| | |  Entertainment | Restaurants & Dining 
Restaurant Week at Trio
 Gary R. Beck - PVNN
May 29, 2010
| | Open daily from 6-11:30 pm, Trio Restaurant Bar Cafe is located at Guerrero #264, in downtown Puerto Vallarta. For reservations, call (322) 222-2196 or visit TrioPV.com. | |
Since 1997, owners/chefs Bernhard Güth (German) and Ulf Herniksson (Swedish) have run this formal dining spot with devoted upscale clientele who rave of the Mediterranean haute cuisine. Trio proudly received the 2010 Five Star Diamond Award from American Academy of Hospitality Sciences with their great staff being able to obtain this award since 2002.
During Restaurant Week 2010, our group decided upon visiting this top to bottom premier Puerto Vallarta dining establishment. The design and décor are stupendous, beautiful yet oozing in relaxation. Warmly greeted and seated in the spacious comfortable room with beautiful artwork on al fresco walls, we ordered beverages of choice and browsed through the Restaurant Week Festival menu.
Every dish of the nine offered sounded like the ultimate choice, so we ordered all of them and provided tastes as we progressed through the three courses.
Grilled Vegetable Antipasti was an artistic plate of thickly sliced and lightly grilled eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and roasted red bell pepper with large slices of goat cheese. Underneath was a thin pesto with diced black olives and balsamic vinegar. Alongside were simple mixed greens.
Parmesan Risotto with Barbecued Rabbit loin slices arrived with a base of creamy al dente arborio rice cooked with onion and mushroom, the entire dish flavored with bay leaf and balsamic vinegar. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese was offered as a topping. It was full-flavored with a cheesy richness.
White Asparagus Soup was delicate, with the vegetable finely puréed, then mixed in a simple cream base with light pepper and sunflower seeds. It was a delightful and refreshing course, with the delicate asparagus in the forefront.
A refresher course arrived from the kitchen. It was a bowl with a housemade Shrimp Ravioli laid on a light creamy tomato sauce. The shrimp inside were coarsely chopped with good texture. Tasty yet palate-cleansing.
Ulf had discussed the restaurant's approach to the layering of flavors. This was quite evident in the main courses. Grilled Chicken Breast with rosemary sauce and huitlacoche mushroom ragout possessed creamy rosemary flavors on top of the corn fungus base, aided by an earthy mushroom component. All worked separately yet together as a whole.
Paella a la Pepe y Pepo with curried shrimp, huachinango, chicken, calamari, arborio rice and three-chile sauce is a dish named for nicknames of Bernhard and his former partner. It has lasted the times very well. Generous portions of the ingredients made for a more-than-satisfying main course, with not one part predominating.
Garlic-roasted Pork Shank with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut was another layering example. The meat had been slow-roasted, fork-tender and rich from its au jus braising liquid, displayed in wonderful moist chunks. The sauerkraut was mild and traditional. Smooth mashed potatoes were the soothing entity with all three parts consumed at once on the fork. Add in the adobo marinate and the dish was complex, but each portion was allowed to express itself in taste. All three entrées were surprisingly large, but our plates were scraped clean.
After a needed respite, desserts arrived and cameras began flashing. Each plate was a work of art, difficult to disturb, but that was managed well. Warm Chocolate Cake with pecan and vanilla ice cream combined flavors of chocolate, cream and pecan. Difficult to top this finisher.
Frozen Raspberry and Yogurt Cassata with marinated berries was beautiful; cassata defined as a sponge cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and layered with ricotta cheese, candied peel and a chocolate or vanilla filling. Predominating were the fresh sweet and tangy berries.
Caramelized Mango Crêpe with coconut ice cream and Jamaica [dried dark red hibiscus flowers] sauce to some was the top offering of the evening. Flavor layerings here were ripe mango chunks with fresh chunky coconut from the ice cream, with three thin in texture but robust in intensity sauces: smooth caramel sauce, bold Jamaica drizzle and sweet vanilla cream. Minced pecans and strawberry pieces added more flavor and texture. This is one very spectacular creative dessert.
There is also dining on the rooftop tropical garden terrace in high season, enabling greater seating volume. Courtesy parking is offered with first floor interior A/C dining. Virtual Vallarta 2009 "Best Overall" is one of many awards Trio has received through the course of the years. The owners also operate an upscale beachfront café on the Malecón extension called Vitea, a delight both day and evening, with a menu ranging from light salads and soups to various main courses.
Located at Guerrero 264 in El Centro, Trío Restaurant Bar Café is a culinary gem - and one of Puerto Vallarta's favorite gourmet restaurants. For more information or to make reservations call (322) 222-2196 or visit TrioPV.com.
The author was supplied one choice in each of the 3 courses on the special Restaurant Week menu and this review is in no way connected to his independent restaurant guide, "Puerto Vallarta Restaurant Guide Beck's Best", where write-ups receive no compensation.
Restaurant Week continues through May 31st at some of the most recognized restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. For a list of participating restaurants and Restaurant Week 2010 reviews click HERE. |
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