Trio Restaurant, Washington, D.C.

Trio Restaurant has been a fixture on Seventeenth Street since the 1940s. As with many of the restaraurants on the Dupont Seventeenth Street strip, it's family owned and the family is Greek in origin. And, as with many of the restaurants around Dupont, it has and welcomes a large gay clientele. I've always just known Trio as a place to get a nice, relatively inexpensive meal in a friendly, fairly quiet atmosphere. It's a place you can get roast turkey and dressing every day, and I love the three varying "blue plate specials" they offer every day.

Ryan, Brian, and I went to Trio Thursday night for dinner. As always, the food was satisfying.

Ryan got creative (for him) and ordered a guacamole cheeseburger. It smelled good, and was large and juicy. It came with a cole slaw that I tasted that was okay, but wasn't a recipe that I personally favor.


Brian ordered the grilled salmon with hollandaise sauce and a melange of sauteed squash and a little bowl of garlic mashed potatoes (he'd ordered carrots, but they were out). Brian really liked the salmon and kept nagging me to photograph it again and again as he continued to eat it.


I started with a shrimp and couscous salad. It was unusual and good, with the shrimp straight off the grill and nicely seasoned, while the couscous was carefully chilled, giving a hot and cold contrast.


My main course was one of the daily specials, and surprisingly delicate grilled calf liver with onions scented with herbs and fresh sage leaves. The strips of liver had been sautéed gently just to the point of doneness, and they were excellent. The dish came with fresh, steamed broccoli tops and some garlic mashed potatoes. Best of all, my meal was economical, with the liver only costing $9.50!


We ended up staying for dessert, too. Ryan had a big strawberry sundae, I had a piece of white chocolate cake, and Brian nibbled on both.