Wine & Cheese at Rittenhouse’s Tria Cafe

We recently dropped by the cozy and refined Tria for a closer look at their offerings! Tria Cafe has two locations: Rittenhouse Square and Washington Square West. Though it advertises itself primarily as a wine bar, Tria also has a taproom and an extensive beer list.

When you walk in, you notice that the majority of patrons are in their late 20s and arrive in small, chattering groups (though a handful of couples were present as well). While you can choose to be seated at a window-facing bar or table, the best seats are by the main bar, where you can observe drinks and food being prepared. With dim but warm lighting and simple decor, Tria has an intimate ambiance that immediately sets you at ease.

For the uninitiated, a wine bar can be intimidating. With an intentionally uncommon selection of wines and cheeses, wine bars will more often than not contain unfamiliar terms and varieties. While I personally have no qualms about relying on a quick Internet search to decode the menu, Tria reduces this confusion by neatly placing its offerings into categories; cheeses are described as “stinky,” “accessible,” and “luscious,” among other descriptors, and wines are given their own categories. Brief and illustrative descriptions for each item also provide extra insight, and the knowledgeable staff will give you great advice on pairings.

Seeking variety, we selected two very different cheeses, as well as a couple of appetizers that caught our eye. We also chose wines that we felt would pair well with the contrasting cheeses: a glass of Argentinian Torrentes Fabre Montmayou (2013), a crisp and acidic white with a citrus flavor and lychee fragrance, and a glass of Hungarian Kiralyudvar Furmint Sec (2011), a heavier and fruity white wine reminiscent of pear.

While our wine was poured first, all of our food was served at once (a bit of a surprise), so we decided to start with the appetizers. For fans of pate, the chicken liver mousse was an excellent option. Served with grilled bread and a small portion of tiny sandwich pickles, the mousse – topped with dried cranberries – was peppery, buttery, and earthy. The strong-flavored mousse is best eaten spread thin on the bread, with the sweetness of the cranberry or sour flavor of the pickle cutting through the richness.

The truffle egg toast – a Yelp favorite – was also the most ordered by other patrons that night. Naturally, we had to give it a try! Served on a bed of arugula, the truffle egg toast was a textural delight, with the fried egg and buttery fontina frontal cheese lending a rich contrast to the crispy toast. The truffle flavor and fragrance, while pleasant, did tend to overwhelm other flavors, but the dish was still deserving of its position as a favorite: accessible, simple, delicious.

The cheeses were served on a wooden board with a line of pieces of sliced bread, each cheese with an accompanying jam. The first cheese was La Tur, a mild and airy soft cheese that tasted like creme fraiche and was paired with a sweet strawberry-tarragon jam. The cheese, made from a blend of three different kinds of milk (goat, sheep, and cow), went wonderfully with the jam and tasted dessert-like, surprisingly like a strawberry milkshake.

The Balarina Gouda, on the other hand, was a very sharp, very hard, and very crumbly cheese. With a strong, pungent flavor and nutty undertones, the Gouda was paired with a surprisingly (but not unpleasantly!) sweet beet jam, and was well-complemented by the heartier Furmint Sec.

With the waiters readily bringing us more bread when they noticed us running low (without being prompted!), as well as balancing attentiveness and space, service was good, if a little slow at times.

The dessert wines, while intriguing (many were aged for almost 10 years) were also the priciest – a couple of options were offered in 2 ounce servings for $12. We chose to go with an LBV Van Zellers Port from 2009, which had a strong blackberry fragrance and heavy sweetness reminiscent of molasses and jam.

For the beginning cheese and wine fan or seasoned veteran, Tria is an excellent choice for a night out. Of course, on a college budget, it’s best reserved for a special splurge rather than a part of your regular routine – the bill for wine, cheese, and appetizers for two came to $65.

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Value: 3/5

— Liz Hwang