02/22/09

As good as New York...maybe even better!!

by LeonKennedy

So I just moved into the area from New York. I have had my fair share of "Thai" and "fusion" restaurants, and Trio single handily wins my heart. I have been to other restaurants in the area (Rembrandt, Jacks, Umai?!?) and have realized that Trio is the gem that is hidden in the nooks of the Fairmount area, also I just found out they deliver!! The beggars pouches are quite delicious, especially dipped in sweet sauce that comes with it. So light and crispy, but simply delicious. I have to add the chicken curry as well, make sure you ask for 3 stars if you like it spicy. The tender strips of chicken smothered in a green coconut curry could not get any better. I have also noticed a strain of amazing homemade desserts, which I must say, keep on keeping on, or something like that. I highly recommend Trio, especially if you are looking for a quaint, laidback BYO.

• Pros: Delivery! Friendly Waitstaff
• Cons: .....cons?

02/21/09

Simply Mahvelous!!!!

by JackMLawry

Had my Valentine's dinner here with the lady and it was perfect. The lamb shank was perfectly spiced and fork tender. The lady had the Seabass and she oooh'd and aaah'd as she ate it. The service was great considering it was a packed house. It really is a great date place. We had started with the soup of the day which was seafood chowder that rivaled some I've had in New England. It all ended with these coconut crepes with bananas fosters that may very well be the best dessert I've ever had. The homemade ice cream was what made it. We will be back, and most likely very soon, per the lady.

• Pros: The Specials
• Cons: n/a

02/13/09

Gruesome Grub

by StarkSullivan

Wow, in the interest of public health, whoever is cooking at Trio ought to find a new line of work pronto.

We ordered take-out on the basis of a walk-by tour of this Fairmount restaurant (we're new residents) showing an unambitious menu that should have been easy to get right. But no.

The calamari salad, pallid rings of off-tasting squid, rested atop a shredded pile of greens that seemed to have been rescued from a compost pile. One taste and into the trash.

Chicken satay: an arid, overcooked nightmare rife with tangy chemicals. The peanut sauce was ok, but utterly bland.

If there's one dish a (sort of) Thai place has to do reasonably well, it's Pad Thai. Trio's version, is a greasy, glutinous, oversweetened mess of rice noodles and bean sprouts ... what more is there to say?

And Trio's not cheap: the dishes mentioned above totaled more than $40.

OK, maybe living for years in San Francisco, where Thai spots a million times better than Trio are commoner than lesbian bikers may have spoiled me, but really.

Rating: how many negative stars are in the sky?

• Pros: None
• Cons: Inedible food

10/14/08

Top Notch

by ItsTheJames

Went to Trio for our Terror Behind the Walls dinner package and it was very very good. The atmosphere is very relaxing and warm and the food was awesome. I had the lamb shank and my girlfriend had the seafood combination. We also had beggars bags appetizer which we loved and our squash soups were delicious. I can't say enough good things about it. The service was great and the owner was very gracious as well. One nice touch I noticed that you don't see much, they had actual cloth hand towels in the restrooms in addition to the normal paper towels. Thanks for a great dining experience! I wish Trio was in my neighborhood.

• Pros: Food, service, ambiance
• Cons: Parking

08/03/08

High expectations with less than satisfying results

by Iamafatty

I had high hopes for this thai restaurant, unfortunately I ended up being rather dissapointed. The service was extremely poor as it took over forty five minutes to receive our meal even though it was not a crowded sunday evening. The crab baggers appetizer was the highlight of the meal as the sauce was unique and was very pleasing. My seafood claypot was poor on the side of not having much seafood in it at all and my girlfriends pad thai was bland at best. Perhaps it was just an off night or I ordered poorly, but the service combined with the bland offerings made for a dissapointing dining event.

• Pros: Neighborhood restaurant, atmosphere
• Cons: Service, does not have a thai food taste

04/08/08

Classy neighborhood BYO

by apsych5

I am a repeat customer of this wonderful BYO in the Art Museum area for their wonderful food and friendly service. Tonight, however, I felt they outdid themselves (in a good way!) when I ordered delivery. The owner who took my order forgot to pack my drink, which I did not realize until after the delivery man left my house. They didn't charge me for it, so I just enjoyed the rest of my meal without that part. Not an hour later, there was a knock at the door--the delivery man returned, very apologetic, with not only my Thai Iced Tea, but dessert that they included "for my troubles." This is the kind of attentiveness that makes this restaurant one of my favorites in the area.

• Pros: Friendly service
• Cons: Parking

02/05/08

Great BYO..One of the best in Philly

by Mattnfairmount

Where do I begin? I love this little BYO. The staff are generally exceptional and the food is always great. The duck special changes daily and I highly reccomend trying it each time! The three owners are always gracious for the business and welcome you every time.

Service can at times be slow, but it in no way ruins the meal. They let you relax and enjoy not only the meal but the experience like a good BYO should. Overall, I cant say enough about Trio. It is one of our favorites in the city and once you try it, I bet you will feel the same.

So you get a better idea of what service and quality to expect when you go to Trio..Here are other BYOs in the city I like..Figs (Fairmount), Radicchio Cafe (N. Liberties), Robertos Cafe (South St), Audrey Claire, Mercato..and many more. Hope this helps!!!

10/19/07

Definately a return customer.

by vtrp

My GF and I, along with a 'blind-date couple' made our way to Trio on a wed. night prior to checking out the Terror Behind the Walls at the Penitentiary a few blocks away. We were greeted at the door of the quaint corner eatery warmly, I believe one of the owners was in the first room and thanked us for coming. We were led upstairs to the upper dining room and past the doors to the outside deck (which was buzzing, as far as romantic, second-level dining decks can be buzzin for a mid-october weekday night). In fact, i believe the deck was full. That clued me in that this would be a place i would probably enjoy, since so many others were on this wednesday night. We were seated and our wine was accomodated (BYOB) by the waitress. (I wish i remeber her name, she was a good one; young, pleasant and attentive, wasn't putting up a fake persona in order to serve us, I liked that) We order from a special menu, themed to match our haunted prison excersion. Unbenounced to me, the two 'blindies' weren't fans of Thai/French cuisine. Actually, they had never had it before which i learned as we looked over the menus and listened to the extensive list of specials, all of which i wanted to order. I settled on the escargot puff pastry (called Prison Riot i belive) for an appetizer. (the others: chicken satay, dumplings, and a summer type roll) I tried them all, i'm an exotic foods buff and the escargot was superb. The zingy, buttery sauce was exactly how it should be. Delicious. I will say the summer roll was a bit overpowered by lemongrass however. The main course i ordered a ribeye special, soy marinated and topped with blue cheese, my counterpart got the (witches Caldron) a mix of cellofane noodles and seafood in a spicy broth. We ended up switching dishes (his choice) and i was delighted. I could have eaten anythign on the table. I COULD GO ON FOR DAYS, THIS PLACE WAS TOP NOTCH, i will be back to venture around the non-prison food menu. THANK YOU.

• Pros: food, service, value, atmosphere, you name it.
• Cons: parking in the surrounding neighborhood

10/06/07

Poor customer service, overcooked veal,

by nguyenmm

I stopped in with my boyfriend for a nice meal on Saturday night. There were at least 10 open tables and we were promptly seated and greeted by our server who took my order for hot tea and our meal orders. The appetizers, steamed seafood dumplings and portobello mushrooms in curried coconut milk, arrived within minutes and were quite good. Thirty minutes passed before we saw our waiter, who finally refreshed our waters, but no explanation was given for the delay. Twenty minutes later, after the 2 other tables who arrived after us were served, our entrees arrived. I ordered my veal medium, my boyfriend's medium rare. After cutting into the meat, we found both our cuts were very well done. Our server took 10 minutes to check on us, but assured us it would take only 8 minutes to recook our meals (why it took an hour in the first place, I'm not sure). Another 15 minutes passed before our plates came, and while the meat was less well done, the medium rare was barely pink, the medium was only pink near the bone and the vegetables were dry and chewy. Requesting a fork and refills from our server, he filled our waters and completely forgot the fork. Eventually I took one from an empty table to finish my meal. Not once during our meal did the manager stop by our table to check on the recooked dishes and it seemed to be too much to ask the server to refresh my tea, which had understandably gone cold after an hour and a half of waiting for our meals. When the check arrived, I disappointed to find that there would be no visit from the manager and we were charged for our full meals, of which I only finished half. As we left the restaurant, the manager waved his apologies to us from an empty table he sat at with another employee. I understand that things can go wrong in the kitchen, but it's no excuse for the very poor customer service. A simple table visit could have made this unpleasant experience much more tolerable. I won't be recommending this to friends.

• Pros: Outdoor patio, quick seating, reasonable prices
• Cons: Poor customer service, parking, close-set tables: no privacy, can get loud

07/24/07

Try this romantic restaurant.

by devilmebettie

This was my first visit to a thai restaraunt. It surpassed every expectation. The atmosphere is clean, sleek, and romantic. It has a relaxed pace. The food is outstanding. The prices are even more outstanding. This quickly became my favorite BYOB and I have since become a regular.

• Pros: The food!
• Cons: Parking.