Trois

Hello everyone — if you haven’t heard, the 2^nd floor (or main dining room) at Trois is now closed. I should have known something was up when I went online to check the dinner menu and saw that it had been radically changed.
As of last night, Trois was still taking reservations through OpenTable, but when we arrived there was no hostess at the 14^th street entrance. We wandered up the stairs to the main dining area, only to find the top of the stairs blocked off. We could hear voices, so we went back downstairs and took the elevator up, only to see that the entire dining area was dark and empty. The voices were coming from the 3^rd floor, where a private party was being held.
We got back on the elevator, and two gentlemen (coming from the 3^rd floor, one carrying a cake back to the kitchen) looked strangely at our group of five, and asked, «How did you get up here?» I answered, «We took the elevator from the 1^st floor.» They appeared dumbfounded.
The guy with the cake asked us to wait downstairs in the bar area, which is now the only part of Trois that continues to operate. There still was no hostess in the front, and no one paid our group any attention as we waited for an explanation from the cake-​carrying dude. He explained that Trois had closed for the summer, but would reopen as a new concept this fall, and that the downstairs bar and the 2^nd floor restaurant would be two separate spaces. «Apparently, the French thing just didn’t work.»
He said he could push a couple small tables together for our party, but we politely declined and headed to South City Kitchen for dinner. We all had a really bad feeling about staying and eating there, and since we had an out of town guest with us, we wanted to ensure she would have a fine meal in our lovely city.
Earlier, we had drinks and appetizers at Tap, also one of the Concentrics group of restaurants, like Trois, and located in the same building. When we told our waiter we were headed to dinner at Trois, he didn’t warn us. So, either he didn’t know, or he might have thought we were headed up to the private party. Strange.
Also strange was the fact that I subscribe to the Concentrics restaurant newsletter, and was never notified that Trois was closed for the summer. In fact, their $ 25/​3-​course prix fixe special included Trois on the list as part of Concentrics restaurant week.
It gets weirder, people. Four of us walked to the restaurant, but one friend met us by car, and she used the Trois valet at the 14^th Street entrance. She was not informed that the restaurant was closed, nor was she told that she would have to pick up her car at the Peachtree Street entrance if she wasn’t back before 9:00 PM. So, as the thunderstorms hit last night, we walked her to her car, only to find NOONE in sight. Thanks to my trusty iPhone, I was able to quickly find TAP’s telephone number, and call them to explain our plight. To TAP’s credit, they had the valets down to meet us within five minutes and sanity was restored. The valets were extremely chatty and apologetic, and they had had a worse night than all of us, but I’ll save those details for another day.
Concentrics, this is no way to run a restaurant. What’s up?

After eating here for lunch, I can say this ranks just behind Sotto Sotto on my list of pretentious restaurants.
I had a buy one/​get one free lunch coupon to use, which I presented at the beginning of the meal. This, perhaps combined with the fact that I was wearing jeans, seemed to influence the service that my coworker and I got.
Unlike the other tables, we were not served any bread before the meal. The service was curt, and none of the people who spoken to us seemed warm or genuine.
The food was decent, but nothing special. I had the lamb on ciabatta, which was served a little too greasy and lukewarm for my liking. The mixed green salad on the side was quite bland.
My coworker ordered the ham and cheese panini with tomato soup. She seemed to like it, but she had to wait several minutes to start because they’d forgotten a spoon.
As others have mentioned, the décor is pretty plain (however, I actually found the sea foam green dining room quite calming).
My two cents.

«Evenings at Emory Dinner Group» — Episode III: Trois
I’m sad that my month-​long eating «class» is winding down. Only one more dinner to go. But before I think too much about the future, let me write about how much I enjoyed Trois during our dinner club’s third installment.
First off, they’re located inside my favorite building in Atlanta. Who doesn’t love those cool looking «fins» on the top of the Symphony Tower? The dining space has a very clean, minimalistic feel with fantastic views being practically surrounded by windows (the sun was setting as we started our apps — gorgeous!).
Our table shared several appetizers which included seared tuna on a sesame cracker topped with olive tapenade, fried chicken dumplings with sweet and sour sauce, and a fried risotto ball served on a bed of rock salt, black pepper corns and star anise (interesting presentation although I’m not sure if it impacted the flavors at all). Everyone enjoyed the dumpling the most. The fish was a bit bland, and I was so intrigued by the presentation of the risotto balls that the taste of the actual app escapes me. But it was fried, so I’m sure it was good. =)
For our entrees, we were offered the sole parmesan, the hanger steak, or the roasted chicken. I chose the chicken which was served with a crispy polenta cake, wild mushrooms and a delicious natural jus. The sauce was reduced down so that it was packed with flavor which infused into the mushrooms, the polenta cake was crispy on the outside with a moist center and the chicken was perfection. Blink… it’s GONE! My food vacuum was set on high, I guess.
Our «contract» didn’t include a dessert, but they brought out some little chocolate/​peanut butter squares and a glass of their house blush champagne on the house. It was a nice final touch on a delicious evening.

I went with a large group on a rainy, foggy Friday night so the place was less than packed. Trois is a place to drink but not to eat. The menu writes checks the kitchen can’t cash.
The tuna appetizer I started with was a disaster. I’m sure the tuna chunks were fresh (they were raw) but they were smothered in a very strong creamy sauce with capers. The tuna was completely lost in this dish and really paired with ingredients that make no sense.
My main course, the lamb chop, tasted like it had been cooked on a grill on which something had been badly burnt. I appreciate the flavor of properly smoked piece of meat, but I don’t expect it to taste burnt. Someone across the table ordered the same thing and we looked at each other after a first bite and agreed on the burnt taste. The side veggies with this lamb chop were also forgettable. The portions were very small for the price but if the quality were high that would be forgivable.
The wine was good.
The service was good with our waitress treating us all to a glass of champagne at the end (that I didn’t need).
However, this was still the worst $ 100 meal I’ve ever had. I’ll never go back and will warn others to better places. There are so many good restaurants in Atlanta where you can get a great meal for about half this price. Sure, the space that Trois occupies is stunning but the food is very disappointing. I guess paying rent on that huge space requires cutting way too many corners in the kitchen. I drove away thinking «tourist trap».
You might think that 1 star is harsh, but at these prices food this poorly prepared must be called out.

I went there last Monday night for dinner. Service was good; the wait staff seemed competent and knowledgeable. The food, however, was a bit of a let-​down. Compared with its sister restaurants (ONE.midtown kitchen and TWO. urban licks), the food is neither very adventurous nor very exciting. Trois offers an American take on some French classics, but it does not go very far.
Nice décor, but the food leaves a bit to be desired. Free valet parking, which is nice.

Went during Restaurant Week in Midtown– had always been curious about the place.
Service was super slow for my table, I guess we aren’t VIPs :(Food was not great.
I liked the atmosphere, the ambience, but not for dinner. I recommend going here for drinks and dessert only.

The ambience is subtle, modern, romantic, & posh.
Unfortunately, on that night we were seated almost side-​by-​side next to another couple, so close you couldn’t help it but overhear their conversation.
I was really hoping the food would be parallel to the atmosphere but it just didn’t happen. I had the ‘beef bourguignon noodles’ which had an overpowering red wine sauce taste, I could hardly eat it. I dunno, maybe that’s the way a French pasta dish is suppose to taste but I just wasn’t impressed. My bf had some sort of seared tuna dish which he thought was OK, the corn pudding was blah, though he did enjoy the ‘duck fat fries’.
I have to give them props on the service though. Our waiter was very pleasant and attentive.
When it comes down to it, food is the key. Trois, delivers on just about everything but the most important element.

I’ve had a great time at Trois in the past, when it first opened found a great crowd at the bar, delicious snacks and good service. We went this weekend for a drink before going out for my birthday, and found a different Trois from 2007.
The fact that a couple of the «Real Housewives of Atlanta» were holding court at the Trois Bar, DID NOT HELP the experience, however management should have mitigated that disaster by staffing up. There was literally one waitress trying to serve over 30 guests — come on Trois; that is ridiculous.
When you are at a high end place like that (at least high end prices), do you expect to have to request your check when your drink arrives so you might even have a chance to get out in a reasonable amount of time? Bad sign; although I will say the waitress was great and trying her hardest, management should have put some more folks on the scene.
Won’t be back, ever.

Trois was a trois-​etoile kind of place. A-​OK, particularly if you think that french food should be somewhat pretentious and overpriced.
Midtown Restaurant Week — a chance for those of us who refuse to pay for pretense get to mingle with the hip crowd at a fraction of the price — and a fraction of the portion…
Three of us waited for the other two guests in the downstairs bar area. The lights in the floor that reflected in the ceiling gave a great ambiance — too bad that was the highlight of the bar experience. We waited for 15 minutes on our cocktails — only to be told that they’d run out of what they needed for my Alabama Flat Peach Fizz. So I ordered the Berry Bramble, which apparently meant they had to go pick the berries, since that took another 10 minutes. Meanwhile my friends were waiting, rather than having me sit their eying their cocktails, so needless to say, we were somewhat disappointed in the 25 minute cocktail ordering fiasco. When our other two joined us and ordered, they were out of the whiskey that Adam wanted… seriously, how hard is it to have a stocked bar? We were most impressed by the fortitude of the wine glasses, which was demonstrated when the waitress dropped a champagne glass and it bounced a few times before she almost stepped on it while attempting to pick it up, all of which the glass survived without a chip or a crack. The waitress did comp me the cocktail, since it took so long, or she tried to — she actually took off a different one, but it was the same price so whatever. Clearly, it was not her night.
The host told us they were ready for us and directed us to the stairs, where another hostess seated us in the middle of the restaurant. For an urban space, it has quite a view. The décor is clean and sleek, but the waiters uniforms look somewhat like straight jackets.
Our waiter explained the specials — the tasting menu for restaurant week, and the «We’re not THAT French» special, which is a free glass of select wines with purchase of entrée. I love tasting menus, since theoretically, they should allow you to taste lots of things that the restaurant is proud of, so I went with the menu. Two of our party opted for the free glass with entrée.
The tasting menu was good, and just that — a tasting menu. I was definitely not full upon completion, but I did get enough tastes of everything to recommend or not. I recommend the heirloom tomatoes and the sole. Although the green purée with the sole was somewhat mysterious, and I think I couldn’t fully appreciate the fish since I didn’t know exactly what it was sitting on… The chocolate soufflé was a good way to end the evening.
The two that got the entrees like the food, but the free wine glass was not a full glass — they used smaller sized glasses, and even they didn’t look like a full pour, so I would guess it was only about 4oz, instead of the standard 7oz glass. And when they ordered another glass later in the evening off the standard list, it came in a huge glass, so yes, they are that french.
Two of our party had the french onion soup, and it was (how do I say this tactfully?) pungent. It was topped with the epitome of stinky french cheese. More than once, we checked that the person next to us was wearing deodorant… let’s just say that it takes away from the taste of the soup.
The service was just ok — not what I’d expect from a hip french restaurant. It took our waiter 5 minutes after the soup arrived to bring spoons to eat it. And there was confusion over what wine list we wanted to order our second round from (they’d already gotten the free glasses, so why would they want to look at that again…). Also, they ran out of the second choice whiskey and had to substitute yet again.
Bonus points because they did give us all $ 20 coupons for September, though they’re not good for alcohol…

My partner, Alison wrote this for our blog… I thought you would enjoy it.
Sure, we like to dine, and we like to share our opinions about places we eat, but we are not really «foodies» or snobs about this stuff. Case in point, it took us almost a year to finally make it to Atlanta Magazine’s «Best Restaurant for 2007» — Trois. Before I give my opinions about this experience, I feel I should say that we do not enjoy giving a negative review. We feel a little guilty. Ok — down to business. This place is NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, the «best» restaurant in Atlanta. And I feel a little sorry for them for having the burden of this label. But even if my expectations had not been raised by the various acclaims for this trendy spot, I would have noticed the failures of this place. A few small nit-​picky things: place-​settings were incomplete (missing a glass and some essential utensils, failure to give replacement utensils); failure to keep water glass full.
All can be overlooked by otherwise good service and/​or excellent food. Alas, neither of these were present tonight. The appetizers were nice, a lump crabmeat thingy and a sampler for mid-​town restaurant week, but then we waited almost an hour for our entrees. And they got them wrong. After waiting for them to get it right, we dug in. They were fine. No problems. But nothing to write about.
Our mediocre dining experience was nothing compared to what we witnessed around us. It was like watching the restaurant crumble before us. Every table around us had some problem. First, the solo guy in the booth on his cell phone complained that his Brandy was sour and headed for the door. Then, the two guys next to us proceeded to have such an awful experience that the just gave up after an hour and left. Their entrees arrived before their appetizers then, after they sent back the entrees and waited 30 minutes for their appetizers, they got the wrong ones. It was a bad scene and the management was slow to respond. They wisely did not charge them for their drinks, but all they offered them was a weak offer for a future discount. No way those guys were ever coming back. The 4-​top of elderly rich folk were also served their meals hours after they ordered it and without the necessary utensils. Really? Our seat near the open kitchen allowed us to listen as the wait staff reach a fever-​pitch. All were clearly «in the weeds» and reeling from a poorly run machine.
Ok — and the moment you have all been waiting for — the toilet. The fancy toilet at Trois requires an engineering degree to flush. The sign on the door warns the ladies to «flush button on right» — but it took me 10 minutes to realize it was on the side of the toilet itself. Just stop trying so hard people. Give me a toilet I can flush, the food I ordered, and the fork I need to eat it. Seriously. My only positive recommendation — cool space, great cocktails. Get a drink at the bar then head to one of the many other far superior dining establishments in this fine city.

I have to say that I was let down by my first Trois experience. Not that it wasn’t without its definite highlights, but for the fine dining level I was expecting, Trois did not deliver like many of its contemporaries.
It should be said that the service was extraordinary. Every staff member in the establishment went above and beyond the call of duty. Our waiter thoroughly explained everything he brought out to us (an aspect I love), the host was excellent and the décor was modern and hip/​refreshing. No complaints there.
For that matter, the free watermelon drink at the beginning and sparkling wine at the end of the meal were nice bonuses. As was the free wine deal the restaurant is running through the election.
Unfortunately, the food just didn’t stand up. Our squash appetizer was mostly underwhelming, as were portions of our entrees. My salmon was pretty satsifactory as was my companion’s pasta. But only satisfactory.
I’ll return, but boy, I hoped for more.

I was really looking forward to lunch at Trois, but was very disappointed by the experience there. We went the day after their Bastille Day prix fix dinner event and perhaps that’s why the restaurant was off it’s game. Staff looked tired, uninterested, and they didn’t have a drop of French Onion Soup for the entire day.
Also, the menu was very misleading. A co-​worker and I both ordered their Tangle Wood Chicken Salad, whose description made it sound like a chicken salad sandwich. Instead, it was a leg of chicken on a salad. Neither of us expected that, but it had taken so long to get the dish, we just ate it anyhow.
Their vanilla bean crème brûlée was very good, water refilled in a timely fashion and overall nice asthetics, but not exactly a great experience. Will revisit Two Urban Licks next time.

I can’t vouch for the restaurant because I veered directly into the bar, as I am wont to do. Bellied up and promptly ordered the first unusual thing I saw – a piscot sour made with fresh apples from Helen, GA. Quite tasty, resembling in quality if not flavor the old egg and bitters piscos I used to imbibe in the Great Northwest. In any case, I admired the bar wall for a while, tastefully underlit or backlit with lavish shelves of liquor. A very light palette to the place, a sense of brightness, a bit optimistic.
The bartender was a little dour by contrast, but looked the part with salt and pepper hair and a bar towel flung over his shoulder. Wore an apron too. For a moment I felt like I could have been Gatsby shouldering into a speakeasy in West Egg. (I do have that air of imminent tragedy about me, although not rendered as endearingly. ahem.) The décor was modern but the bar had something of a golden age feel, which was helped along by the jazz band playing at the far end of the room. They were faced by a gaggle of women behaving in a fashion that only bachelorette parties do. But they were tame enough, and the rest of the room was a typical mish mash of forgettable faces.
All in all, a fair approximation of a good time. The food at such establishments is beyond my budget and ken, thus I refer you to the savoir-​faire of Unilocal’s numberless gourmands…

I went for lunch and had the trois business lunch which consisted of the field greens salad, watermelon gazpacho, and the seared tuna blt. It was fab.
Trois has 3 levels, the bottom iviss the bar, which seemed like a really nice space. The second level is for dining and the top third level is for private events. The staff was friendly and the service overall was excellent.
I would love to

Not sure if this is a review, or just a bizarre night I had at this place…
Went there on a Wednesday, so I’m not going to hold too much against the bar.
A group of us went there after dinner expecting some sort of party crowd. We walked in to a pretty dead bar scene. As we sat down at one of the couches/​tables in the place, we noticed the music.
Now the décor and layout of this place screams mod/​European lounge type. I think we all expected some kind of electronica/​dance/​Daft Punk type music. Instead we were greeted with Willie Nelson among others. Now, I’m not against the red-​headed stranger in an anyway, I’m from Texas and lived in Austin so I really like him, it was just that it was about the opposite music of what you expected.
Beyond the tunes, the service was mediocre, I got the feeling that we were keeping our waitress from closing out and leaving.
But like I said overall, Middle of the week is the hardest for any kind of bar to succeed at, it’s only the Paris Hilton (party everyday types) or the Hardcore Alkies that are out on a Wednesday.
Next time I’ll try to check it out while it’s hoppin’

For our third visit to Atlanta, the Captain thought that dinner at a place named Trois would be fitting. He was right.
Concentric describes Trois as a «French brasserie.» I would say that the food is French inspired (or methode Francois…), but not exactly what I would consider brasserie and the atmostphere definitely leans more toward upscale urban Atlanta trendy. Not at all a bad thing — just not a brasserie.
We had the foie gras, lobster knuckles, duck and sea bass, then had dessert upstairs. Our food was excellent and our server was very attentive and helpful, even going so far as to help us make plans for later in the evening.
Overall, great food, atmosphere and service and, although long and winding, the right man can carry you all the way down the stairs!

My sister came down to Atlanta during Christmas. Seeing as how she’s picky and into French cuisine, I wanted a nice and chic restaurant that would impress her. My friends told me some great things about the restaurant — how it’s three-​stories high, the great food, blah, blah, blah. It sounded perfect. So I took my sister to Trois.
From the beginning, we didn’t click. We actually had a reservation, but we had to wait about 30 minutes. The seating hostess told us to wait by the bar, so we did. But we got kicked out of the bar for being underage. So we ended up waiting by the bathroom. Finally, we went up the stairs to get seated. When we arrived, I saw at least 10 tables that were empty. WTF? What was the wait for? To add to the flaming fire, the service was horrendous. Our waiter was so rude! From making us wait 30 minutes to take order to never bringing our water. I never expected such service from a renowned restaurant like Trois. I don’t recall anything great about the food. Maybe it’s because I was deeply disappointed by the restaurant. In that mood, nothing can taste great.
Urgh, bad decision. Ever since, I’ve tried making excuses to forgive myself: «I shouldn’t have. I was so young and innocent! I just didn’t know any better.» But I still can’t forgive myself for bringing my sister here!

Old Fashion Cocktails + Great Bartenders + Yummy Food = 5stars.
Night one: In Atlanta for the first time in over a year and had heard good things about this place, so I went to meet an old friend and have a drink. So A drink turned into A FEW drinks. Big thanks to Eric and James at the bar for creating drinks that are so good they are deadly. ah-​hem hence how one drink turned into many. Fresh fruit mixers and interesting ingredients, I loved every drink I had. So much so that I came back the next night.
Night two: I sat at the bar again and decided to have some dinner as well. I had a great tuna with pear and wasabi cavier app followed my even yummier oxtails. When I saw Oxtails on a menu I had to order it; mainly because my family is Jamaican and this was the first time that I had been in a non-​Caribbean restaurant and saw oxtail on the menu. Yummy, off the bone, comfort food goodness. It was served with scallops which I didn’t «get» but I love scallops and loved these.
Should I get back to Atlanta, I’d like to try the desserts… and definitely the drinks again!

It was restaurant week in Midtown recently, and we ventured out to Trois, the third of Concentric’s restaurants in Atlanta. We had a party of four and early reservations. The space is beautiful. The service was pretty good, if not perfect. They had «crumbers» (a little metal tool to scrape the crumbs off your tablecloths and keep you tidy) which I adore for some reason, perhaps because they are rare these days. Not too sure how I feel about the poor waitstaff wearing white, and of course wearing obvious stains within an hour of service… but enough about mundane details.
The food was spectacular. All of it. I will definitely be back. We usually enjoy ourselves, and we have eaten at quite a few restaurants where the food is wonderful, but this was spectacular. The delicacy of the flavors. The balance between sweet, tangy, rich, light. Every course was just perfect. And you never know during restaurant week if you are going to receive (a) the quick and easy since it is prix fixe, or (b) a restaurant will try to impress the folks who chose to come out on this week, but might be lured back… This was b for sure. The menu was very tempting, and we had to veer off the Prix fixe because we just couldn’t stand it. And so we began with. ****
Pre dinner cocktail: the Trois green tea cocktail
Amuse bouche: Watermelon purée
1^st course: Cheese
Goat Georgia pecan chevre (firm, unique)
Cow Green Hill (like butter, I will track this down and buy it)
Sheep Roquefort (loved by all, even the non-​stinky foot cheese eaters)
2^nd Amuse bouche: Curried carrot purée
Wine with dinner: Perrin & Fils Gigondas La Gille Rhone 2004
2^nd course:
Beef Hanger Skewer with duck fat potatoes, Bearnaise (tender, luxe)
Heirloom Tomatoes with tiny basil, goat cheese, aged balsamic (so flavorful, the balsamic, almost syrupy rich)
«Toad in a hole» tuna tartar, brioche, brown egg and wasabi caviar (GOOD LORD THIS WAS HEAVEN — SO LUXURIOUS — THE STUFF FANTASIES ARE MADE OF. We HAVE TO STOP AND GROAN FOR A MINUTE OR TWO JUST THINKING ABOUT IT IT.)
3^rd course:
Flounder Parisian cauliflower, capers, lemons, fine herbs (surprisingly flavorful)
Duck «sous-​vide» breast, confit brick, green papaya salad (tender and sweet)
Suckling Pig, fried chickpea, morning radish, baby vegetables (crispy, succulent, rich, the stuff you dream about having on ribs…)
Dessert:
Cheese Plate (Yes another)
Goat Cheve Affin’e (Too mild for us)
Cow Green Hill (AGAIN, butter… like butta)
Sheep Brinata pecorino fresco (sharp, creamy)
Warm chocolate «clafoutis» with mint chip ice cream (aiight)
Ramos pinto ruby port (Good for the cheapest port on the menu)
**We are still fantasising about the toad in the hole…

Thanks to our hotel’s concierge, he recommended us to try out this place. It was a fabulous suggestion, the place was modern, chic and loved the interior!
Wonderful looking crowd, beautiful people, great eye-​candy location. :) ROAR…
About food — we shared the French Onion Soup (it was rather blend and a lil too oily for our liking) but the suckling pig –crispy chick peas, morning radish and fingerling potatioes was delicious and tender! YUM. Crispy duck ravioli with candied beets and hazelnuts was just so so, it was deep fried a tad too much, hence a lil dry and overcooked.
But the warm chocolate cake with mint chip ice-​cream was oh-​so-​yummy!
After dinner, we walked around to the upper dining area and it was a lot more space than we thought, interesting bathrooms! Overall a great dining and lounging locale while out in Midtown!