Crumbs in my 'Stache: Batman fry and bison burger

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Man, if you thought the off-season doldrums peaked back in November, you should try finding the inspiration for a food column in early December!

This place is downright dark right now, and I’m not just talking about the fact that a heavy curtain of night falls so abruptly during the 5 o’clock drive home.
But the winter solstice, now less than two weeks away, on Dec. 21, will bring the longest night of the year. I look forward to getting to the other side of that date, when the daylight begins to grow again against the receding night. By my shaky calculations, there will not again be a day as long as even today (Dec. 9) until January 2. You think darkness fell early today, wait til you see next week.

The miraculous news, of course, is that already by the New Year we will begin to see a few more minutes of daylight than any day next week. And it only gets better from there, until one day, at least, when it doesn’t.

Lately, while passing through all this darkness, I’ve noticed my eyes are drawn into all the glowing restaurant windows. Many of those I recall peering into have appeared mostly empty and quiet. Ditto the few restaurants I’ve actually gone into over the last week.

In summation: It’s dark most of the time, few are venturing out to eat, and you already knew about the cold part.

But the stillness is fleeting.
Over the next week or two, some of the the valley’s hipper restaurants will roll out their new winter menus in time for the crowds. Some, like Rendezvous Bistro and Blu Kitchen, introduced new menus this week. For now though, I can only imagine the tasty new ideas that await. So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.
But I did pop into Trio recently, where I sat at the bar and had the excellent $15 bison burger. It’s topped with melted Cabot cheese and bacon. Wish I could say I ate around the bacon, but then I’d be lying. I did not, however, vacuum up all the bacon that jettisoned onto the plate, which is sign of restraint. My path to lower cholesterol is traveled with baby steps.

Having ordered the burger medium, it came out slightly more done than I expected. But then, I wondered if it could be that bison – which is much leaner (and lower in cholesterol) than beef – also dries out more quickly. Regardless, terrific burger.

Also, one of the waffle fries on my plate looked a little bit like Batman. I guess it actually looked more like the symbol for Batman more than Batman himself, but, no, it definitely looked like Batman himself, too. Sometimes the symbol for something can become so inextricably tied to a person or idea that we can lose sight of where one begins and the other ends. I am slightly more aware of this every time someone yells “Hey, Crumbs!” at me on the street.

As for the waffle fries, I did not, however, choose to add that addictive blue cheese fondue gravy, as the Trio kitchen will do for a surcharge of $2. Seriously, those blue cheese fries at Trio are addictive as anything – you just can’t bring yourself to stop and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get the last of it.

The bar at Trio, with the radiating warmth of the wood-fire stove, is a perfect spot right now for a cozy date or casual bite with a friend. JHW

Trio is located at 45 S. Glenwood. $12-$28. 734-8038.

Photo by Ben Cannon
Foreground: waffle fries. Background: bison burger. You get the idea.


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Crumbs in my 'Stache: Batman fry and bison burger | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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