Trio Kitchen Table

[jeffj]

Thanks Tammy for taking the time to write your wonderful report. I'm delighted to hear that you had as good a time as we did. Trio is definitely an amazing experience.

[spaghetttti]

jeffj, that was absolutely awesome. I enjoyed reading this over and over again.

I've not had a dining experience such as yours but I loved and lived vicariously through your narrative and amazing photos.

Kudos to chefg.

Thank you, and I with Ronnie_Suburban says, you are my new hero, too.

[twodogs]

the butter from animal farm gets its vibrant color from being fed on grass, hence spring time is a true delight to butter lovers.

oh, and the butter is served at a third restaurant; the lodge at keyah grande in pagosa springs colorado.

cheers

[eggplantconfit]

just ate at the trio kitchen table sunday night. it was my 4th trio visit and easily the most interesting.

the kitchen was hushed and extremely professional, as it would have to be to produce that kind of food. chef carrier and chef achetz were engaging and generous, as was our main server and the rest of the staff. look forward to more.

thanks to all.

[raych77]

I will be dining at Trio for the first time tonight. I'm so excited - and strangely nervous! I'm almost afraid I won't play with my food correctly!

Any advice for the newbie? Ha!

[nightscotsman]

Go for the Tour de Force menu and be prepared to be there quite a while. You won't be bored and it's worth it.

[cookperrync]

Does the entire table have to get the Tour de Force?

Cheers,

Perry

[raych77]

Wow - wow - wow!!!! We went last night and both had the TDF with the wine pairing... It was so good that I dreamt about it afterwards!!! The menu was very similar to those listed above. You were right, you must be prepared for the long haul tho. Our meal took almost exactly 5 hours, and we were so stiff afterwards! But hey, no pain, no gain!

The service was perfect. No pretention, no noses in the air, just pure friendliness that put us immediately at ease. The staff had a wonderful sense of humor, even going so far as to let us keep our roses that came with one of the courses (they made it seem like we weren't really supposed to). The other thing we noticed was how unbelievably choreographed every movement was. Nobody missed a step.

The wine pairings, to me, were expert and really did enhance the meal. We were both very pleased that we decided to go that route. It was the first time either of us had our wine paired for us and we're not sure how we survived before!

Everything I've read about Trio (at least the good stuff) was true. It lived up to every expectation and exceeded many others.

[M65]

I am supposed to have dinner there tonight, TDF ofcourse and am very much looking forward to it. Also, looking forward to the wine pairings. More later.

[M65]

Folks,

This coming from some one who only belives in Degu Menus as a proper

dining format, and who has been an eternal vegetarian, Chef G rules, undoubdtedly the best feast i have had in my life, hands down, but what added to my dining expirience was the superb superb service, kudos chef, what a treat. see you soon. 28 courses of pure decadence. just loved it, cant wait to do it again.

Ciao

Mel

Edited March 7, 2004 by M65 (log)

[Suzi Edwards]

(feel free to move this as i didn't eat at the kitchen table but this seems the most obviousl place for the post)

I've made trip to Evanston twice now. Once to satisfy my curiosity, once to check if the first meal was a fluke. For me, Grant Achatz is the most important chef in the world at the moment. He's at that point of the bell curve where the inventiveness of molecular gastronomy meets emotionally and physically satisfying food and he nails both almost every time. I can forgive him the almost as the misses (and there have only been five out of all the dishes i have eaten) as food this thrilling and inventive doesn't come without experimentation.

I don't need to be convinced about molecular gastronomy. However as a person who hates pigeon holes I kind of resent the term. Sure, the label helps me identify the restaurants I want to eat at, but more importantly it allows people to bracket Achatz, Blumenthal, Adria et al together without concern for the differences in their approach and food. For me, Adria is the mad, crazy alchemist determined to conjure gold out of tomatoes, Blumenthal the chemistry teacher who impresses you with his culinary flights of fancy while convincing you that molecular gastronomy the obvious next stage in the evolution of dining out. And then there's Achatz. To me his food is more emotional, on the plate no less inventive than Adria and Blumenthal, but deeply rooted in (to me) the intrinsic necessity of a cook: to sate an appetite yet to create food that people want to eat again. And in my case, again and again and again.

I believe that everything we eat adds up to form your personal pantheon of food experience. As a former anorexic a tendency to fetishise food still remains. Memories of driving myself crazing sniffing the biscuit barrel yet denying myself the cookie makes me desire food that smells great. Equally, huge portions daunt me and I would rather eat 15 different single bites than one large portion. As someone who has taught herself a basic understanding of the principals of a number of different cuisines, I love food that takes something I've cooked myself and subverts it. I believe that food can evoke memory more than anything and so i like to eat food that reminds me of other

food I have eaten. Yet I crave the new and exciting and love nothing more than trying something for the first time. Achatz satisfies all of these personal needs.

And so onto the food and restaurant. The room and the service are relaxed and informal. The room reminds me of a log cabin, it's kind of low ceilinged, with a real

warmth to it. The staff are having a blast and this translates into a fabulous experience. I've eaten here alone both times and I am almost loath to go back with friends as talking to the waiters about the food and wine is a damn sight more interesting that most dinner conversations. I’m not going to talk about every dish I’ve eaten here, there are too many for that, but instead I'll concentrate on my favorite bits.

Cheese n Cracker, Salad, Virtual Shrimp Cocktail, Chicharrones con Salsa.

Some might see these dishes as curiosities but to me they are some of the most entertaining, whimsical and delicious on the menu. Cheese n Cracker is a crisp

parcel filled with Wisconsin cheddar. I joked to my waiter that I didn't think Americans knew how to make cheese, but this was stellar. A molten, oozing single bite of great cheese wrapped in the cracker. Salad is a granita of different lettuces (juiced and then frozen and shaved) dressed with oil and vinegar. The inventiveness of the execution should be enough by itself, but it was perfectly dressed as well, something that many traditional restaurants can't pull off with real lettuce. It came at the half way point in the TDF and was a perfect palate cleanser and it also regirded my loins for the second "half" of the meal. Achatz has cleverly created a long and involved tasting menu that has phases, doesn't throw all the cool and inventive stuff at you at first and that is perfectly paced. Virtual Shrimp Cocktail is an atomizer that you mist onto your tongue; didn’t work for me, reminded me of my asthma medication, but the flavor was there, even though the delivery mechanism failed.

North Dakota goose (foie gras, roasting goose aromas) Rib eye of Prime Beef (spring lettuce, morels, smoked tongue) Tapioca of Roses (raspberries, clove, cream) These are the dishes where smell really comes into play and Achatz's desire to deliver new ways of experiencing the food and smell are apparent. The goose is served with a small dish on the side full of aromatics and a hot stone is placed on the dish (with a warning not to eat it) that releases the aroma. The rib eye of smoked beef comes with a small beaker over the beef and tongue, the beaker is filled with smoke so you experience the real hit of the smoking as you eat. The tapioca of roses is served in a plastic tube with a single red rose and three warm raspberries on the plate. The first dish I was served at El Bulli came with a rose, but I found the experience somewhat embarrassing as we'd literally just sat down and were being commanded to sniff. Achatz saves this until the end, so you're more relaxed and happy to let yourself do what he says. Last time I ate here one diner grasped the rose in his teeth and was grinning like a schoolboy. Not something I saw at more formal places like El Bulli or Gagnaire.

Tempura of Gulf Shrimp (vanilla, cranberry, Meyer lemon) Black Truffle

Explosion, Confit of Melysol Melon and Fricassee of English Peas (cured

goose, ramps, pearls of eucalyptus). the tempura is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten, beating Ramsey's Tarte Tatin by a very long way. It's not the most inventive thing on the menu but it's made of things that i love (prawns, vanilla, fried food) delivered in a new way (speared on a vanilla bean) and eaten by lifting the bean upwards and lowering the tempura into your mouth. People look almost religious as they throw their heads back and eat. The temptation to snatch it from the hands of those who closed their eyes to do this was strong, but I managed to resist. The Confit of Melysol melon is Achatz's take on that old faithful melon and Parma ham. Melon is balled into almost nerd sized balls, arranged and then covered with the thinnest slice of prosciutto that's flashed under the grill until it becomes transparent. this dish works in so many different ways; you've had it before but never like this, the melon is the sweetest you've ever eaten and it looks like the candy you had as a child. Simply stunning. And the fricassee of English peas. What a spring like dish! To me it's a riff

on the peas and mint thing, but here the mint is replaced with eucalyptus pearls (gelled balls flavoured with eucalyptus oil) that mimic the size, shape and mouthfeel of the peas, but with a surprising flavor.

There's an erotic nature to trio that I don't want to overemphasize, but needs mentioning as so few restaurants deliver this. It's not seedy erotic, more the frisson of flirting when you know you shouldn't and playfulness that comes from being physically and mentally stimulated. I don't know if it's intentional or just imagined by me, but the delivery of the food (frozen hibiscus lollipops to suck, tempura with vanilla beans allowing you to close your eyes and throw back your head (still can't stop thinking about this dish) charred pineapple and smoked salmon speared so you lean in, as if for a kiss and, on my last visit, a tube of foie gras) coupled with the low lighting and drapes on the ceiling, makes this a really intimate place to eat.

If you live in Chicago and you haven't been, go. If you live anywhere else, get on a flight and go.

[Schneier]

I have kitchen table reservations for two weeks from now.

Finally.

Bruce

[bleachboy]

Tarka, I don't know how I missed your post the first time around, but now that this has been bumped, you captured the essence of the Trio experience perfectly. Hear hear!

[Sweet Willie]

(feel free to move this as i didn't eat at the kitchen table but this seems the most obviousl place for the post)

If you live in Chicago and you haven't been, go. If you live anywhere else, get on a flight and go.

Going tomorrow night to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary.

We don’t have the kitchen table either, but I will post under this thread as well.

[Rhea_S]

Happy Anniversary! I am eagerly anticipating your dinner descriptions. One day, I will get myself to Trio.

[Lady T]

I have kitchen table reservations for two weeks from now.

Finally.

Bruce

It's all that, and then some, Bruce. I look forward to your report.

And I thank you again for giving me my first shot at the Trio kitchen table last fall!

[raych77]

Please take me with you! I want to go back so badly! I take out the menu they gave us as a souvenir at least once a week and pine away for the shrimp tempura on the vanilla bean skewer... sigh

[tammylc]

I lust after that too. Sooooo good.

[raych77]

I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one. The girls I work with laugh at me all the time number one, for spending the money on a dinner (they are not foodies), and number two for saying out of nowhere, I have a taste for a shrimp on a vanilla bean. They think I've completely lost it.

They may not be wrong...

[bleachboy]

No, Raych, they're wrong. The shrimp tempura on the vanilla bean is unbelievably kick ass.

[Sweet Willie]

Too busy, too hectic, too busy, too hectic, we’ve all been there but this has been the norm for the Sweet Willie household for too long. I wanted our 12th wedding anniversary celebration to be a relaxed, away from the cares of the day event, with the exception of a vacation one can’t be much more relaxed time than a 4.5 hour dinner.

So bring on Trio’s Tour de Force Tasting Menu! A 16 course dining extravaganza w/wine pairings if one wishes and as I would certainly suggest as they were terrific choices by the wine staff. Again make it easy for me, this is “relaxedville dining event” night.

A bit of info on the chef Grant Achatz from the Trio website http://www.trio-restaurant.com “Achatz’s roots are firmly set in food. His family owned several restaurants in Michigan and he decided early on to pursue a career in fine cuisine. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he spent time at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and at Cygnus in the prestigious Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Michigan before settling in with his mentor, Chef Thomas Keller, as Sous Chef at the French Laundry. Keller writes that "Grant’s food speaks with a global assertion and a visual elegance translated from his culinary experiences around the world." While in Napa, Achatz also spent a year as assistant winemaker at the La Jota Vineyards. His knowledge and experience in both fields make an exceptional marriage of food and wine.”

It was a beautiful warm sunny day for mid April in Chicago. The restaurant is located in The Homestead, a small gracious hotel in Evanston, IL ( http://www.thehomestead.net ). Traffic was light and we arrived sharply at 5:30 for our seating. We were shown to a table in a smaller room adjacent to the main dining room. Seeing as there was a very loud group already seated in the main dining room we were glad to be in the more intimate section.

Even though we have already informed the restaurant that we will be enjoying the Tour de Force, they show us the menu so that we can start to drool over the offerings. A Pommery “Brut Royal” champagne was served from Reims. Lovely.

The wine pairing list is at the end of this write-up, as I can not remember exactly which wines were paired with what dishes, the list is in the order that was served. Some wines covered more than one course. With 16 courses we limited our consumption, but Trio will pour as many glasses as you want to go through. We did enjoy multiple glasses of the two sherries at the end of the meal as at that time we were not concerned about having an intoxicated pallet.

Caramelized Sri Lankan Eggplant – encased in a thin, clear sugar casing, resting on a spoon. Crunch sweet sugar, rich caramelized earth eggplant, cilantro, pepper, mustard seeds. Amazing tastes from one bite of food.

If one remembers Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, one of the brats Violet Beauregarde bites into a piece of candy that incorporates the flavors of a 7-course meal. This is what one can expect with most courses at Trio, a journey of flavors, one right after the other.

Wild Steelhead Roe – sake, tosaka seaweed, cucumber. The sake is actually mixed with some pectin to form a clear pouch that the roe and cucumber (cut to the same size of the roe) are put in. The briny flavor of the roe/seaweed and fresh cucumber bites. We enjoyed this but the sake piece of this Achatz food puzzle was not present.

Chilled English Peas – ramps, eucalyptus, ham. My wife and I are both carnivores, we really like meat! So I usually slump when I read about a course that contains mostly vegetables. I did slump here, but when the intense fresh flavor of the chilled pea soup, mixed with the salty dry ham, ramps (kindof like green onions), and the small eucalyptus balls, my tastebuds danced.

Tempura of Maine Shrimp – vanilla, cranberry, Meyer lemon. Picture a solid cylinder of stainless steel (about ½ the size of a roll of quarters) with six 6” thin pieces of wire protruding from one end. These six pieces of wire hold the piece of tempura that was molded around a long thin vanilla bean. One is instructed to grasp the bean, bend one’s head back and use one’s mouth to pull the piece of tempura off of the vanilla bean. Warm crunchy rich shrimp tempura flavor, now molten cranberry with finished zest of Meyer lemon.

Black Truffle Explosion – a ravioli filled with black truffle consume and some black truffle shavings on top. Unlike a soup dumpling from Chinatown, one is to put the whole ravioli in the mouth so there is an “explosion” when bitten into. Explode it did with luxurious truffle flavor. I was surprised at my positive reaction to this course as after a horrible New Year’s Eve meal at Trotter’s where every dish had some sort of truffle (usually too much) I had pretty much been turned off by truffles.

Maine Lobster – flavors of Thai ice tea, aromatic bread. Full chunks of lobster set atop a piece of aromatic bread in a bowl. Warm Thai tea is poured over the lobster, the bread soaking up the wonderful brew.

Missing course – can’t remember what it was!!!! So obviously just ok.

Hot Fava Bean and Cold Black Truffle Purees – olive oil, lavender. Again a course with truffles & vegetables and again a tremendous course.

Chicharrones con Salsa. Mexican!!?? Yep. A curly chicharron with a full flavored salsa. Flavors we love and found amusing in the setting we were in.

Tenderloin of Venison – banana, celeriac, malted barley. The combination of the venison and celeriac was wonderful, surprisingly the banana added immensely to the dish. The malted barley added body to the bites but was not a flavor player.

Cheese ‘n Cracker Tomato soup ‘n Cracker. Wife is a no dairy person so she had the Tomato Soup ‘n Cracker, I the Cheese ‘n Cracker. Both “exploded” in the mouth when bit into. The cracker being a crisp container (think the way ravioli encompasses the ingredient) containing the sharp cheddar cheese or soup.

It was wonderful how crisp the cracker remained from the kitchen to our palettes.

Moulard Duck Foie Gras w/blueberries, cinnamon tapioca, sorrel. The presentation was served in a clear glass tube. The mousse of foie gras “plugged” one end, the cinnamon tapioca the other. We lifted/tilted the tube, put one end to our mouth and then sucked the whole tube’s worth into our mouth. Silky, luxurious foie gras mousse w/the other components.

Raisin Soda. We liked raisins, so we like this one but not really special.

Kiwi Seeds – Young Coconut – Lime. The seed packets of the kiwi, with strips of young coconut, lime and some passion fruit seedpods made for a tart crunchy course. Very enjoyable.

Charred Pineapple – smoked salmon, shichimi togarashi, soy foam. A highlight, the char pineapple and smoked salmon work wonders with the sweet salty soy foam providing a finishing touch.

Confit of Melysol Melon – proscuitto, catmint, sherry vinegar. Not a memorable dish

Virtual Shrimp Cocktail. Think shrimp cocktail essence in a small, iced spray bottle. One sprays the essence into the mouth. We thought it was quite amusing.

Green and White Asparagus – shellfish, apricot, pickled asparagus, parmesan crispies. Warm clarified butter is ladled over the dish at the table just before one eats. The shellfish was a sashimi of gooey duck clam. Wonderful dish.

Elysian Fields Farm Lamb – sunflower plant, bag of crispy texture. The bag contains crisped garlic, onion, sunflower seeds and other crispies. The bag is also labeled “Trio bag of crispy texture”. Sprinkle on the dish and enjoy. Lamb was cooked sous vide and was full of flavor.

Frozen WillaKenzie Verjus – Thyme. A small frozen disk of WillaKenzie juice with a small leaf of Thyme. Sweet/tart juice then Thyme. Quite refreshing.

Ribeye of Prime Beef – spring lettuces, morel mushrooms, smoked tongue. Plate is served with a glass full of smoke inverted over the smoked tongue with a sliced morel mixture on top. Glass is then lifted and left at the table to provide smoke flavor seeing as smell is a large part of tasting.

“Salad” – red wine vinaigrette. The mixed greens and vinaigrette are frozen to form a granita medley. Wonderful, fun and refreshing.

Carrot-Mandarin-Smoked Paprika Leather – fruit roll up. Nice combination, but nothing special.

Australian Finger Limes – Sugar. A lollipop comprised of a clear crystal sugar pop containing the red and white juice packets of the Australian finger lime. Fun.

Red Wine Braised Rhubarb – strawberries, violets, sheeps milk ice cream. A highlight, a bowl is served with a tube containing the items. In the bottom of the tube is the warm braised rhubarb, next layer is cool strawberry froth with strawberry bits. Into the strawberry froth is placed the cold sheep’s milk ice cream. The tube is then picked up by the waitstaff and all the items mix into the bowl.

Warm Ocumare Chocolate, yeast, pistachio, flax seed. We were divided on this dish. I really liked the toasted flax seed “cookie” that the warmed chocolate sat on. The flax seed disk was on a jelled disk of Sierra Nevada beer. Wife thought the flaxseed was overpowering.

Tripod Hibiscus. A frozen ball of hibiscus tea propped up by three wire legs. The wire legs come together after you pick it up to form a lollipop.

Bubble of Serveral Unusual Gums. A balloon filled with the gums. A pin is provided for one to pop the balloon to get at the gums.

Wine pairings:

There was only one that we did not appreciate at all, that was the

Pasqualino di Prisco Fiano di Avellino, Campania, Italy 2002

Cusumano “Angimbe” Insolia/Chardonnay, Sicily 2002

Birgit Eichinger “Strasser Gainsberg” Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria 2001

Europvin Falset “Laurona”, Montsant, Spain 2000

Ochs Blaufrankisch Eiswein, Neusiedlersee, Austria 2001

Luis Pato Maria Gomes, Beiras, Portugal 2002

Argiolas “Argiolas” Vermintino, Isola dei Nuraghi, Sardinia 2002

Honig Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2000

Chateau la Rouviere, Bandol 2000

Oloroso “Pata de Gallina”, Juan Garcia, Jarana, Jerez, Spain

Forteto della Luja Brachetto “Pain dei Sogni”, Piedmont 1998

Vinhos Barbeito “Special Reserve” Malmsey, Madeira

Ok, the reality of dropping a mortgage payment sinks in when the bill arrives as the Tour de Force is $175 with the $95 wine pairings (per person). Also offered are pre fixe 4 course for $85 and a chef’s tasting menu at $120. Both of these have wine pairings as well.

Just before our meal ended, a younger ;) couple sat down next to us. We all got to talking and they found out we were celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary. The woman stated they had been married for three and while not wanting to jinx us, what was our secret. No secret really. My wife and I just really enjoy each other’s company., we frequently make the comment to each other, “well, at least we think we’re funny!”.

I could not have dreamed of a better evening. Mortgage payment be damned!

Edited May 10, 2004 by Sweet Willie (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

Wow! Willie! Sounds like it was an amazing experience.

Thanks for taking the time to share it with all of us.

=R=

[Mark Sommelier]

Food as toys? Does no one think this is contrived? Am I alone in thinking that none of these dishes sounds remotely appetizing? Just curious.

[tammylc]

Having eaten Grant's food twice now, I'd say that it all sounds very appetizing. He takes the oddest combinations and makes them absolutely sing. Food as toys - sure! His food is filled with a sense of whimsy that I think is utterly delightful.

Is any of this really so far away from "Breakfast at Citronelle," Mark?

[Scott -- DFW]

I just read on another thread that there are "credible rumors" that Achatz will be leaving Trio later this year. How credible are the rumors? When is he supposed to be leaving? Where will he go next?

Since I had planned to revisit Trio (from out of state) for the kitchen table in early September, this rumor is distressing, if true. I already have reservations that week for the kitchen table at Trotter's. But, frankly, I was looking forward to the meal at Trio with even greater anticipation.

Hoping it isn't true (and, failing that, hoping Achatz moves to Dallas),

Scott