Tria, Philadelphia, PA

Dogboy and I wanted to find a nice wine bar with good tapas on our trip to Philadelphia this past week...and with the help of some local foodies and winos on a restaurant board I frequent, we learned of this little gem.  The ambience was warm and intimate with lots of wood, glass and brick, and our servers were attentive without being intrusive (especially the lovely Trishula). There was a wonderful, extensive list of wines by the glass, and each of the tapas we sampled was outstanding.  It took me a little time to realize that this place has no real "kitchen" per se...but creates these incredibly tasty small plates with just a few tools like toaster ovens, griddles, panini presses and a refrigerator. 

We started with Warm Tuscan White Bean Spread with Baguette, which was even more creamy and rich than I expected it be...it was a real winner.

Next, it was time for what proved to be my favorite plate of the evening...Spicy Tuna and Chickpea Stuffed Piquillo Peppers.  For some reason, I was expecting a warm dish, but these were served cool and drizzled with Parsley-Garlic Oil.  The chickpeas added a delightful, unexpected nutiness to the tuna stuffing.  I wanted to get another order, but SO many things on the menu looked good that I didn't want to get into a rut.

One of the spousal-unit's faves was the Warm Poached Black Mission Figs with Gorgonzola and Prosciutto di Parma.  Oh. My. Gawd. is pretty much all I can say about these.  They were wonderful!

Jimbo ponders the mysteries of the Universe, such as why there's no place like this in Tampa.

Onward we snarfed, until we got to our Sliced Italian Meats served with Balsamic Red Pepper, Caper Berries and Spicy Garlic Oil.  Not since we were in Florence have we enjoyed such a beautiful selection!

Oh, and at the bottom of the photo, we have lovely artisan bleu cheese with toasted baguette slices and blackberry compote.

Although we were feeling pretty full at this point, I HAD to try the Banana, Goat’s Milk Caramel and Mascarpone Panino...it looks like a sandwich, but tastes like dessert.  Here's my half...simply incredible!  Elvis would've loved it. ;)

The only plate we tried that cost more than $6 was the Italian Meat board.  All that food, plus three glasses of wine apiece set up back around $100 for two hours of nibbling and sipping. Plates are small, but priced accordingly...we left feeling quite full, slightly buzzed, and very happy. I wish Tria wasn't 1,000 miles from home, because there is certainly nothing even remotely comparable near our zip code.

http://www.triacafe.com/

My blog entries contain the unmitigated, and sometimes unforgiving, dining truths and perceptions I experience as an ordinary restaurant patron. Every meal I post about has been fully paid for by one of the participating members of my personal dining party. I do not engage in the gratis blogger freebie dining events I'm constantly invited to attend and never will. If I ooze font-like love for a restaurant in my blog, it's because they totally earned it…not because they gave me free food or knew I was going to share the experience on the internet.