Tria Restaurant and Bar (Classy French Dining Experience)
If you’re in the North Metro area of Minnesota, it’s time to schedule a date with your special someone. Tria Restaurant and Bar is one of our favorite fancy dining spots. Tria is one of the very few French fine dining restaurants in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area. Don’t worry if you’re not feeling like trying escargot or duck- they have excellent steaks and seafood that anyone can enjoy.
Tria is a great place to explore if you have a date or anniversary that you need to ensure is special. You barely get your foot in the door before noticing that all staff are held to strict hospitality standards. The staff are all dressed uniformly and cleanly. They all speak in a way that lets you know that they take your experience seriously. Even the chefs in the back that you are likely to never see are all dressed in a neat and uniform manner.
The short version of this post is that: Tria is a fun place to eat if you want a reason to get dressed up, enjoy high-class cocktails, and want food that is artfully crafted (not just cooked).
A couple little things that make a big difference to me: when you make a reservation, it is ready when you arrive. The servers are all very well versed in the menu. They all know every ingredient and the finer points of the preparations of the dishes. If you ever express any level of dissatisfaction in any dish or drink, they will not relent until you are completely satisfied (more on that below). They have fresh made, hot bread and butter ready to go.
If you follow any cooking shows, you pretty quickly notice that the majority of celebrity chefs have backgrounds in French cooking. Look up the cooking schools in your area and you will see that the majority of them emphasize French cooking techniques. If you’re a major player in the realm of culinary arts, there’s a very small chance that you don’t have some experience with French culinary training.
I don’t particular like French food. My rationale for using so much internet space emphasizing that this is a French fine-dining restaurant is because you need to understand the level of chefs that are employed here. Tria clearly spares no expense on their chef team. To obtain and maintain the status of culinary status that Tria has worked to achieve, you need top-level chefs. And if you want the best resumes for your chefs, you’re going to need to seek out those with extensive training, and at the time of the post, that means that you’re going to have French-trained professionals.
The kitchen is not something that you will see in normal dining visits, but it also is not hidden. The door to the Kitchen is open and easy to see into if you’re a food nerd like me. There are two visual differences that you’ll notice right away if you peak into the back room: everything is clean and organized. The kitchen is laid out and ran in a neat and professional manner. Everyone is dressed like they are meant to be there. The counters are all linear and dishes are prepared in order by those that routinely do the task that they are carrying out. The other thing that you will notice is that the kitchen is very well lit. That sounds like a strange thing to notice and call out, but it makes a lot of sense. The lighting makes it so that everything is easy to see and that the little details don’t slip by. When you get your dish, you’ll see what I mean. There is no food just slapped on a plate. They definitely want you to eat with your eyes first. 10/10: kitchen management is well received from this guest.
The cocktails are all made to order as well. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you order a tap beer or a single-pour cocktail. I am only one man (and one liver) but I have made it my goal to try every drink that is on Tria’s menu. The special touches that have caught my attention: each cocktail has a specific brand and sub-type of of alcohol specified in the drink. Jack Daniels no.7 isn’t used in a place where Jameson belongs (don’t worry, they have top shelf options if you need to kick up a notch). Tria also focuses on fresh elements in every drink. Fresh-made fruit mixtures and fresh herbs are prevalent. Take one second before that first sip and smell the drink. Aromatics abound and give just enough elevation to notice. Each cocktail is an individual hand-made project that is carried out by skilled labor. I would have no reservations about bringing a client or a friend with a refined palate here just for the cocktails. At between $10-$13 per lowball cocktail, the price is just right for something that is leaps and bounds better than any restaurant chain or sports bar. If you enjoy cocktails, you can’t leave Tria disappointed.
Between Kayla and myself, we’ve had probably 12 different cocktails here (the menu changes seasonally, so there’s always something new to try). I have had one drink that did not exceed my expectations. I had Tria’s blackberry old fashioned on our latest trip. To me, the drink was exceedingly sweet. The prominent flavor was a sugary fruit syrup. I asked my server if she could recommend a better fit for me for my second round of the evening. I explained that I thought my drink was too sweet for my taste and that I wanted something more mellow for my next beverage. She repeatedly asked if she could take my drink back and either exchange it or refund me. I did not think it was bad. I certainly didn’t think that it was bad enough to send back.
She returned a few minutes late with two small glasses. One had soda water and the other had a generous amount of whiskey. She explained that she spoke with the lead bartender and learned that they fruit flavoring is made freshly in small batches and that they may have simply made this batch too sweetly. She brought the soda water and whiskey so that I could remix my drink to my own standards, since I wouldn’t let her just take it back. This whole experience is delightful, she didn’t bring these extras out to be rude or imply that I was hard to please (we were both super cordial). This just shows how important it is that each customer leaves Tria 100% satisfied. The gesture was genuine and an absolute highlight in customer service. To our server Farrah and to Tria: well done.
The food has always been exquisite visually and in terms of flavor.
Each meal begins with a complementary fresh bread. This is a top-basted garlic bread with herb-cheese crumble
We have tried most of the menu at Tria (and will continue to fill in the gaps). We’ve enjoyed Poutine, French onion soup, salads, duck, steaks, every assortment of potato, chicken, and pork. For this most recent trip, we started with a side of parmesan polenta as an appetizer, entrees of a pork chop and a chicken francaise.
The polenta was probably not an ideal appetizer. We had ordered it because it was something that we had not had yet from Tria. The parmesan was present as a flavor, but not overpowering. It was still very much a corn-mealy dish. It was like smooth grits with a hint of dry cheese. Warm, gooey, exactly as expected.
Parmesan polenta
The chicken and the pork were cooked to perfection. They both had a slight sear on the skin, and moist interiors. The breading on the chicken was just enough. You can see in the pictures that there was a chef in back ensuring that the plates come out looking beautiful. The plates are free from any errant smudges or messes. The herbs are all elegantly placed. The sear lines on the pork are prominent.
Capers are not a flavor that I typically enjoy. I was glad that the chef used restraint when adding them to the chicken francaise. They added just enough earthiness and salinity to elevate the dish without taking it over.
Since Kayla and I were celebrating an anniversary (of when we started dating, this wasn’t even our actual wedding anniversary) we were treated to a complimentary champagne toast and a free caramel ice cream dessert. Tria is a fun place to celebrate. The plates are warmed in an oven prior to having the ice cream set on them. Melted caramel is then drizzled over the ice cream and strategically over the hot bowl. The heat from the bowl makes it so that the caramel that hits the edges solidifies into a delicious toffee crunch, and the caramel that lands on the ice cream is like a caramel sauce. It’s a simple dish, but subtle complexities set it apart. And, you can’t beat the price.
Bowl of caramel ice cream
Tria is not a cheap place to bring the kids to grab supper on a Tuesday evening. The total for Kayla and I came out to just under $100. While certainly not a discount meal, we felt like it was very fair price for the top notch service and quality food and beverage that we enjoyed. We’ve been to Tria before, and I know we’ll be back again.
We’re glad we gave it a shot
-Isaac
