Trio Restaurant, Evanston
 

I've been fortunate to have dined at Trio for quite a few years now. Trio has given starts to some of Chicago's great chefs including: Rick Tramonto, Gail Gand and Shawn McClain. Now a "new" chef Grant Achatz (from French Laundry) has taken the helm. Trio still serves very good creative dishes with impeccable service. The sommelier is one of the best I've dealt with anywhere.

Trio
1625 Hinman Ave
Evanston, IL
847.733.8746

http://www.trio-restaurant.com/




[This message has been edited by Sweet Willie (edited 10-11-2003).]

Chef Grant Achatz of Trio was awarded the RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR by the James Beard Awards for 2003.

Below is an excerpt about Achatz from newcitychicago.com

“Charlie Trotter sat on the hood of his maroon Jaguar in the alley next to his eponymous restaurant in Chicago. A young cook approached him quietly. He told Trotter that he intended to leave, only six months into his employment. Trotter gave the cook his standard speech. He warned the cook that if he did not stay at the restaurant for a full year, that the cook would not exist, period. Trotter said, "Don't ever call me. Don't ever use me as a reference. Don't put me on your resume. As far as I am concerned, if you haven't worked here a year, you haven't worked here." The cook quit anyway. Five years later, in July of 2001, he found his way back to the area, as the new chef of Trio. The young cook is now wonderboy chef Grant Achatz--and he has returned to Trotter's home turf in an effort to find his own style, voice and maybe even his own fame.

Now 29 years old, Achatz exudes the aura of success that one would expect from a cook who was dubbed "The Golden Boy" by his former co-workers at the renowned French Laundry in Yountville, California. In his first year as executive chef at Evanston's nearly ten-year-old Trio, Achatz was nominated for the James Beard Rising Star Award in 2002 and named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs as well. Amid a flurry of champagne toasts and proud speeches,Trio got back its fourth star from Chicago magazine in April, 2002.”

Rest of Achatz story: http://www.newcitychicago.com/chicago/2475.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdining_forum/cool.gif

I've heard more than a few mixed reviews and catty remarks that Trotter's is overrated so it's been on and off my must-do list over the past two years. Hmmm ...

Don't get me wrong: I'm sure the food is above par ...

Tru remains at the top of my list, regardless. <g>

[This message has been edited by essxjay (edited 05-07-2003).]

Tru is indeed among the best I've had in Chicago.

Trotter's: forget about it, there's much better food to be had at that price. Very stuffy.

Give Spring a try. Shawn McLain of Trio opened this up, and it's a great one.

excerpt from recent LA Times article on Trio

http://www.latimes.com/features/food...headlines-food

OK. So how much does the "Tour de Force" cost with no alcohol? At least $10 per right? http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

• October 10-15: Trio celebrates its 10th anniversary with a series of events, including dinners with prominent national guest chefs from October 8-10; a 12-course anniversary feast on October 11 ($150 per person, exclusive of beverage, tax and gratuity); and a champagne birthday party fund-raiser (tickets range $150-$200) on October 12 featuring an extensive roster of top local toques (for details and reservations for all events, call 847-733-8746).

from Zagat.com

correct you are. Tour de Force is $175 w/wine pairings add another $100.

Will be dining here in a couple weeks.

Current Tour de Force Menu:

Pear - Eucalyptus - Olive Oil

Pacific Sea Urchin
purée or orange rind, red pepper, licorice

Wild Steelhead Roe
dill, pickled cucumber

Purée of Chestnuts
quince, bacon, potato ice cream

Tempura of Rock Shrimp
vanilla, cranberry, Meyer lemon

Black Truffle Explosion

Alaskan Sablefish
prosciutto, chamomile, saffron

Mousse of Foie Gras
ginger, papaya

Persimmon Water - Tarragon

Chicharrones con salsa

Elysian Fields Farm Lamb
sunflower plant, mushrooms, bag of crispy texture

Loin of Venison
bananna, celeriac, malted barley

“Cheese ‘n Cracker”

“Salad”

Rutabaga Sponge
wildflower honey, mustard, mascarpone

Kiwi Seeds - Coconut - Lime

Virtual Shrimp Cocktail

Puffed Lobster
grapefruit, sorrel

Geoduck Clams
sushi rice, tart apple, soy

Salsify Wrapped in Bread
shellfish, lemon, parsley glass

Wild Striped Bass
saucisson de Paris a l’ail, radicchio, raisins

Frozen WillaKenzie Verjus - Thyme

North Dakota Goose
foie gras, roasting goose aromas

Transparency of Aged Manchego
white anchovies, peppers, arugula

Tapioca of Rose
raspberries, clove, cream

Liquid Mijao
Parmesan, quinoa, hazelnuts

Tripod Hibiscus

Carrot - Mandarin - Smoked Paprika Leather

Bubble of Several Unusual Gums

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 ). We were glad to be in the more intimate section.

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.

Mortgage payment be damned, it was well worth it.

SweetWillie-- many thanks for taking the time to write this... ^ :D

Nice Work Willie
 

Wow. I ate at Trio a few weeks ago with some friends from the culinary world. You have done such a fine job describing all of the dishes. Honestly, for those who are reading this, words can't do this justice. It is a totally unique dining experience.

There are a few side notes I would like to point out. Also, I have a menu at home, so I could look up the 'missing course' if you are interested.

1> You described a few of the uniqe vesses on which the food was presented. It is of note to those who have not been that there is an artist who designs these vessels specifically for the dishes. The Pineapple, Smoked Salmon, and shichimi togarashi was on a long skewer resting on a metal pedestal, much like a microphone stand. Also the Hibiscus Lollipop and a few other dishes featured this artwork.

2> The food had a very sexual (often phallic) presentation. Consider the afforementioned skewer which basically requires you to fellate the entire course to ingest it. I'm pointing this out as understated and playful, not distasteful. The asparagus, shrimp tempura, yeast ice cream are a few more examples that come to mind. Also, the lamb and rhubarb were kind of yonnic.

3> The asparagus dish was brand new the night I went. Apparently it has changed some, as there was definitely no seafood on my plate.

4> Chef Achatz does some AMAZING things with chemistry, which is rather risky and avant garde. However, the risks pay off in some truly amazing dishes. In pea soup, for example, you mention the eucalyptus, however it is to be noted that this is a set of 'pearls' that are kind of like a caviar created by some type of chemical reaction and the inclusion of some flavorless binding agents. The apricot on the asparagus is also done this way. It is almost like an egg yolk that has a translucent, semi soft membrane around it, but once you break that, the apricot juice spills out like a broken yolk from a poached egg.

5> Readers should note that on the two other menus, substitutions can be made for those who do not eat meat, shellfish, etc. Also, it is required that all persons dining at the same table order from the same menu. Based on the size and frequency of dishes, this is very understandable.

6> I found the service very unique. It appeared to be a type of 'Gender Based Gang Service'. A team of servers brought out all the dishes. All women received theirs simultaneously, then once theirs were on the table, all the men's dishes were placed. Since you dined as a pair, I'm sure they served you both at the same time.

7> Since I was with some foodie folks, they knew the chef and we got a tour of the kitchen. AMAZING what goes on back there. I haven't seen the list of winners yet, but 'Into the Fire' is a documentary series that featured Trio and was nominated for a Beard Award (presented last night). This series is currently airing on Food TV, but I can't find a scheduled air date for the Trio episode.

Im dumping Charlie's joint....
 

Sweet Willie-- if its not too much trouble, I would like to ask you some follow up questions... as after your comments and a lot of other feedback Ive read, I have decided to follow your advice and drop Charlie T's place and go for Trio.

Does Chef Grant Achatz work on Sundays....? I know its sometimes hard to know this for sure, but if you do have some inside info. it would be great. Excellent restaurants are just that when the head Chef is in.... and sometimes not all restaurants have a second fiddle that is up to the task. My ORD schedule this time around is a little complicated, so I have an only chance on Sunday to get a table.

Secondly, checking out the general information, I assume that the 5-9 hours of operation assumes that the last reservation for dinner is at 9pm...? Kindly confirm this.

Finally, do you know if the Tour de Force option is available on Sundays....?

Many thanks!!! :D ^

Grant will be on Sunday (was both told and through two who "know" Grant)
Last seating is at 9
Tour de Force is always available

Any more work and you will have to treat me to Trio :D

Great feedback IH8DTW !

Thanks Willie.... so, how long a drive is Trio from the W Lakeshore.....? :D

(ducking)

Yes I like duckling very much, oh DUCKING !

You'll take Lake Shore Drive north along the lake to Sheridan Rd. into Evanston. MapQuest shows Total Est. Time: 26 minutes Total Est. Distance: 12.06 miles, If not going at rush hour, I would give yourself 35-40minutes to be safe, but more than likely it will take you 30 minutes.

You can also take the train ( http://www.metrarail.com/Sched/cnw_n/cnwn.html ) or el (purple line http://www.yourcta.com/maps/rail/rail.html ) to Evanston.