Several things are making Trina’s wildly popular a month after opening. It’s hardly decorated - a few posters here and there to suggest the ’50s - and it’s welcoming and unpretentious. It seems chaotic, but runs smoothly. Skilled bartenders remember your drinks, reception remembers the number in your party. You might not realize what a finely tuned operation this is.
The kitchen is open until midnight. That’s when you can get a good draft beer and “dog of the day’’ (about $5); a plump Kayem all-beef dog with sauerkraut is divine. If you need something to keep all those drinks company, order fries loaded with chili and cheddar ($6).
Trina’s has two bars, one you can’t see at first. If the first is too crowded (probably is, made more so by a no-reservations policy), keep walking to the second. If you get a seat, dig into succulent wings with a Great Hill Blue cheese sauce ($7), or feathery crab cakes with aioli ($9).
Food arrives fast and hot. Suzi Maitland, formerly of the Metropolitan Club, is in the kitchen, sometimes with menu consultant Greg Reeves of Green Street Grill. Beautifully flaky baked haddock ($15) is on a bed of spinach with delectable smoky sweet potato hash. A hefty dish of crisp onion rings ($4) are quite crunchy; hand-cut fries ($4) are good and thick. A satisfying smoked turkey BLT ($8) has lovely flavors. Mac & cheese ($9), which looks pinky with Velveeta, is covered with Ritz crackers. At first we think it’s passable. When the waitress goes to take it, a few forks pitch forth to grab the last tasty shells.
Luscious fried chicken ($17) has a beautiful coating. I cut into the waffle it’s sitting on, which is so hard, it goes flying across the plate, sending a pitcher of hot pepper syrup (read: sticky) all over me. It’s the only misstep here, immediately followed by someone appearing out of nowhere with a cloth napkin and glass of seltzer. Was it the bartender who reads lips? If so, thank you.
