hard and dry and the burritos had nothing but meat ,cheese, beans and rice. They were also weirdly pressed like a panini . Nothing comes on the side unless you pay extra. I had the berry margarita which was small but tasty and cost 12$ each . Yikes. Our bill for two was over 70$. Which would have been ok if the food had been good . Thumbs down overall for the panini burrito and spendy drinks. The 5 star reviews must be from friends or relatives. As to the owners response . We were not told by the server what the burritos were like . In fact we were told absolutely nothing about the food at all . We ate some of it because we were hungry and basically felt uncomfortable there. They were terrible burritos to be honest and the cold sauces on the side were strange . There was nothing untrue about this review all was...