| Trio's Hot Combo: Pizza, Pasta, Patio | ||
| By Anne Wilson -- Special To The Tribune | 06/21/2002 | |
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Dining out isn't the big occasion it used to be: in 1955, Americans spent only a quarter of every food dollar eating outside the home. Now, it's 46 cents, according to the National Restaurant Association. There is a lot of competition for that food money, as any unsuccessful restaurateur could tell you. Those who succeed find a niche and do it as well or better than the competition. Trio, a new Italian-themed eatery that has taken over a longtime restaurant space in Salt Lake City, wants to be your new favorite modestly priced, casual dining spot. Nothing on the a la carte dinner menu costs more than $16, and most of the entrees hover around $10. It's possible to get a pretty good meal at Trio for under $20, including a glass of wine. It's also possible to get a mediocre meal, although those are the exception. Most of the food served at Trio is fresh, nicely cooked and expertly seasoned. The menu has enough variety to satisfy most appetites, the wine list is interesting and the patio is one of the prettiest around. With all that going for it, Trio is already drawing big crowds. Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't take reservations. But turnover is fairly quick, although diners who don't want to wait should avoid obvious peak times. Trio is named for its three partners: David Harries, who owns the successful fine-dining Italian restaurant Fresco; Todd Miller, the creative force in the kitchen; and businessman Patrick Reedy. They undertook a significant remodel of the space formerly occupied by Eclipse, whose owners originally opened The Dodo in that same space back in the '70s. Trio's patio gets most of its appeal from a rounded, white railing that has extensions to support strips of yellow canvas that can be extended across the patio to provide shade. A grassy knoll just off the patio provides enough room for youngsters to romp if they become restless. It's a relaxing spot to enjoy a summer meal of pasta, pizza, salad or one of Trio's more substantial entrees. Trio's food is designed to be quick and uncomplicated, with traditional seasonings like fresh herbs, vinegar, cheeses and olive oil. Carmelized vegetables, for example, add sweetness to the flavorful flat iron steak ($16), finished with a succulent sauce made of chianti and thyme. Some of the food becomes more than the sum of its parts. Thin, crispy housemade flatbread flavored with rosemary ($6.50) is paired with tart goat cheese, roasted red peppers and roasted tomatoes that combine to become an intensely flavored appetizer for four or a meal in itself when paired with a salad. Seared fresh salmon ($14) is a perfect hot-weather meal -- cooked just until done, topped with parsley pesto that gains much of its lively flavor from capers and served with a crisp garnish of sliced fennel, arugula and crimini mushrooms flavored with fresh lemon. The chopped vegetable salad ($7) is another inspired dish, chock full of green beans, yellow squash, onions, red peppers, celery, juicy caper berries, green and kalamata olives, all of it dressed with a light but tasty vinaigrette. Salads are one of Trio's strengths: they are innovative, large and intensely flavored, whether it is the Caesar with its intense garlic bite ($8) or the Cobb with its wealth of smoky bacon ($9). Pizza (all $10) comes in four varieties, loaded with four cheeses and fresh herbs or topped with proscuitto, pepperoni, roasted peppers and olives and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. But there are weak spots in this menu as well. An appetizer of creamy polenta with mascarpone cheese is filling but bland ($6). Go for the pesto topping instead. Linguine carbonara ($11.50) was disappointing, mostly because its thin sauce bore no resemblance to the traditional egg-based dressing that gives carbonara its richness. And pasta arribbiata, which should have a bite from red chili flakes, was neither spicy nor sufficiently cooked -- the tubular pasta was a few cooking minutes short of al dente. The other disappointment was the creme brulee ($5), a classic dessert of egg custard topped by caramelized sugar. It is a tiny serving and a rather thin custard, definitely not the rich treat it ought to be. But the passion fruit sorbet (ice cream and sorbet selections vary) was out of this world, as was the molten chocolate cake. Trio offers another surprise in its wine list. Every bottle of white costs $22 and every bottle of red is $24. Every glass, whether red or white, is $5. Harries figured that flat pricing would encourage diners to try wines they don't normally drink. Our servers were efficient and professional on two separate visits, although the pacing of one meal was slightly uneven. Good servers are hard to find and harder to keep, but Trio seems to be doing a decent job of hiring and training. Trio 680 S. 900 East, Salt Lake City; 533-8746 Hours: Monday through Saturday, lunch from 11 a.m.; dinner from 5 p.m. Prices: Dinner entrees $9 to $16 Liquor: Full bar, wine list Handicapped Accessible: Yes Reservations: No Takeout: Yes Outdoor Dining: Yes Kid's Menu: Yes Parking: On-site lot, street Credit Cards: All major Anne Wilson is The Tribune's restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Wilson welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at wilwrite99@aol.com. |
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