TRIO Restaurant & Market — Restaurant in Kitty Hawk

My friends & I (three couples) went to Trio for dinner a couple of nights ago. They were busy & we understood this as we had been warned that there would be a long wait. When we checked in to put our name on the list for a table, we were told by the hostess that we could get a drink at the bar while we waited. So we sat down at the bar & ordered a bottle of wine for my girlfriends & me & the guys ordered beer & an iced tea for the DD. The men were handed lovely beer glasses filled with their beverage but we ladies were handed plastic tumblers with pour lines marked on them & a bottle of wine in a cheap plastic bucket. When we asked why we could not have a wine glass, the bartender (male) said “You’re going to be walking around, right?” Were we? We thought we were sitting at the bar until our table was ready. And, if we were going to walk around, weren’t our husbands going to walk around with us? So, they get glasses & we get tacky plastic tumblers?

After some moments of confusion, and, frankly, offense for being treated like children, the bartender informed us that we could not sit at the bar & wait for our table because the bar was reserved for people who are eating. What? No one told us that when we came in AND we were encouraged by the hostess to go to the bar & have a drink while waiting on our table. We felt like fools as we got up from the bar & tried to figure out where six of us could “walk around” in the tiny store. The bartender then tells us we could go to the smoking porch to wait. My husband has severe asthma so that was not an option. The bartender then suggested we go out the front door to a bench to enjoy our drinks & wait. The men proceeded outside. As my girlfriends & I went to follow them out, the store clerk (Trio is a store as well as a restaurant) jumped out & said “You can’t drink out there!” Again, what?! We told her we had been told to go out front by the bartender. There were already three other people in addition to our husbands sitting out front enjoying their wine. (I guess the smoking porch did not agree with them either.) It turns out that it is, in fact, illegal to sit in front of a strip mall restaurant & drink alcohol in NC. Awesome.

Trio may have decent food but their service is terrible. Patrons should be told when they check in that the bar is for eating only & the only other place that is legal to sit & drink while you wait an hour for your table is a smoking porch or you can walk around the tiny store to see the $9 bottle of wine you just paid them $28 for at the bar. I get why they don’t tell people about these rules and wait until you have drinks in hand before informing you in the most humiliating way possible. We will not be back & I hope this review helps others to make...

After a hot morning walking around the beautiful Elizabethean gardens in the August humidity and full sun, we started looking for a lunch spot with outdoor seating. And that is easier said than done when the sun is at its peak. So many places we drove by did have some makeshift outdoor tables, but alot were just in the direct sun. We had a place in mind but were hoping to stay south and also do some shopping. That brought us to Trio, we saw the well covered, well thought out outdoor seating, from the street and that brought us in. First let's just say if you enjoy wine this is the place to go! My hubby and I have been looking for Croft label port for over a year and couldn't find it anywhere including online. But we found a bottle here!!! It took a while to get seated but once we were, we realized there were only 4 tables outdoors and one of them was taken by a family who had not been able to check in to their accomodations and were waiting out their check in time by ordering continually off the menu, they had their labradoodle with them who was mostly quiet and not even in sight. Getting to the brass tax about this restaurant, the fan outdoors helped alot and each table had a little battery operated fan to help detract any flying things. They had a Saturday brunch menu available until 3pm. And a seasonal specials menu as well, with some interesting choices. I ordered the Mahi tuna bites with pineapple salsa very yummy and refreshing. With such a terrific cheese offering my hubby ordered a charcuterie board. The cheeses did not disappoint, he loved the California cheese it was gone in one bite. And the cured pork belly was delicious and unique. After he polished that off I asked if that was his meal but he was still hungry, and I'm so glad he was because that led to me ordering one of the best salads I've ever eaten. The Carolina Grilled Peach Salad was divine! And that's without the blue cheese which I asked to leave off. And I added the best seasoned grilled chicken I've ever eaten on a salad. My hubby ordered a surf and turf but I honestly couldn't tell you what was on his plate because I was so absorbed with this Ah-mazing salad! The flavors of the grilled juicy peaches, the perfect grilled chicken and roasted red pepper vinaigrette, was just fabulous!!! And I couldn't even finish it with regrets because I was completely pleasantly full. If we had been headed back in I would have taken the rest to go but I did cover my plate with my napkin and my hubby asked what I was doing and I said "this salad was so delicious I'm covering the dish in respect of what I...

My wife and I were looking for a unique local eatery that stood out. We were looking for unique flavorful food for an early dinner and TRIO looked interesting. As we walked in, the shop was to the left and the eatery was to the right. But, right in front of you is a selection of fine cheeses that would make any charcuterie board jealous. They offer indoor and outdoor seating, we choose to sit inside and we were quickly greeted and brought our drink orders. We spoke to our server about some of the items on their small but delicious menu and we agreed that this odd little turkey and strawberry Panini looked interesting and full of flavor. So we went for the Panini with an iced tea. The tea was herb infused. After taking my first sip I knew that whoever was planning the menu was paying attention to the little details that make a difference. That attention to detail was really evident in the Panini too. The Brie, Pepper jelly, fresh strawberries and turkey came together in the perfect pairing. A pairing that, while outstanding on its own, would have been a true home run when paired with the right beer or wine. That was my mistake not theirs. This is an establishment that I will definitely return to. Once you finish eating, head over to the shop for a great selection of true craft beers and fine wines. They offer true craft beers here, not just the beers that have been bought up by Mega Corp beer companies that are trying to pass off extract flavored beers as craft beers. Do yourself a flavor and make the time to visit TRIO on your next visit to the...