Trina's Starlite Lounge — Restaurant in Somerville

The menu was a good size, two pages, single sided, consisting of starters, entrees, and sandwiches (read: burgers, dogs). The list of starters was great and it took a lot of deliberation to choose from the roughly 8 very tasty sounding options. I decided to go with the Corn Fritters with Lavender Honey. They came to the table, five of them, dressed in a dusting of powered sugar, the lavender honey on the side. With each bite, a torrent of savory, creamed corn burst through the crunchy fried shell of deliciousness (very well fried). The sauce was light, fragrant, and the taste of lavender made itself known but didn't overpower the the rest of the fritter at all. The sweetness of the corn, sugar, and the flavors of the lavender honey paired very well with the savory parts of the corn and the fried batter. Each fritter was two satisfying bites each. Order a second starter if there are more than two people.

For my entree, I got the Fried Chicken. The breading on the chicken was actually very good on its own. Pairing with the sauce (sweet, and served on the side) was quite enjoyable. The kicker is this, though: the waitress offered, and I accepted, some Crystal hot sauce. It brought the chicken to the next level by pairing the salty, sweet, and spicy. So I wonder, why wasn't this prepared this way out of the gate? The best flavor shouldn't be an option, at least I don't think so. My plate had two large pieces of chicken on it - one white and one dark meat (including a leg). The dark meat was really, really good, but the white meat suffered the fate of a lot large birds: a tad dry. Brining might have helped here. Along with the chicken and the sauce, the plate also had corn bread (hiding under the chicken), sweet baked beans, cole slaw, and an arugula salad. The cole slaw, I will be short, was so unremarkable that I think it was a waste of space on the plate. The corn bread was better, though maybe a bit dense compared to what I'm used to (I grew up South of the Mason-Dixon). Now, I'm going to be honest and say I'm not a huge fan of arugula - it's bitter. This salad was dressed with oil, salt, and pepper, and by itself just didn't impress. I found that adding some of the syrup/sauce that was intended for the chicken as a dressing additive really improved matters, though - so much so that I actually really liked the salad; so if you do get the chicken, try that out. The beans, lastly, I thought, were too sweet after the sweet sauce, sweet corn bread, and (admittedly by my own fault and also preference) sweet arugula salad. I wish they were more similar to a cowboy bean instead.

An important note, not about the food: it's dark in there. Really dark. There was a candle at the table and holding it up to the menu was the only way the menu became legible (young reviewer, good vision). As somebody who believes that part enjoying food is it's visual appeal, and somebody who doesn't like accidentally overfilling his water glass because he can't see, some more light would have been appreciated.

Was the Starlite Lounge worth going to once? Absolutely, even if only for the awesome corn fritters and fantastic wait staff. As an out-of-towner, would I come again knowing that Boston has so much else to offer? ...

I’ve been going to Trina’s for over 12 years at this point. They’ve changed a lot over the years but they always have top notch drinks and at least one veg item on the menu. Well now they have a host of vegan items! I did the pick 3 veggies combo and got the roasted roots (good), curry cauli (great), and mint pea salad (OUTSTANDING!) off their new menu, and I was more than pleased. I dream of that mint pea salad! Which didn’t look or taste like a salad at all.

Drinks-wise: BRING BACK THE NICHOLAS SAGE! As the bar manager conceded, there’s nothing soft and sweet and herbal like that on the menu anymore so nothing has really taken its place. He made me a South Side which was good enough that I got a second—but no Nicholas Sage. May he return and live in infamy!!!

Oh and their Industry Brunch is the best kept secret in the land. Haven’t gone since I went vegan so not sure how kosher the menu is for me, but will update the...

So let me start by saying before Trina's open it had a sign out front and was always closed up with a big metal door. Me and my roommates speculated it might be a strip club because it seemed like SOMETHING was going on tehre but it never seemed to be open. Fast forward to today....

Trina's is a pretty cool place. I describe it as a hip or hipster bar, with some OK food and a solid beer selection. It is always dimly lit, not TOO loud (well sometimes it is) and full of interesting characters. The decor is awesome and the waitstaff attentive.

The fact of the matter is I've never been THAT impressed by the food, it gets crowded, and the bartenders/servers aren't as friendly as the adjascent parlor sports.

I'm not totally sure but I think its also more expensive then parlor despite the two sharing a kitchen and being owned by the same people. Overall Trina's is a solid bar and I am glad it exists, but I'd go to...