Trina in Fort Lauderdale---boring and expensive!!!
We have been to Trina's in Fort Lauderdale a number of times and have always enjoyed the atmosphere and, particularly, the food.
We have come back to Fort Lauderdale for a few months and were not aware that they they had changed chefs this spring.
We booked reservations for New Year's eve dinner and were told at that time that they would be serving the regular menu, which was fine for us, as we really enjoyed it.
However, we got a call the afternoon prior to our dinner, when the caller told us they were going to have a fixed price and fixed menu dinner at $95/person. It was a little disconcerting that we were not told this up front, but we thought, "Great, the chef can show what they're made of."
At any rate, we had our dinner, and it was literally one of of the most boring and disappointing meals we have ever had. The poached oysters were tasteless and rubbery. The poached octopus salad was extremely bland; the dressing should have carried it, but it did not. When my lobster in saffron sauce was served, it was cold, and there was not even a hint of a taste of saffron in the sauce, and I had to send it back to the kitchen.
Additionally, the service was mediocre at best, with the wait staff gathering at the host station and having what appeared to be a better time than the guests. On previous occasions, we have actually had quite good service.
The only part of the meal that was up to any standard was the dessert, which was a very nice camembert cheese-cake with some interesting chocolate decorations.
One positive on the waitresses side was that she did tell her GM about our feedback, and he did come and speak to us for a few minutes. Nothing came of that, however.
So we spent $300 for the most boring meal of our lives....
We'll give the restaurant one more chance, as it has been one of our favourites, so we'll just hope that the chef really "missed" last night.
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Icantread
Jan 6, 2009 09:22 AM
If you've had great dinners at Trina, relish them. Personally, I really enjoyed some meals there, however, per this New Times article:
http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2008-...
it's a veneer of the old Trina. A real shame.
