Remodeled French bistro is back! Established 1966, reestablished 1997

Owner William Hoffman knows his restaurant, La Terrasse, from top to bottom--literally. Back when Hoffman was a Penn undergraduate in the early 1980's, he started working at the Sansom street eatery as a busboy. And now, after graduating and running a popular restaurant downtown, he has returned to bring La Terrasse back from the dead. Reopened May 14, La Terrasse has been waiting a long time for its facelift. A dispute between the former owners caused the restaurant to close in 1988, when the doors shut and the decay began. Hoffman described what a "terrible condition" the building was in when he finally returned to Sansom. "It was a fun project," said Hoffman, who added that the job of revitalizing La Terrasse was "huge ?we gutted the building ?and restored it from the ground." Also the owner of Carolina's restaurant at 20th streets between Spruce and Locust, Hoffman felt a need to return to the University City area with his restauranteur experience. "It was killing me ?that it was vacant," said Hoffman. "I wanted to see the block get finished." As for atmosphere, Hoffman emphasized that the newly refurbished "bistro" -- with its contemporary decor and hardwood floors -- would be anything but "pretentious" in its delivery of fine French cuisine. "It's fine dining ?but casual," insisted Hoffman. With two chefs -- one American, one French -- who share in what the restaurant calls a "transAtlantic partnership," Hoffman promised the menu is as authentically French as it is seasonal. And he emphasized how much he appreciates the University -- his landlord for the restaurant property. "Penn did a great job with the remodeling," Hoffman noted. With an expected clientele of "administration and graduate students," La Terrasse hopes to bring a new "watering hole" to the Sansom Street row. "It's used the same way a bistro is used in France," said Annie Bentley, Hoffman's consultant. "It's definitely not for special occasions?it's just casual." Henry Graves, a recent patron of the restaurant, reminisced about the restaurant, and compared it to Hoffman's reinterpretation of La Terrasse. "I used to come here a lot," said Graves. "They really fixed this place up."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.