Friday night I picked up one of my girlfriends at South Station and we headed to Inman Square in Cambridge for dinner. When this friend comes to visit from New York City I always like to take her some place new. I had been reading about Trina's Starlite Lounge for months and had been dying to go. I lived in Inman Square for two years and miss it terribly.
Trina's is located in the space formerly occupied by biker bar Abbey Lounge. While they haven't spruced up the solid black edifice on the street, the inside has received a make over. Trina's feels like an underground, loungey secret spot. The lighting is dim and the decor is old school chic, leaving you feeling transported to another era. A time where smoking was cool, disco balls were common place and pin up girls were the wall paper of choice.
We were seated right away at a cozy table for two and our waitress swiftly brought us two glasses and a bottle of ice water. The water came in a glass milk bottle with the Trina's logo etched onto the side. If I could have fit it in my purse, I would have.
We ordered two side dishes to start - the onion strings and the broccoli with cheese sauce. The onion strings were heavenly. Thin, crispy and packed with sweet onion flavor, I wanted three more plates full. We ate every last bite. The broccoli was cooked well but the cheese sauce was oily and left a little something to be desired.
For dinner we split two plates - the macaroni and cheese and the apple boursin pressed sandwich. The macaroni and cheese looked like the velvetta commercial and it was topped with a Ritz cracker crust. I love mac and cheese and I have to say, this was a B. While I loved the large shell pasta and the generous portion, the cheese sauce was a little thin and the Ritz crackers tasted a bit stale.
The apple boursin pressed sandwich on the other hand - magnificent. The sandwich was green apples, boursin cheese and fennel, pressed between two delicious pieces of sandwich bread and served with a pickle and a side of coleslaw. I would come back every week just to eat that sandwich.
We were entirely too full for dessert, but apparently there is a different slice of pie offered every night if you're a pie kid.
While a few items we ordered were disappointing, the onion strings and the apple boursin sandwich were sublime. Those two items make a mouth watering meal.
Absolutely plan to check out Trina's. The restaurant has such a fun vibe, the staff is friendly and attentive and its in a wonderful, non-chain neighborhood.
While I don't eat meat, Trina's has become well known for their signature hot dogs. Check out the full menu here. Anyone have a Trina's dog?
*Loyal readers may notice there are no photographs of our food in this post. The dim lighting in Trina's did not allow for photography without the disruptive use of flash.
