Eleanor Hoh

I am so excited to welcome a good waterfront restaurant in Miami, Trio On the Bay! When my husband and I had dinner at Trio On the Bay recently, we were so impressed with the GM, Louie Spetrini. He gave us the inside scoop of how the restaurant started, the time spent training the staff and it shows. For us, eating out is not just about good food but the ambience, the service, the music (not so loud that you have to shout to the person next to you!) They succeeded on all fronts, so that was very thrilling. It was early still, so not too crowded so we could relax and enjoy the beautiful water views. We so appreciated how lucky we were to be able to eat outside while it’s still cold up north!

I was also doubly excited because Gerry Kelly is managing the nightclub side of this vast venue. If anyone knows how to ‘party’ and get some excitement going, Gerry does. Few know he wears another hat! He was also a haute couture designer! On open night, he designed some very unique and eye catching outfits for the models. My husband posed with one that had a huge lampshade looking hat on her head. So nice to see Gerry in his element.

When you go, ask for server, Gianpaolo, he made our evening so memorable and special! Such a lovely personality, we got to know him a little. He had some cooking experience after working at Norman’s in the Gables, so he helped us with our dinner selections.

I have to say that the Appetizers were my favorites especially those perfectly pan seared scallops! They were juicy with a crisp exterior, exactly how I like them. Escargot is another of my favorites (there’s not much I don’t like), the addition of the sundried tomatoes and mushrooms were a nice touch. Well, with the fluffy bread dipped in the special in-house olive oil and olive dip, we were full by the time the main courses came out.

The roast duck I felt had a nice crispy exterior but think the chef was so intent getting it crispy, it made the interior a little dry. However, when we reheated the next day, it was tender again. We both love duck, it’s such a tasty bird without doing anything to it. I’m not a fan of mixing sweet sauces with my savory protein, so I just didn’t dip my duck in the raspberry demi glace. The lamb chops were perfect, seared exterior and tender interior. I shouldn’t have ordered mushroom risotto but felt I just had to give a try in all the departments. It was creamy and very mushroomy, I’d order that again. I really had two bites of the duck and lamb and took the rest home.

You know what they say, a separate stomach for dessert. We ordered apple tartine with vanilla ice cream but when it came, Gianpaola also brought us a very light pana cotta with figs. Both were outrageously decadent and a perfect ending to our wonderful dinner at Trio on the Bay. Such a great place to show off to visitors!

Bumped into Executive Klime Kovaceski on our way out and got our photos taken with Gerry Kelly, sorry Louie, didn’t get you in this shot! That was so nice of the chef to say goodbye.