Trio Bistro DC

In 1905, Peter Mallios, a 13 year old boy from Arcadia, Greece, headed for America. Knowing no English and having no chaperone to greet him in New York, he was not permitted to leave the ship and was returned to Greece. Back in Greece but undeterred, he boarded the next ship headed for America. This time, on arrival, he yelled “Uncle! Uncle!” at the first man he saw, ran off the ship and disappeared into the crowd. Many years later, Peter, a World War I Veteran and self educated successful restauranteur, met the lovely, young Helen Doukas in Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania.Helen Doukas came to American from Sparta, Greece, on September 15, 1921, at the age of 17. Helen was detained at Ellis Island for over a month waiting for her Uncle to escort her to Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, where she would care for his children and teach them to speak Greek. Years later in Wilkesbarre, she met Peter while taking tickets at a movie theater and they were married in 1928. After several devastating floods from the Susquehana River, Peter and Helen left Pennsylvania in 1940 with their three children, Margarita, Dimitri, and George. Before 1939, TrioDC was actually a pharmacy. The pharmacy moved to the old Westminster Hotel, and a luncheonette named Trio was born, named for the three partners. In 1950, “Mr. Pete” and his wife, Helen, bought Trio Restaurant with a partner, who has since passed away. “Rita”, Dimitri and George all worked their way through college. In 1960, Rita’s husband, Gus Ladas (