La Trinidade Lounge

Alright, go! We hit up this new trendy spot for some mid-​evening supper. Upon arriving we were greeted by some kick ass staff who were witty, knowledgeable, and overall delightful. You have NO idea how much a witty server can make my dining experience that much better.
With that said, the food. the food, the food. Not something that will call this kid back again. the chicken was that frozen strips of tasteless chicken that resembles the taste or lack of taste one finds in tofu. My guest had salad which had to be sent back because it was brown and wilted, so she instead indulged on drinks for supper. Which is never a bad choice, right?
The atmosphere is aboslutely awesome; a live DJ spun some mixes. some of which included some old school music that convinced us to have more that a handful of drinks!
I do believe if we went for a night out of drinks, laughs, and music I would have rated this place much higher, however our experience was dining and it sadly wasn’t one that I’d wish to repeat.

Warning bells always sound for me when it’s 8:30 Saturday night and a restaurant/​lounge is about as busy as a hibernating bear. We were greeted by a pleasant and knowledgeable server, who helped us partake in one of the saving graces of this place… no corking fee! Very cool. You can enjoy this service until ten with one bottle per person. A great feature. However, the menu was very scant, with few options. The waiter was excited to upsell me on their «famous duck fat fries» but I have to admit that they looked and tasted exactly the same as my friend’s non duck fat fries, so I was disappointed in the $ 1.99 upsell. The chicken club looked safe, so I tried that. It was decent, but nothing to write home about. It could stand to be cut in half and the chicken needs a bit more flavour. We had a great appetizer of dips, but again had to be upsold when we asked for more pita bread because the app didn’t come with nearly enough to get us through all the dip. Overall, I liked the service, didn’t love the menu, loved the no corking fee and didn’t love the fact that we and one other table were the only ones there. Supposedly it gets busier later when the dancing starts, but we didn’t wait to find out and headed to a more happening spot after dinner.

So I finally made my way to La Trinidade last night for 4SqDayHFX… Which btw, was a great event! (Mega kudos to the organizers, speakers, sponsors and volunteers). Having never been to La Trinidade, and hearing great things about it, my expectations were high. And don’t get my wrong with my rating, it’s a nice place… the atmosphere is nice and their alcohol selection is great, but it’s pricey… a bit pricier than what I would like. This really isn’t why my rating is 3… it has to do with the menu.
A group of us got a bit hungry by the time 8:30 rolled around, and since I didn’t take part of any of the appetizers that were passed around during the event, I was looking forward to grabbing something off of their menu… but I couldn’t…
It’s probably my own fault for not eating meat or seafood, but I can usually find something, anything on a menu that I can eat but there was literally nothing except a salad… I was disappointed. It was a «special 4Sq menu» so I’m sure I’ll have to update this review after another trip, but it was a bit of a let down.
I would definitely go again for one or two drinks with a small group of friends because, like I said, the atmosphere is great, but I don’t think I’ll be rushing there for food.

The backbone of any restaurant is the quality of the food. Service is a close runner up. In the case of La Trinidade, it’s hip music and pleasant atmosphere save it from failure… for now. This past Saturday, I enjoyed the company of good friends and enjoyed my evening despite a few problems that were easy to ignore. This was my second visit so that means I can at least see and appreciate their vision.
The menu is an interesting mix with dishes that are filled with potential, yet the venue lacks talent, in the kitchen, to «follow through» and execute. I had the driest, blandest bruschetta of my life. The buffalo sandwich was okay, especially if an odd poultry salad with hot sauce mixed in appeals to your salivary glands. The last time I was here, I enjoyed the Thai muscles, but they ran out last evening before I could request them. The duck poutine, with duck-​fat fries, were tasty but, again, a bit dry. Hmmm, this could be a theme: my friend had the Thai pasta, and he wondered if there was a shortage on sauce since he had, maybe, a couple of tablespoons on his penne.
Our server tried and was pleasant, but it was her first day and perhaps her first day, ever, as a server. She commented that she wasn’t sure how to open bottles of wine, but she managed to do just that and with a smile.
I was at La Trinidade a week prior, and it was a completely different vibe. At the strike of 10pm, the Sound Room was packed with 20-​somethings dancing to funky remixes from the 70s, 80s and 90s. No doubt they will return when exams are completed.
I will return seeking a nice place to sit, drink my own wine (no corkage fee) and listen to cool tunes. I hope, for their sake, they fix the food issues.

I think on a Saturday night bringing your own wine with no corkage fee was the main attraction, once the DJ started groups of people with NSLC/Bishop’s Cellar bags came through looking for action. My friend told me the previous week it was packed and ready for dancing but not this Saturday.
My dinner was so-​so and my friends said the food was hit or miss. I sent the pulled pork sandwich back for reheating, cheese on a hot sandwich should be melty don’t you think? Although I should stop ordering pulled pork sandwiches; they never measure up to Boneheads :)
So I wonder, with mediocre food and decreased alcohol sales will this place stay open longer then the parade of restaurants that died before?

Hopefully I’m not the only person that thought this place was a Caribbean restaurant, because apparently it isn’t.Upon arriving for lunch and looking at their very non-​Trinidadian menu, it turns out that ‘La Trinidade refers to their trinity of food, drink and music. With a little work, I think this could become a religion I wholeheartedly subscribe too.
The décor has a very chiq, modern feel to it and certainly has the lounge feel with warm browns accented with black/​greys/​whites and has a mix of a bar, tables and booths for your sitting pleasure. Oddly, the section with the best view of the harbour appears to be closed off at lunch. The music is chosen by someone who knows what they’re doing as this isn’t your typical easy listening radio fare, but is upbeat and jazzy-​ish with a dance vibe to it as well.
My lunch date and I are quickly attended to, and after pondering their very interesting menu, I settle on a something that will be more easy on my body for my first meal of the day, their club sandwich which comes with chicken, roasted tomatoes, garlic aioli, and maple glazed bacon on focaccia. La Trinidade certainly talks the talk on their menu, now it’s time to see how their kitchen executes. After a short wait, our food arrives and the chicken that is peeking out from the sandwich is noticeably on the darker side of the cooking spectrum and while beef might stand up to and indeed benefit from a little char, the chicken does not and has a somewhat overpowering acrid taste and is dry due to the over cooking. This might stem from the fact that the chicken that they use is cubed and isn’t a whole breast, but if you’re using diced chicken to speed things up in the kitchen, you’re going to have to make sure it doesn’t burn. The maple bacon is thick cut and maple-​tastic, but is chewy and bordering on tough as it’s a bit cold and was likely cooked earlier in anticipation of the lunch rush.
Admittedly, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the food. However, with offerings that read like a top ten list of modern restaurant trends — duck poutine, pork belly mac and cheese and a pulled pork belly sandwich with bacon jam — I’ll be back to give La Trinidade another chance, which is more than can be said for my waistline.

A couple of coworkers and I decided to check out their lunch menu last Friday.
If you’ve ever been to Mix, its predecessor, you’ll notice that much of the décor is the same. Same light shades, same tables and booths, and same curtains. Considering that the décor at the previous restaurant was pretty nice, it’s not a bad thing that they kept most of it. The main difference is that the restaurant has a large black velvet curtain dividing the main dining space into two smaller spaces; dining, and the Listening area. Unfortunately, the curtains are drawn at lunch, blocking off not only the listening room, but the incredible light and views of the harbour. The new divide leaves the dining area at lunch rather cramped. Tables are really squeezed in, which means that diners are often telling each other they’re sorry as they bump chairs trying to squeeze past. The pay station is also crammed in there, causing some traffic jams when you have someone waiting to pay and wait staff trying to come by with plates of food. It’s a narrow restaurant, so it limits the seating options, but I think something needs to be retooled to ease the flow of traffic.
The food, though, doesn’t need any tinkering with. The menu is very eclectic and exciting, featuring items that I don’t really see in a lot of restaurants around here. The refreshing menu features twists on comfort favourites, like duck poutine, pork belly mac and cheese, and a maple burger. It also has plenty of options if you want to skip meat, like the veggie strudel, coconut thai curry, and a portobello burger. I had the life-​changing Porky’s Revenge, a pulled pork sandwich with smoked applewood cheddar, and this lovely concoction that I need more of in my life, bacon jam. The flavour that exploded in my mouth was decadent, and the soft artisan bun was stout enough to hold it the gooey goodness without crumbling in my hand. I splurged for the duck fat fries, which were good, but I’ll likely stick to regular fries in the future. My coworker had the haddock fish and chips. While the portion was a little small, the breading looked delicious. She likened it to a much tastier but similar to KFC breading. Instead of tartar sauce, the plate was painted with a lemon peppercorn remoulade. The remoulade was good enough that I might ask for a side of it for dipping my fries on future visits.
They don’t need to tweak the food, but maybe they want to look at focusing on improving their service. It was a little slow, especially for a lunch service. We waited 25 minutes from when we ordered to get our food. A table near us wound up leaving in a huff after not getting their dinner after nearly an hour of waiting. That, combined with tweaking the layout a little, would definitely make La Trinidade my top lunch spot. I’m not sure if I would return to take part of the Listening Room later in the evening, as I’m not a fan of just sipping cocktails and listening to music, but I’ll definitely be coming back for lunch, and hopefully soon. That duck poutine is calling my name.

Ok — I went back for their revised lunch menu and had a fabulous maple burger with duck fat fries. I figured hey! I lost 3 lbs this week, I should gain it all back in duck fat!
The burger was massive! I had to cut it in half, and even then it was a challenge to eat. It should probably be served with a bib. It was also wonderfully delicious. I skipped out on the peppercorn aioli it was served with, as I have a hatred of all things peppercorn.
The fries — yum! Greasy definitely, but they are meant to be. I didnt finish them as I was pretty stuffed from the burger.
I dont think people realize it is open for lunch yet, it was a ghost town. I recommend popping in and trying something off the now more economical, yet delicious menu!

I’m not exactly a staple on the downtown Halifax scene, so take my reviews of any club-​like establishment with a grain of salt (or a shot of jagermeister… whatever works for you).
After hearing a glowing review from a friend, a group of us went down on Saturday evening for some dancing. It’s an eclectic scene with a good atmosphere, and good music. We didn’t have any food so I can’t comment on that. The drink prices were pretty standard… not a steal of a deal, but not prohibitive. The service was fine… just what you’d expect in a busy bar.
My one major gripe with the place is that the layout is not ideal, and its short-​comings are very apparent on a busy Saturday night. As soon as you’re in the door you enter a long narrow hallway, and half of that space is the bar. Once you make it past that bar area, the place opens up with seating and a dance floor, but that initial stretch a struggle. You’ve got people coming and going, people bunched together waiting for drinks, people just hanging out and chatting, and a few tables for 2 pushed up against the wall (which there is definitely not space for). If you’re up for some dancing and don’t mind being jostled around a bit while you wait for your beer, La Trinidade is a good spot to try. But if being bumped into and having a drink or 2 spilled on you gets your blood boiling, you might want to skip this one.