Readers told me about this KC restaurant dish: So good you’ll want to drink its sauce

Editor’s note: Welcome back to our series Let’s Dish, Kansas City, showcasing some of our favorite restaurant meals. Click here to sign up for our new newsletter. And scroll down to learn how you can participate.

Cafe Trio is known for its eclectic American fare, warm, romantic environment and its year-round patio looking out on the Country Club Plaza. The restaurant has many fan favorites, from the Mac Daddy macaroni and cheese to its juicy scallops.

However, if it were up to readers Bonnie Green and her husband, Bob Green, anyone who stops by Cafe Trio would try the mussels, which come soaked in a white wine garlic cream sauce with pancetta and roasted cherry tomatoes. That’s why the couple nominated the restaurant to be part of The Star’s Let’s Dish series.

“We’ve had the chance to try mussels at other places,” Bob told me when I met up with the couple for dinner recently. “They don’t even come close.”

Bonnie and Bob Green at Cafe Trio.
Bonnie and Bob Green at Cafe Trio.

We sat at their favorite table and chatted about the food, how the two met, and the Wisconsin roots Bonnie and I share. But what I really wanted to learn more about was why they loved this place — and the mussels — so much.

The Greens found out about Cafe Trio in 2005, while scouting for a spot to host an event for their family charity Plant Hope for Hearts, which they created to honor their granddaughter who died from heart disease when she was only 5 years old.

When they reached out to the restaurant about hosting their event, they said they were welcomed with more support than they could have asked for.

“They got somebody to cover the beer and the liquor,” Bonnie said. “Then they said it’ll be $8 per person for the food. So we got ready to pay $8 for each person, and they covered it. … That’s where our friendship started.”

Now, 18 years later, Cafe Trio is still like a home away from home for the Greens. Before Christmas, the couple even spends hours helping the Cafe Trio crew decorate the restaurant.

While we ate, multiple staff members stopped by to greet the regulars. One in particular, Richard Strong, chatted up Bob about the latest in golf, adding that the Greens are a part of his list of regulars that he personally checks in on when he hasn’t seen them in a while.

Between the playful banter and sports talk, Strong set the table for our meal, which we ate family style, but can be served individually.

Richard Strong, a server at Cafe Trio, has worked at the restaurant for 20 years.
Richard Strong, a server at Cafe Trio, has worked at the restaurant for 20 years.

A full order will get you about 24 mussels for $16.49. Bonnie paired it with a glass of chardonnay, while Bob ordered a Blondie, which is a frozen slushie cocktail.

They’re delivered fresh from Prince Edward Island in Canada four to five times a week and are never frozen, according to Tai Nguyen, co-owner of Cafe Trio.

If you haven’t had mussels before, you can expect them to usually be served with a little fork to pull the mussel out of its shell and a soup spoon to help taste the sauce.

Prince Edward Island mussels with pancetta, roasted tomatoes, shallots, garlic, fennel and a white wine garlic cream broth is on the menu at Cafe Trio in Kansas City.
Prince Edward Island mussels with pancetta, roasted tomatoes, shallots, garlic, fennel and a white wine garlic cream broth is on the menu at Cafe Trio in Kansas City.

Nguyen gave the pro tip that when eating mussels, the shell should always be open. If it’s closed, that’s a sign that the mussel is bad. You shouldn’t try to pry it open.

At Cafe Trio, they’re served with a homemade brioche bread that a lot of guests will dip in the sauce. Bob said if you’re really feeling it, you might as well just drink the sauce, which Nguyen told us is seasoned with, “a pinch of red pepper flakes, fennel, garlic, shallots, butter, salt and pepper.”

After the mussels, Nguyen suggested we all try Mac Daddy and the Diver Scallops, which were also delicious. The Mac Daddy is a creamy rendition of baked mac and cheese with tomatoes, bacon and bell peppers. The scallops were massive and seared to perfection. They were served with au gratin potatoes, oyster mushrooms and butternut squash.

Before it was Cafe Trio, the restaurant at 4558 Main St. was Papagallos, an Italian restaurant owned by Ray Kattan. In 2003, Nguyen and his partner Chris Youngers decided to buy Papagallos and eventually leave their respective careers as a CPA and real estate agent to dive into the restaurant business.

Cafe Trio co-owners Tai Nguyen, left, and Chris Youngers.
Cafe Trio co-owners Tai Nguyen, left, and Chris Youngers.

The restaurant is known for hosting regular events, like an annual party where customers plant flowers on the patio, or its annual Halloween bash, where they prepare bags of candy for kids. It also offers an all-day happy hour menu every Monday, and there’s a pianist every Tuesday to Saturday.

Nguyen said aside from serving up good eats and drinks, building relationships with regular customers and offering a warm hospitable environment are top priorities at Cafe Trio.

“It’s like a neighborhood bar even though it’s on the Plaza,” Bonnie said.

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