After blogging about brunch at the Four Seasons in Houston, I had to make getting to ours in Austin a priority. So this Sunday, I brunched with a good friend at TRIO, the lakeside restaurant at the Four Seasons. It was a stunningly beautiful day, and we sat by a giant floor-to-ceiling window with a beautiful view of the green, grassy grounds and sparkling blue water of the lake. Perfect setting.
And brunch was literally perfect. TRIO is doing things right, focusing on taste, and has really edited their brunch down to what people are eating. Everything is fresh, tasty, and, like Houston’s Four Seasons brunch, surprisingly healthy and light. Or that may just be me, eating bowls of fresh berries–blackberries are my fave. But the other perfect thing about this brunch is the serving sizes–they make everything in mini! Silver-dollar-sized pancakes allow you to try one of each: blueberry, chocolate chip, and banana. The to-die-for brioche french toast is small to begin with and cut into even smaller pieces, allowing you to choose how much you want to indulge. Fudge-and-almond topped muffins are quartered so you can sample. Perfect!
Of course, there’s also the seared gulf shrimp with creamy risotto. Pineapple crepes. Lightly sauteed asparagus. Imported cheeses. Three salads. A few of my favorite things. And then there’s the seafood–perfect, thin-sliced ahi tuna, fresh sushi as good as Snow Pea or Silhouette, those crab claws (I only ate 4 this time, not a million like I did in Houston), ceviche, three varieties of salmon with–of course–MINI bagels and lox… so amazing.
They also have a massive carving station and some meat dishes, plus sausage, bacon, and eggs, of course. I didn’t dabble, because while they have one free-range steak on their dinner menu, I’m betting they didn’t use it for the brunch. But for you meat-eaters out there, I think you’d be satisfied.
Oh, and then there was dessert. Minis, of course. Their new (ok, she’s been there like over a year now) pastry chef is an award-winner, and it shows in the desserts. I only nibbled on a gingerbread-apple tart, a creative use of two of my fave flavors. But I held back for the sake of the chocolate fountain. They only offer a TRIO of things to dip in it: strawberries (obvi), marshmallows, and rice krispies treats. Real, they-made-them-in-the-kitchen-they-didn’t-come-out-of-the-blue-foil-bag rice krispies treats. Then you cover it in chocolate. Divine!
Oh, and the mimosas were really, really bottomless. I’m pretty sure my glass never got below the half-full mark. Danger! But good danger. And our server was sweet, helpful with the suggestions, and kept my water and mimosa fuller than full. So great. It was perfect too–I felt like a stuffed myself, but with healthy food, and when I went to play basketball with some friends an hour later, I was able to run up and down the court! (No offense Moonshine, but that just wouldn’t be true if I brunched with you.)
It’s on the expensive side ($48 for adults, $20 for kids, under age 5 is free!), but for a special occasion–or any Sunday, really–it’s totally worth it. I love TRIO at the Four Seasons! 10am-2pm.
Only one caveat: no popovers. 🙁
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