The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland is flanked on two sides by floor-to-ceiling windows.. Photo: Emilie Raguso

Situated in an historic art deco building overlooking Lake Merritt, The Terrace Room certainly gets points for its view. Half of its dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows, all the better to take in the panorama.

The restaurant, located in the Lake Merritt Hotel, brought in Louis Le Gassic as its new executive chef last December. Le Gassic is a self-taught chef who worked at Enzo’s Meat Market and in 1997, joined the team at the highly regarded Bay Wolf restaurant in Oakland. He later traveled in France, and then returned to the East Bay, where he now calls Berkeley his home.

At The Terrace Room, Le Gassic has upped its emphasis on local, organic ingredients while maintaining its classic New American cuisine. “I saw in Chef Le Gassic the ideal combination of experience and inspiration to take our menu, quality, service and value to a new level and we have given him nearly carte blanche to do so,” said Randall Berger, one of the proprietors of The Terrace Room.

Back in December, NOSH stopped in for lunch as a guest of The Terrace Room. Here’s a look at what Le Gassic has brought to the menu.

The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Grilled calamari salad with roasted fall vegetables, arugula and tapenade. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Caesar salad. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Roasted pumpkin soup with polenta, spinach and walnut pesto. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room has sweeping views of Oakland’s Lake Merritt. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room has sweeping views of Oakland’s Lake Merritt. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
A mural of Lake Merritt by artist Andrew Boratko, which was painted in 1956, now graces the wall behind The Terrace Room’s bar. Photo: Emilie Raguso
A mural of Lake Merritt by artist Andrew Boratko, which was painted in 1956, now graces the wall behind The Terrace Room’s bar. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Old art deco touches remain, like these multicolored tile steps, at The Terrace Room. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Portobello lasagne with spinach, ricotta, lemon cream and crispy parsley. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Bellweather Farms ricotta ravioli with broccoli di ciccio, Anaheim peppers and Parmesan. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The view of Lake Merritt as seen from the dining room at The Terrace Room. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Sculptural wrought iron adorns the windows at The Terrace Room. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Sculptural wrought iron adorns the windows at The Terrace Room. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The Terrace Room in Oakland. Photo: Emilie Raguso
The entrance to The Terrace Room is through The Lake Merritt Hotel. Photo: Emilie Raguso

Check out our other NOSH on the town stories.

The Terrace Room is at 1800 Madison St. (at Lakeside Drive), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.

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