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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2016)
El Trio Loco The Molcajete, served in a heavy bowl that keeps its contents hot, is a sort of bean chili topped with butterfl ied shrimp, cheese, grilled chicken, carne asada, scallions and cactus. Gearhart restaurant boasts a long menu, but well-prepared and presented platters L Last August I wrote about the odd and confus- ing cluster of Mexican restaurants in Gearhart. My review centered around El Mariachi Loco, which received two stars, my lowest rating to date. From the parking lot of El Mariachi Loco one could look north and spot El Trio Loco. The rea- son for the duplication, I was told, had something to do with a splitting of family ownership. Driving by recently, I noticed El Mariachi had closed. As such, I ¿ gured a trip to the victor ² and the longer-running establishment ² was in order. El Trio Loco’s space, with high ceilings, Southwestern pastels, tile work, colorful fake plants and buzzing beer signs, was familiar: the rote Mexican-American template. There are plen- ty of little spaces throughout, a room for parties, and a large adMoining cantina. It’s pretty big ² but not big enough to house every dish on the menu, were they served all at once. El Trio Loco’s menu is cumbersome and enor- mous. It’s eight pages long. Eight. Pages. Not counting sides, there are over 120 dishes. Choosing was excruciating, not only for fear of missing out, but because everything was so similar. A good half of the menu consisted of a meat, served with rice, beans and maybe some veg. Many differences come down to the slightest of details: like the addition of green peppers. Or, say, a “spicy sauce” and a “spicy tasty sauce.” The servers, while cordial and warm, didn’t excel at narrowing things down. After one returned a third time, I ¿ nally had to throw my hands up and Must pick something. When the Molcajete ($17.95) arrived, in a large, heavy, black stone bowl shaped like a pig, I thought I’d lucked out. Standing on four legs, it was like a bowling ball that had been lopped in half and scooped out. A sort of chili, the beans were bubbling and boiling, steaming, scalding hot. In the center was a cluster of butterÀ ied shrimp, covered with a layer of molten cheddar cheese. Resting around the edge of the bowl and dipping down into the pinto beans were segments of grilled chicken, carne asada and cactus. The beans themselves were cooked with ground cho- rizo and bits of bacon, a lusciously fatty stew. The shrimp had a bit of barbecue smoke. The chick- en had a ¿ ne char it was juicy and well cooked, probably the dishes’ standout protein. The asada, peppery and generously seasoned, was one large, thin piece, about the size and thickness of a book’s hard-cover. I was happy to ¿ nd it almost totally gristle-free. Besides a few scallions and a fried jalapexo, a sheet of cactus, cut into ¿ ngers, consti- tuted the dish’s primary veggie, though its tough, 14 | February 18, 2016 | coastweekend.com oily bitterness left me wanting for a better partner. Still, the dish worked ² it was a glorious, sinfully carnivorous, succulent stew, presented delightful- ly. Plus, that thick stone pig bowl kept things pip- ing hot until well-after I’d ¿ nished. 8nlike when departing its former rival, I left El Trio Loco with a smile, actually looking forward to coming back. When I did return, I found settling on some- thing to order no easier. I did know, that for the most part, I wanted little to do with the numer- ous, run-of-the-mill, cookie-cutter combos ² you know: two tacos and a burrito, an enchilada and a taco, ad in¿ nity. Mostly I was uninterested in or- dering down-menu: Burritos and the like are best saved for counter-service joints, where the quali- ty is similar and the price halved. But, to be fair and sure, I tried the Enchiladas Bandera ($14.95), which allowed me to sample the three base sauc- es. The green, quite peppery, was the pointiest of the bunch. The red was smoky and dark, not at all spicy. The cream seemed mostly of sour cream. Oh, and the house habanero hot sauce is certainly worth asking for if you like truly spicy stuff ² There are values to be had at El Trio Loco, like the house Margarita, which, served as a stiff double, is a deal at $5.95. it’s not only very hot, but non-standard in that the base is a tangy green sauce. The enchiladas, though, were as I suspected: run of the mill. The Caldo 7 Mares ($17.95), however, was full of surprise. Partly that’s because neither I nor my server knew what exactly the seven seafoods includ- ed would be. He came up with three: crab, shrimp and scallops. Regardless, I went for it. I mean, it wasn’t as if I was going to feel any more certain with another go-round of the eight-page menu. The “seven” descriptor turned out to be gen- erous, perhaps a bit fungible. To get there on this particular evening one would have to count shrimp and bay shrimp as separate seafoods. (Maybe we could call it the Caldo 6.5?) Statistics aside, I quite enjoyed it, mostly because it was fun to eat. mouth OF THE COLUMBIA COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com Beneath the basic, thin, red tomato and onion broth, I plunged down to haul up hidden treasures. There were little scallops, the aforementioned shrimp, tilapia, octopus, mussels and two crab legs, which jutted up out of the soup. It came with a separate plate for shells and a tool for cracking the crab. With all that snapping and slurping, I wouldn’t have minded a bib. None of the plunder was over-cooked ² the octopus and the mussels hadn’t turned rubbery. But neither was anything here strikingly, off-the-docks fresh. Again, soup succeeded more on experience and variety than any real knockout À avor. It was delivered, puz- zlingly, with tortillas, which I had no use for. But that’s kind of El Trio Loco’s M.O. ² it’s not supremely well-reasoned or visionary, but the platters are heaping, well-prepared and presented. And though they’re not necessarily cheap, there are values to be had. (Among them is the house Margarita, which, served as a stiff double, is a deal at $5.95) I imagine there are more gems in the menu, if you’ve got the patience or luck to ¿ nd them. Once thing, though, is abundantly clear: In the competition of the Locos in Gearhart, the better restaurant prevailed, and it wasn’t even close. HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily KEY TO RATINGS El Trio Loco Rating: 3615 U.S. Hwy 101, Gearhart 503-738-6004 PRICE: $ – Entrées range from $9 to $22 SERVICE: Cordial, warm, but lacking menu expertise VEGETARIAN / VEGAN OPTIONS: Vegetarians should do alright; vegans will be somewhat limited DRINKS: Full bar, coff ee and Mexican soda poor below average good & worth returning excellent outstanding, the best in the Columbia-Pacific region
