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
