TRIO – Four Seasons Austin

Just god awful. Came for New Year’s Eve
Dinner.Was staying in hotel. Which was quite
Nice.Unfortunately my experience at trios
Will keep me from coming back. In addition
To waiting an hour before I had to ask for a
Piece of bread. every course was sub standard
I don’t mind paying for quality but this was McDonald’s
Level​.Do yourself a favor go next door and eat at dine
Much better

Excellent four seasons service as usual
Ate oatmeal with blueberries and my wife had pancakes which were great

Very overpriced and overrated. They say us next to the bus boy table and we listened to clanking of dishes. I don’t even know why there was a table there… Literally pushed up against the bus boy counter. Asked to move and they acted like we were inconveniencing them. Pretty much all the hot food was cold. Sorry Austin you missed it here.

We eat here because it’s reliable and delicious.
We usually find our time here during breakfast. Sitting outside is nice, and service is excellent.
I vary between a few items that are supreme to me.
*Salmon sandwich. it’s dismantled, so eating it is as one chooses.
*Steel cut oats. I suggest getting this with extra berries. It comes with milk and brown sugar, but skip those and get berries for an extra healthy boost.
*Eggs Benedict. Simple, delicious, and great side potato and chutney.
*Chilaquiles. So good here! A wonderfully prepared dish, that really is the best I’ve had in Austin.
The french press coffee is Illy, so a great general choice. I’ve tried their ‘special’ roast coffee, but actually preferred the regular one they bring. (illy)
The one time we had a ‘hick-​up’ with our experience, it was taken care of quickly, and easily. We didn’t have single issue when dealing with it. Now THAT’S good service!

Unilocal EVENT RATING SCALE — (This is only the scale. It is used for all Unilocal Events. Some of these things may or may not have happened.)
Free drinks = 1 star
Free food = 1 star
making out with someone = 1 star
nudity = 1 star
I win a prize = ½ star
laughs = ½ star
total 3 ½
So you’re probably wondering where that 3^rd star is coming from? Well, I made out with a pork chop. I had the biggest pork chop you’d ever seen and I devoured it in seconds. Anyhow, since I’m pretty VIP, ask anybody, Trio decided to invite me out and try their latest menu items. They gave me a 3-​course meal with a wine pairing.
They started us off with some Reisling and Temperanillo. I’m not gonna start using a bunch of winey words to describe wine, but I’m just gonna tell you they were good. It was specifically chosen for this meal by the sommelier so I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s talking about.
On the first course, I chose the gazpacho soup, which is kinda funny because just the day before I was telling someone how I wanted to eat some gazpacho soup. Luckily, I’ve had gazpacho soup twice before, so I’m kind of an expert. It was the best of the 3 times I’d had gazpacho.
My main course was a pork chop and two pork ribs, with grill asparagus and whipped potatoes. Just saying those words without any descriptors should make your mouth water. I will never forget that pork chop.
For desert, I had a peach crumble with a side of lemon sorbet. It was delicious and I was stuffed.
Anyhow, it seem strange that a nice meal with good company would only get 3.5 stars. Perhaps I should make some more categories.
Never having an empty glass of wine = 1 star
Getting to meet the people behind the food = 1 star
Getting hit on by the PR girl = 1 star
The PR girl was hitting on me, right Geoff?
= 5 stars

Huge thanks to Kelly and Kerri for organizing this awesome event. And big hugs all around to the awesome Austin Unilocal Elites who started it all. «Double gold?! What does it mean!!!» It means being a Unilocal Elite for six years (i.e., totally fabulous).
I won’t repeat everything that’s already been said about the amazing food and wine (
) except to remind everyone to mention «I live here, I give here» when you visit TRIO. No matter what you order, they will donate 10% of your check to local charities. Everything I had, whether I ordered it or I sampled some from another Unilocaler’s plate, was excellent, including the steak (perfect amount of crust on the outside, medium rare on the inside). Check out the photos:
— popover (
)
— grilled Texas quail (
)
— heirloom tomato gazpacho (
)
— 10-​oz prime flat iron steak (
) and dipping sauces (
)
— roasted asparagus with grilled lemon and brown butter (
)
— potato purée with Texas olive oil (
)
— pb & j s’mores (
)
— Texas peach crumble (
)
Shout-​outs to Chef Grant, Sommelier Mark, and all of our servers that night. Many of us left a cash tip to show our gratitude.

I love to be made to feel special.
I always feel that way at Four Seasons. And I feel special at Trio. And Unilocal always makes me feel special. But a Unilocal Super Duper Double Gold Elite dinner at Trio in the Four Seasons made me feel extra-​wonderful special.
The service was impeccable. As always. The people were so friendly and nice and wonderful. The sommelier, Mark, did a wonderful job of explaining the wines without sounding pretentious. Grant described the foods in a way that made me want to try everything. The servers were friendly and attentive. And not light with the wine-​pouring.
I’m glad Unilocalers are so friendly. Everybody around me agreed to share bites and nibbles and tastes, making the difficult decision-​making slightly less daunting. I don’t think any bites were left on any plates.
What a wonderful, wonderful night. I am so lucky I was able to sneak in, even holding only one gold badge. Unilocal and Trio, you have certainly out-​done yourselves.
And Unilocalers, you guys sure are fun, too.

A gustatory delight, fit for a gourmand. A bounty of delectable morsels. A right slap up feed. (Sorry about the last one, my Manchester roots are showing).
Private dining at TRIO for double golds? Try keeping me away.
This was one of those rare evenings where everything comes together perfectly; the wine, the food, and the company.
We were hosted by the lovely Kerri to a preview of TRIO’s summer prix fix menu, presented by chef Grant. Included were expert wine pairings by their sommelier, Mark, who chose a nice (dry and not too sweet) Riesling and an excellent Temperanillo. Glasses were never allowed to run dry, which explained why we all had a touch of the wine flu.
The first thing they brought out was what they called «bread». I’m a Brit. I know a feckin’ Yorkshire Pudding when I bite into one, I was raised on the bloody things. These were AMAZING. Yorkshire puds with Asiago Cheese drizzled over the top. They could have given me a half dozen of these (and a bottle of the red) and I would have crawled off into a corner and been perfectly content. But I digress.
I chose the gazpacho as a starter, which was tangy and totally satisfying. I followed with the steak, done to a nice medium which was pared with whipped potatoes and grilled asparagus. The taters were fantastic! Too late we discovered the other end of the table had these huge fried potato wedges, which we dipped in the whipped potato for a full on tuber overdose.
Dessert was a peach crumble tart with lemon sorbet on the side. They could have given me a half dozen of these (and a bottle of the white) and I would have crawled off into a corner and been perfectly content.
Everything on the table looked terrific, so it was natural for us to sample everyone else’s dishes. I tried not to have buyer’s remorse but EVERYTHING looked great. I could have done justice to the entire menu.
Thanks Kelly and Kerri for putting together an awesome evening.

How fitting that for my 200^th review I should extoll the wonders of Unilocal and all its fantabulousness.
On my way to this event I narrowly avoided what could have been a pretty traumatic accident. And as my nerves would have it, I was far too verklempt afterwards to drive anywhere. One family member after another called, unexpectedly, and with each ‘Hello,” the tears just poured and poured. Took a while, but after regaining my composure, I called Camron, explained the situation and asked him to tell Kelly I wasn’t going to make it. At that moment, I’m not sure what I was more bummed about, having my life flash before my eyes only moments before or missing out on the Trio dinner. Not even kidding!
Cut to an hour later, Camron checking to make sure I’m okay and then telling me it wasn’t too late to join the group if I was up for it. Well when life hands you a second chance, you grab the wine glass by it’s long stem and gulp it down!
I arrived to a warmly lit private dining room at Trio and to the smiling happy faces of 17 other Unilocalers all genuinely relieved that I was okay. I was a little embarrassed to have to explain that I wasn’t in a real accident, just an almost accident, but that’s not what mattered. What mattered was all the love I felt in that moment, especially from KK; that lady is really special!
I was directed to my seat by one of the servers and he even pulled my chair out for me! It’s rare to find such service anymore. Immediately thereafter I was poured a glass of Riesling (my favorite pour of the evening) and Tempranillo. Next came my appetizer of ceviche with tostones. The ceviche was unlike any I’d had before, and the tostones were better than most I’ve had at Latin American restaurants. Together, they were a delightful start to my meal. The steak was probably one of the most tender cuts of beef I’ve ever had. And no telling how many spoonfuls of those amazing mashed potatoes I served myself — they were like spoonfuls of heaven. The steak was served with I believe 6 house made sauces, of the six I think the house steak sauce was the star. And for dessert, a peach crumble with lemon sorbet. I never would have envisioned such a combination, but it worked very well.
The service was like a perfectly orchestrated symphony all night long never missing a beat. I think this is partly why Susie G exclaimed she wanted to marry Trio. Not if I marry Trio first, honey!
In the end, what seemed like a would-​be disastrous end to my day turned into one of the most pleasant I’ve had in months — reminding me why I’m so crazy about this little thing called Unilocal!Thanks Kelly, thanks Unilocalers and big thanks to Trio.

Double Gold = Solid Gold?
Do you remember the music show «Solid Gold» from the 80’s, with Marilyn McCoo?
Well, the only thing that would have topped the service here is if the Solid Gold dancers came struttin’ in with our desserts.
I have only one Gold Elite badge, but was able to slide in to fill the table. So glad I did! The minute we walked in, the sommelier introduced himself and ushered us to the table full of Unilocalers excitedly talking up the meal to come.
Dustin Hoffman served up the two wines paired with the meal, a dry Riesling and a rare-​to-​Austin temperanillo. I wasn’t a fan of the latter, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Riesling, as I always thought of that grape for dessert wines only. Whenever I feared my glass getting low, it was magically refilled by just replying «yes please». I love that.
The first course I selected from the ARW prix fixe menu was the shrimp ceviche, presented in a small canning jar, with plantain chips on the side. Delicious and fresh, I quickly gobbled it up. I tasted Jessica S.’ gazpacho, and Ryan S.’ quail, which were also beautifully done, but I was happiest with my choice.
My entrée was the pork chop, topped with chutney and ham (!), and ribs with BBQ sauce on the side.
While the ribs were tender, juicy and delectable, the chop was a tad on the dry side. Perhaps if I ordered it medium rare instead of medium, it would have been just right. That was my only gripe of the entire experience.
I tried Jessica’s medium rare steak, and it was cooked to perfection. I believe it trumped my pork.
The «family style» serving of Yukon Gold potatoes were super smooth and creamy. It was like a stick of butter made sweet love to a potato in my mouth.
The dessert was also the friggin bomb. Texas Peach Crumble? Hell yeah. I believe it was some lemon sorbet on the side, but I can’t say for sure. Fantastic. The pastry chef at Trio deserves some applause here.
Grant the chef, and Mark the sommelier were gracious hosts and really made everyone at the table feel special. Like Solid Gold special.
I highly recommend y’all try out this menu during Austin Restaurant Week.

This will probably be one of those events that when we look back over our Unilocal social life we will remember– saying «Wasn’t that the best… do you remember how awesome… can we do it again?» Trio was seriously exceptional. I called earlier because of my gluten allergy and was told that 95 percent of the menu was gluten free (YES– GLUTEN FREE!) Needless to say, I was more then excited. When I arrived, I was ushered the the private dining room. It was clear that despite all of us looking quite dapper– this was not going to be anyone’s stuffy dinner party. We were poured two terrific wines, a tempranillo and a reisling, and showed a selection of amazing courses. Many of the items were fresh or local, the chef came out to talk about the food– and he was passionate! I knew it was going to be a fantastic meal. The gazpacho with crab and pickled veggies was pretty much the best I have ever had ever. It was tangy and filling. The pork with peach chutney was cooked perfectly. The sides of asparagus and mashed potatoes, and potato wedges were all divine. Trio gave me sorbet since the desserts were gluten free, and that was lovely too. Not only did I enjoy meeting Kerri from Trio, and reuniting with some of my fellow OG’s to remember the times back in the day, but the entire experience top to bottom was stellar. This menu is offered for $ 36 during the summer and it is a steal of a deal. You get large filling portions and family sides. Also if you mention” I live here I give here” 10% of the meal is donated to charity for a certain period of time. I dig that. I will for sure be back. Thanks Trio and Kelly for a very memorable evening.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a huge Trio fan prior to attending. I’d only been here for HH. And while their wine list has always been something I have loved dearly, but something about it always seemed typical hotel restaurant to me. Flat personality and middle-​road to good fare for a slightly elevated fee. I only say these hurtful things to juxtapose them against my new praise of this place.
The wine was, as always, delicious. I’m became a total Riesling convert and will tout the glories of that wine for many years to come. The food was quite tasty as well. My gazpacho (and first gazpacho ever) was refreshing and little with a little bit of kick. And while Trio tarted it up with some crab and pickled veggies, I rather liked it all by it’s lonesome with just a drizzle of olive oil. The steak was cooked perfectly with just a bit o’ crust on the outside. Also the many delicious sauces it was served with were fantastic. But even more telling was that the steak was perfectly seasoned on its own and was just as tasty naked as it was smothered in chimichurri sauce. I very much fell in love with the mashed potatoes, too. They were smooth like cream and probably comprised mostly of cream as well. Can’t say I was huge fan of the s’more dessert. It was a beautiful concept but just tasted a little flat… maybe if it were served warm?
But yummy food aside, I think what made this night worth my taking a shower were the people. The double gold Unilocalers, some of whom I shamefully had never met or not seen in years were all drizzled in super awesome sauce. Kelly and Kerri for putting the whole thing together had a thorough dunking in the super awesome sauce, as did the excellent waiters, sommelier, chefs and kitchen elves that I never met.
And…TIL: Trio donates 10% of your bill to a local charity if you request it. Way to give back while you’re stuffing your face!

I’ve been to Trio several times before and I like their view outside. I can see the lake Austin. Wasn’t that into the food.
I attended this preview on the Austin restaurant week menu. I had a wonderful experience. They provided two kinds of wines. Red: Spanish Toro, and White: Australian Riesling. I prefer Spanish Toro. The Riesling is too dry compared to German version.
It’s a $ 36 menu for 3 courses.
Appetizer: gazpacho soup, grill quail and snapper ceviche. I love snapper ceviche most with avocado and lime. It tastes so yummy and smooth.
Entrees: grouper, steak and pork chop. if you like light seafood, grouper is a good choice. I like red meat, so I like steak most. The pork chop is sweet which reminds of BBQ. I like all of them.
Dessert: pb s’mores, peach crumblee and sorbet. pb s’mores is a little bit rich and heavy, crumblee has too much flour on crust. I love sorbet most. It’s made of fresh fruits too.
Overall, the menu is great and location is the best. You can get there easily and after meal, you can walk in the back of four seasons to enjoy lake Austin view.

How could this be anything was then super spectacular, The food was sensationally spectacular, the company was divine and the wine sealed the deal. I got to hang with all the really cute young original OG ladies and meet the world famous Kimberley. Our host Kelly & Kerri were the best of the bestest. I wish every night could be double solid gold, but until the next time I’ll just hang out at Trio with their new menu and pretend all my other Unilocalers are there. Forgive the typos but the wine was flowing, and is it just me or was our waiter Dustin Hoffman kinda super hot? PS, I loved the grouper with peas, a perfect combination, but then I like fish & peas. Not only did I find out that they are doing a 3 course meal for $ 36, kinda like restaurant week all the time. I was also told that if you mention, I live in Austin, I give in Austin they will donate 10% of the check to charities. There is something to be said about indulging in great food and being a Philanthropist at the same time.

Kirk: «The test itself is a cheat isn’t it? You programmed it to be unwinnable.»
Spock: «Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-​win scenario.»
Kirk: «I don’t believe in no-​win scenarios.»
Spock: «Then not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principle lesson.»
In this case, it would appear that I have given the very kind folks at Trio their own Kobayashi Maru. An inability for me, their customer, while treated to their fine 3 course menu and stellar service, to give the coveted Edison 5-​star.
What could they possibly do better?
I’m not sure. The grouper (with green mole, pea shoots, and radish) which I am told was from the Gulf, was good, although I feel the ‘green mole’ had more of an avocado-​sauce feel than a mole. The «heirloom tomato gazpacho» (with dungeness Crab, texas olive oil — did you know we grow olives around here?) was possibly the best I’ve ever had. but I can’t decide if maybe I just don’t like gazpacho that much. The sides, grilled asparagus with some lemon and potato wedges — those were superior. buh-​BAM! Their 3-​sorbet dessert, which they were kind enough to feed me and Suzi G because gluten is verboten for us, included a raspberry, cantaloupe, and strawberry basil sorbet. They were all ok, although a bit meltier than I’d like.
Our servers and and chef! and sommelier (!) (but I am definitely the wrong person to ask about good wines) and our new friend Kerri who helped arrange our shindig were all personably perfect. Our Double-​Gold Unilocaler crew had our own private room, and we were given choices from their actual menu, so as Kerri said «we could experience what it would actually be like to be a customer in the restaurant if we came in». And, the valet parking was validated. So really, you couldn’t ask for more from a place. Could. Not.
And yet… I am still uncertain why something about this whole dining experience does not equal a 5 star for this ardent Unilocaler — even though he definitlely had a freakin’ 5-​star time.
Could be I’m just being really, really, picky? Maybe grouper didn’t do it for me? I woke up on the wrong side of the bed?
Yeah. Who am I kidding, this whole thing was just [gerunded expletive] awesome.
Spock: You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk. A captain cannot cheat death.
Kirk: I of all people?
Spock: Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, assumed command of his vessel before being killed in action, did he not?
Kirk: I don’t think you like the fact that I beat your test.