Trinity Restaurant offered a couple different dining venues from Chef Adam Byatt in the same building.  The fine dining option, on the first floor, opened in 2006 and has one Michelin star.  Upstairs at Trinity, which fittingly was on the second level, opened in 2011 and is a Bib Gourmand.  The first floor was  where the busy kitchen was separated from the room by a series of windows and the dining area of white clothed tables was medium sized.  Windows to the outside make up one and half walls with a bar area at one end of the room by the kitchen.  Some tables have bench seating and all have large very starched napkins.   A lowered ceiling, art on the walls, lowered lighting and the hum of conversation describes the rest of the room.   They offer a 4 course tasting at dinner with at least 4 choices for each course and I saw that the price is set to go up by the time you read this post.  You can add a cheese course and one option had a supplement option.

Set-up

 

Food

While you look over the wine list and menu options they served aged parmesan cookies that were crisp and wonderful.   They were decorated with black and white sesame seeds.

 

Next they brought a cheese gougere decorated with black garlic and a slice of cheese.

 

Sourdough rolls from a 2006 starter came with the first course.  They were light and airy with a nice crust and served with softened butter.

 

Galantine ‘de Campagne’ was plated with Passe Crassane pear in a lovely presentation.  Some pistachios, green peppercorns and cornichons were in the mix.   The galatine was a mix of dark and white Guinea hen.  It was good.

 

A tartlet made with 36 month Parmesan was topped with winter bitter leaves and walnuts, black truffle, maitake mushrooms.  The thin crispy crust was lovely and the cheese had so much flavor.  It all went together beautifully and was easily the favorite of the two firsts we tried.

 

Pot roast quail was on a celeriac and potato dumpling.  My husband described the dish as heavy with good flavors.  The dumpling was like a very thick pasta set in a really savory gravy.  The proportion of dumpling to quail was too large but otherwise it was the better of the two second courses.

 

The other second course we selected was doppio agnolotti (stuffed pasta) filled with Delica pumpkin on one side and cep and chestnut on the other, then topped with a deep fried sage leaf.  Having two sides made the edges of the pasta a bit thick and tough.   Good flavors otherwise.

 

They brought out the roast Fosse Meadow chicken in error but I got a photo before they brought out the ordered Spiced Anjou pigeon, sand carrot, duck liver and whipped Haricot bean.   The pigeon breast was tasty but tough and the purée quite tart.   The liver was very good as was the carrot that was covered in seeds.  There were also seeds on the pigeon breast while the leg bit was topped with herbs.  It was a good plate.

 

I think my loin of venison plate suffered some by being held to make his ordered plate.  The meat slices got a bit dry and needed all the sauce to moisten them.   They were plated with fondant parsnip (excellent), quince (sweet) and green peppercorn.  The sauce was good but overall I’d call the plate only good not great.

 

Piedmont hazelnut religieuse (a classic French choux pastry dessert) was with praline and milk ice cream.  The pastry is supposed to mimic a “nun in a habit”, which was more a flying nun in this case.   The two balls were stuffed with hazelnut and had crunchies on the outside and were best eaten with the ice cream.  Not as sweet or rich as the other dessert but good.

 

Salted caramel custard tart was served with caramel ice cream.  The silky custard on the buttery cookie crust was rich and decadent, then combined with the fabulous ice cream it went to the moon.  Yum times 2.

 

Last treats were madeleines served hot from the oven with lots of crispy edges.  The interior seemed lighter than some and less buttery but they were sweet, frangrant and a fine way to end the meal.