She's done it again!

            This past weekend my boyfriend and I attended Marilyn Schlossbach's new restaurant endeavor, Trinity and the Pope in Asbury Park, NJ. Ladies and gentlemen she has done it again. Being that we are the biggest fans of Schlossbach's oober successful, Langosta Lounge it was a must that we dine at her new restaurant located at 649 Mattison Ave. The eclectic cajun-creole menu takes your tastebuds on a joyride that surely is not to be missed.
            Cocktails were in order as we were celebrating some good news so I ordered the big, pink and easy. The lightness of the sparkling wine, and Ketel one vodka complimented to St. Germaine Elderflower liqour. Truly a girly drink, but definitely strong enough for a man. Tom ordered a hurricane, a cocktail that definitely packed a punch with dark and light spiced rums and one of my favorite cocktail ingredients, grenadine. In my world, grenadine makes everything  better!Cocktails can make or break a meal, so if you have any questions about a wine to pair with dinner don't be afraid to ask your server.
            The way the menu is broken up at Trinity and the Pope offers up a family style dining option with small, medium and large plates. We decided to choose a few from each section to really get a feel for the menu. We started off with the jalapeno bengets and crawfish cream sauce as well as the mac and cheese with  braised collard greens. The bengets were delicious, the heavy dough had a very distinct jalapeno taste that had just enough heat. Over the years I've become quite the mac and cheese connoisseur,tasting mac and cheese where ever I go, and insisting my mother not stop until she come up with the perfect recipe. Trinity and the Pope offers up the perfect blend of four cheeses topped with braised collard greens. I have never had collard greens before and I must say they were very tasty. I wasn't sure what kind of taste to expect but they were a little bit sweet which went along very well with the saltiness of the cheese.
            The next round of food was the oyster po boy sliders with pickled cucumber and chive remoulade, and the shrimp and crawfish gumbo. The sliders were absolutely out of this world. They were probably the spiciest thing we ordered. The pickled cucumber was definitely neccessary to ease the heat of the oysters. The gumbo came with rice and the most amazing cornbread I have ever eaten. The smokiness of the gumbo hit just the right tastebuds leaving us wanting to eat more but filled to the brim.
          For dessert I ordered a glass of amaretto on the rocks and we shared the bourbon bread pudding. Afterall, there's a little section of my stomach that is always ready for dessert. I could eat bread pudding for days!! It was so delicious it was the perfect end to a perfect meal.The dessert menu was rather small but if the other options were as good as the bread pudding you can't go wrong.
            For this being our first meal at this restaurant ,which was barely two weeks old, I'd have to give a rating of 4 forks,definitely something to blog about. I'll absolutely be a repeat customer as the ambiance of the restaurant made me feel as if I were in New Orleans and the food left me feeling full and happy. The restaurant brought southern charm to Mattison Ave. As usual Marilyn has done it again, definitely holding a new spot in my top favorite restaurants in Asbury Park.

Cheers,
Abby