When my sister first asked me if I wanted to join the gang for dinner at TRIO I was very hesitant for the following three reasons. #1 I had just had Thai food earlier that week and didn't know if my tummy was going to be in the mood for more # 2 This place was located no where near my house or her house. It was all the way at 26th and Brown in the Art Museum Area. #3 The weather man predicted rain. A lot of it. That last reason alone is usually enough to keep me indoors huddled on my couch snuggling my dog. However against my better judgement I decided to join the gang for dinner.
Parking was quite difficult, as I had mentioned before, the weather man predicted rain and he was more than correct. The city was blanketed in clouds, fog and rain for 2 days that continued steadily that night. When I reached the Art Museum area, there was a lot of unexpected traffic due to the increased Halloween traffic going on at the Eastern State Penitentiary. I thought to myself "great, this night is turning out shitty already." However after circling the restaurant a few times, I finally found parking right on 26th street off of Aspen. We trudged into the restaurant located right on the corner of the block with it's faeire lights twinkling in the rain. It actually looked quite warm and inviting and we were happy to make it inside. I had no idea that the place boasted 3 floors of dining rooms and an outdoor deck. The deck clearly was no use to us that night but I could see how inviting it could be on a nice summer night.
I was begginning to see why the gang suggested we have dinner at Trio. We were seated at a long table that comfortably accomodated our large group. We had a party of 9 and a stash of 8 bottles. I should have known that any dinner at a BYOB with this bunch would turn into a boozy dinner. Since it was raining and I was a DD I had only a few glasses of wine.
The menu was interesting. Clearly asian inspired but the entrees were all more fusion-y than authentic thai. I went with the crispy duck which the waitress higly recommended. I found it to be dry and the sauce a bit one dimensional. It wasn't bad in any way. But I like my duck cooked to medium and I knew I had made a mistake in my entree choice when the waitress didn't ask me for a temperature on my duck. However as a saving grace one person in our group suggested we order noodles for the table and we all quickly agreed that it sounded like an excellent notion.
The drunken noodles and the pad thai that we ordered to share was excellent. Full of flavor and not too greasy as stir fried noodles can sometimes be. Overall I can't remember what everyone ordered but I do remember the staff being very attentive but not overbearing. We all ate heartily and drank with gusto. I had a enjoyable experience that had as much to do with the company as it had to do with the food and the restaurant. I can see how this neighborhood joint managed to be full on a rainy cold Saturday night.
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