Chef Stephen Sandoval and team opened Trino just shy of three weeks ago, and I have been so excited to try it. Their team is responsible for putting together one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago, Diego. Diego in West Town always hits the mark with its Baja-inspired street food. It’s a laid-back spot with incredible food, so when I heard the team was opening a steakhouse in the West Loop, I knew I had to try it.
Trino is a Latin-inspired steakhouse with a very thoughtful menu. Our waiter was incredibly friendly. He was talking with us about how Trino came to be, and how it came together in just three months. I thought that was pretty remarkable, considering the polished, cozy atmosphere. Our waiter also shared that the name Trino is an homage to Chef Sandoval's grandfather, Trino, which I thought was really sweet. The items on the menu are all derived from Chef Sandoval's connections to Mexico and a region in Spain, Galicia. He also spent some time in Argentina, which is world-renowned for its steak culture. Everything we ordered tasted incredible, and the flavor combinations were amazing. Here is everything we ordered:
Wagyu Beef Tartare: This dish deserves 11/10 for presentation. Not only did this dish look beautiful, it tasted great. I loved the dry-aged tallo aioli and the mustard combination. Beef tartare can be sometimes be really rich, but the mustard in this dish helped give it a lighter bite.
Foccacia Fry Bread: It's hard to pick a favorite appetizer between the Wagyu Beef Tartare and this dish, because both were so good in their own ways. The foccacia also deserves points for presentation and creativity. The bread was super crispy on the outside, with a doughy and cheesy center. The burrata on top and coriander crumble were a great addition.
Pulpo a la Gallego: Pulpo a la Gallego is a dish that originated in Galicia, Spain. The octopus was really tender, and I loved the aioli paired wiht it. The thinly sliced potato on the skewer gave it some richness, too.
Dry-Aged Ribeye, Smash, and Trumpet Mushrooms: We split the Dry-Aged Ribeye, and it was so good on it's own. We ordered a couple of the suggested sauces on the side, the Maiz Au Poivre and the Cherry-Churri. Both sauces paired with the steak were excellent, but I especially loved the Cherry-Churri. The Cherry-Churri is a Chef Sandoval creation, and a combination of flavors I would have never thought would go so well together. The Smash potatoes were served with sun-dried tomatoes on top, and the dish had little bit of a spicy bite to it. There were also capers added in, which I liked a lot. The Trumpet Mushrooms are seared (and presented) like scallops, which I thought was creative. I liked the mushrooms, but I'd be curious to try another dish and pass on those next time. Overall, everything was fantastic. Huge shout out to Chef Sandoval and his incredible team.
Tres Leches Tiramasu: We were informed we ordered the last Tres Leches Tiramasu available that night, and we were pretty stoked about it. I really like Tiramasu and Tres Leches cake, but don't order it that often because it tends to be too sweet for me. This was a dessert I'd absolutely order again. The tres leches portion of the dessert was chilled, and the tiramasu was light and creamy.
