Trinity Restaurant in Keyport, NJ has quickly made itself one of my new favorites places to eat. I first ventured out here back in December and wrote up a very positive review. I’ve been anticipating getting back here and the perfect opportunity presented itself. I have a group of girlfriends that gets together every other month or so for a “Ladies’ Night.” I figured we’d have a nice dinner at Trinity and end up at McDonagh’s down the street for some drinks. Well, we were enjoying ourselves so much, we never made it to McDonagh’s!
We started off at the bar and our friendly bartenders made some recommendations on drinks and food. I started with a Pear Cosmo, which was lovely as did one of my friends. The other two ladies had an Angel’s Kiss drink, which I’ve had here before and cannot remember what’s in it, but it’s delicious.
We were then seated upstairs (yay!) overlooking the first floor. There was a two-piece band playing music while we were there which was entertaining. Our waiter for the evening, Sam, I want to say, was wonderful. From recommending food to taking our picture, he was a pleasant addition to the evening based on my last encounter there with an inexperienced and forgetful waitress.
We decided to start with two appetizers. Based on one of the bartender’s recommendations, we chose the Broken Arrow Ranch Wild Boar “Arepas” with Three Salsas, Queso Fresco and Avocado Puree. This reminded me of pulled pork and three of us thought it was quite tasty. One of my dining companions found it bland though. I enjoyed it and would order it again. From what the staff told me, this item will most likely only stay on the Autumn and Winter menus due to its heaviness.
The second appetizer we chose was the Catalan Style Clams with Chorizo, Spanish Peppers, Cilantro, White Wine and a Touch of Cream. In my previous visit I had this and raved about it on my last review. I told the ladies they would not be disappointed. And I was right. Everyone loved the clams, particularly the sauce they were bathing in. It was so good, we wouldn’t allow the busboy to remove the empty dish as we told him we were waiting for our bread (which was baking) to dunk it in. Once our hot, fresh bread came out, we dove right into that sauce and didn’t leave one drop. In between appetizers and our main entrees, in addition to the wonderful bread, we were served a light salad with fresh greens and a tangy vinaigrette.
Onto the main event…. the best thing about dining with girlfriends is that we all shared! I was able to taste each entree and each was fantastic in its own way. My friend J chose the special- Serrano-Wrapped Halibut with Roasted Vegetables. This was a hearty piece of fish atop roasted beans, carrots, artichoke hearts. This was excellent as J noted and the serrano ham was great paired with the halibut.
My friend R had the Gaucho Steak – 16 oz. Flat Iron served with Chorizo Chorreadas and Chimmichurri Sauce. The meat was cooked perfectly, the sauce had a nice bite to it and the chorizo and potatoes were awesome.
My girl, L, had the Porcini Stuffed Cappelletti, a new item on the menu.These were plump little pillows of pasta filled with mushrooms in a light sauce. Delicate and delicious.
I ordered the Pan Roasted Snapper over Truffle Herb Israeli Couscous “Risotto” with Mushrooms and Port Wine Sauce. oh. my. God. Did I mention I’ve never had snapper? I don’t know why I chose something I wasn’t familiar with but it sounded great. And it was. The snapper was slightly crisp on the outside and tender and flaky inside. The couscous was yummy mixed with the mushrooms. And that port wine sauce. Wow. I don’t know how it was made but I want that darn recipe. I’d put it over anything and eat it. Chicken, steak, veggies, cardboard. Whatever.
And somehow we managed to squeeze in dessert. R went with the chocolate sorbet, a creamy, chocolaty delight. J went with the Creme Brulee with pistachio shortbread. That was enough for her to come back again. And L and I went with the Chocoholics Anonymous. This dessert changes and this night it featured white chocolate mousse (to die for), a mini chocolate souffle cake (perfect paired with the chocolate sauce), and a chocolate taffy of some sort (sprinkled with sea salt, it had the texture of a gooey fudge and reminded me of a chocolate-covered pretzel). Mmmmmm….
I cannot wait to go back here again. I adore this place at this point. If you are looking for some fresh cuisine in a beautiful yet casual setting where the food takes center stage, please check out Trinity, you won’t be sorry.
The Average Cook 