:: Trois ::

Tonight, Whitney and I went to Trois. It's a restaurant that I've been wanting to go to since it's anticipated opening a few years ago. It was voted Atlanta's best restaurant last year, and Whitney's brother works there. It's always seemed like a place that I would need to save up to go to, but right now, they're having a three course, 6 dish tasting menu for $25, so we decided to go.

Trois has three levels - the bottom level is a bar, middle is the restaurant and the top (I think) is a floor for private parties. The restuarant is all white - white tablecloth, drapes, lamps (even the wait staff was wearing all white) with green chairs and candles. It's very simple and clean. There are windows all around the dining area, with one side facing the Four Seasons, curving around to a patio dining area. The first thing that comes out after you order is a glass of champagne and a "gift" from the chef. Tonight, it was a melon gazpacho in a shot glass. Next was the bread with roasted vegetable spread. The tasting menu consists of two appetizers, two main course dishes and two desserts. They all came in small portions (so your ass isn't the size of Texas by the time you get out). Here's what we had:

Appetizers: heirloom tomatoes with goat cheese and balsamic vinegarette
beef skewer with duck fat fries and bearnaise (mmm...duck fat...)
Entry: duck with something that tasted like hosin sauce and something that tasted like cauliflower mash
Flounder with capers, lemon, tomatos and onions with cauliflower mash (I think it had peas added also)
Dessert: something that tasted like a flourless chocolate cake
chocolate chip mint ice cream over crumbled chocolate cookies and marinated cherries
(REAL mint leaves!)

It was really, really good. Apparently, I didn't get excited about any of the food until the dessert. I don't remember that at all, but when we got the dessert, I guess my face lit up or something because Whitney said, "You're soo pastry girl. You've kept your cool about the rest of the food and got all excited about the dessert." What can I say....I like chocolate....A LOT.

So you know at the end of a meal at a restaurant how some places give you mints? Well, at Trois, you get a whole bar (it was not small at all) of chocolate, and they break it up for you (it was definitely not Hersey's....it looked like they made it at the restaurant).

I definitely approve of this place. Complimentary champagne? "Gifts" from the chef? Free GOOD chocolate at the end of the meal? SIGN ME UP.