Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
A friend of ours, Mike, was performing a blues show one Wednesday evening and invited us to come and listen to some blues trivia and music. Truth be told, it was also his birthday and the audience was to be peppered with a lot of his friends. This was all happening at the Trio Grille in Marengo.
Trio Grille
101 Franks Road
Marengo, IL 60152
(815) 568-3333
bestfoodinthearea.com
Directions: Take Main Street West to Marengo/Huntley Road, West on Rte. 20 to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 16 minutes
When we arrived, we were looking for an entrance to the restaurant and discovered the restaurant was inside the Glo-Bowl bowling alley. We didn’t bring our bowling shirts or shoes, but we went in anyway and were escorted to our table.
After getting our drinks, we ordered an appetizer of Fried Pickles ($9) for our first course. These were breaded house-made dill pickle chips served with a chipotle ranch dipping sauce. While we were waiting for these to arrive, we examined the extensive menu looking for entrees to please our palates this evening.
The waitress arrived with a large basket of golden-brown pickle chips. These were awesome and we have to admit we like the pickle chips over the pickle spears. Be aware that the chipotle sauce packs a little punch, but goes well with the tangy dill pickles.
Now on to our second course. Nancy spotted an old favorite on the menu. She saw the Pot Roast ($19) and it brought back memories of the now defunct Mill Rose Restaurant in South Barrington, so she had to order it. This was tender braised beef in a red wine beef au jus served over mashed potatoes with seasonal vegetables. Her entrée came with either soup or salad and she went with the salad and ranch dressing. To her dismay, and the joy of people around her, garlic dressing was not offered. The pot roast proved to be the winner at our table this evening. It was delicious, but she said it could have used more au jus to make it perfect.
Jim went with the French Onion Burger ($15). This was a half-pound burger grilled to your liking and served on a toasted brioche bun, lightly dipped in a French onion broth. It is topped with caramelized onions, melted Swiss cheese, and your choice of a side. He chose the house-made chips. His burger turned out to be cooked to medium temperature, even though he asked for well done, the melted Swiss cheese was missing, and it was served with a cup of au jus. This sandwich also seemed to be dipped in au jus, not the French onion broth stated on the menu, which made it soggy and required eating it with a knife and fork. The chips, however, were to die for. We detected a hint of garlic parmesan on top of them. Yum…
Now for the “trio” course. Nancy and I shared a slice of Key Lime Pie ($6) for dessert. This was a refreshing bite after the meal. I had a second dessert this evening. Since it was Mike’s birthday, someone brought in a birthday cheesecake. I was in heaven with all the desserts this evening.
FYI: This restaurant/bowling alley is handicap accessible.
The price for our evening out listening to the blues $58.85, two desserts, priceless…
Jim’s take: My sandwich sounded good on the menu, but the au jus made it too greasy.
Nancy’s take: The only thing that would have made my entrée better would have been if the veggies were roasted, like you get in a pot roast dinner.
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