Looking for Fine Dining? Look No Further Than Trivs

I was out car shopping this past weekend. I had turned in my leased car early on Saturday, making me officially carless.

I’ve leased a long line of Toyotas and they would all be called the “Shamray Camry.” After over a decade of driving the same kind of auto, I thought I’d shake it up a bit and get a different model.

Unfortunately, picking a new vehicle takes research and time and . . . like I said, now I’m currently carless so the pressure’s on to find something.

It’s amazing what a car cost these days and after discussing big bucks with several dealerships, I was in the mood to spend some cash on dinner. (Plus, the Mrs. was kind enough to join me on my car search, so I owed her a nice meal.)

With that, we headed to Trivs Restaurant and Lounge, 17100 Royalton Rd. across from Borders. I may not know what car to get, but I made a great decision for dinner.

The interior of Trivs isn’t the most exciting, but they make the most of their space. There’s a bar area on the right when you walk in. We were seated in the main dining area on the left. There’s more space in the back, called the Triv’s Room, which looked nicer and is available for private parties. There was one party seated in the back area. They must have been special!

Let me say that the food will certainly leave you feeling special. It was generous and delicious.

The Caprese Salad looked beautiful on the plate and was a treat. Slices of tomato and buffalo mozzarella are nicely enlivened by fresh basil, pickled red onions and topped with olive oil and balsamic reduction. Oh, so good!

As I’ve stated in the past, I don’t feel I’m at a fine restaurant until I have my bowl of French Onion Soup. Trivs calls their version Three Cheese French Onion Soup.

Oh. My. Goodness. This was a great bowl of hot, gooey joy. A thick and wonderfully chewy layer of provolone, Parmesan and Swiss top a tasty broth laced with port wine and Brandy. Awesome stuff.

For my main event, I was intrigued by the Steak Linda, which is named after the owner’s (Mike Trivisonno Jr.) mom. It’s her favorite dish and I can see why.

I was worried that since my strip steak would be breaded, that it would be over cooked, but it was perfect (I ordered medium rare) and very juicy. It was nicely presented and I enjoyed every crispy bite.

It was served with mashed potatoes topped with a flavorful mushroom gravy (which was so tasty, I had to ask for more) and green beans. I’m not the biggest fan of green beans but these were good, though they could have used a bit more snap for my taste.

My wife tried the veal Parmesan and it was a huge portion and looked like a giant blob sitting on the plate. It would have left two people stuffed. She especially enjoyed the pasta and didn’t come close to finishing. We had it wrapped up to take home but left it on the table. A gentleman from the restaurant was kind enough to catch us in the lot and give us our doggy bag. How nice of them!

I should mention the scrumptious, thick-sliced Italian bread that is served with their meals. It’s made special for them by Orlando and was crusty and so fluffy that it beautifully soaked up the melting butter. Each bite was a delight.

I was also impressed with their vegetarian choices. I am going to have to try the Stuffed Zucchini on my next visit.

Hopefully, I’ll have new wheels by then!

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