Not so long ago, this storefront location on Old Canton Road was a video store. Then, it was a bad Italian restaurant where we once waited an hour and fifteen minutes for appetizers to arrive. (We didn’t stick around for the main course.) Now, the place is called Trio’s. I’ve seen their billboard ads all over town, but Clyde and I had never treated ourselves to an evening at Trio’s … until tonight.
With its bubbling, wall-mounted aquarium, sleek bar, and wide-open dining room, Trio’s offers a pleasant (if a bit dimly lit) space for dining. Extensive renovations, heavy curtains, and clever use of space keeps the restaurant from looking like a reconfigured video store. There’s no need for reservations, at least during the week; when we were there on Tuesday at 7:00, there were only four folks at the bar and four tables taken.
We started with the fried calamari. The standard for calamari, by the way, is the red pepper-dusted calamari at Red Door in Vancouver; it’s light and crisp and cooked to perfection. At Trio’s, unfortunately, the calamari was a touch overcooked and swimming in grease. Worse, instead of a dipping sauce, this fried appetizer comes with a side of herbed olive oil. Frankly? I felt as though I’d ordered the Exxon Valdez of appetizers.
Our entrees were good — but again, very, very greasy. I ordered the Mediterranean Burger with chips. I had high hopes — it’s a $10.00 burger, after all — but, in the end, the burger was more schizophrenic than satisfying. Served on a length of po-boy bread, the Mediterranean Burger is, in fact, a kibby patty too soft and moist to hold its basic burger shape. Use a fork, as the sandwich self-destructs when handled.
Clyde ordered the pan-seared scallops with leeks. Both the seafood and the veggies arrived absolutely glistening with grease. Clyde, a dedicated vegetable lover, couldn’t down the leeks. The scallops were tasty enough, but the serving portion (six scallops) was small for the price (almost twenty dollars).
We skipped dessert, opting to run home and drink a bottle of degreaser instead.
No, but seriously — when we got home, we both caught ourselves spontaneously washing our face and hands. We just felt that greasy, and it wasn’t a good thing. And that’s a shame, because, had the chef had a lighter hand with the oil, the food could have been tasty.
I won’t be campaigning to return to Trio’s — and, besides, the joint is too pricey to become a regular haunt. My burger and Clyde’s six scallops set us back fifty bucks — and that’s without a drink order or dessert. The average entree runs about twenty dollars, with some options as rich as $40.00 a plate.
I’m not a cheapskate; we don’t mind paying exquisite prices for exquisite food. But the portion sizes and food quality at Trio’s don’t justify the ticket price — at least not in the Jackson market. Next time we think of Trio’s, we’ll snag me a plate of kibby (with veggies and hummus) at Aladdin for seven bucks … and get Clyde some scallops at Bravo.
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