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| - I couldn't believe my luck when a friend of mine received a gift card to Cafe Monarch and invited me as one of her guests; this place has been on my list to check out forever, but it's hard to treat yo'self to extra fancy meals when you're ballin' on a budget. Our party was greeted by no less than 6 staff members between the front door and the beautiful patio where we enjoyed our meal. The ambience was very romantic yet cozy, with globe lights strung across the whole patio and small lanterns on each table.
Because we had 4 with us, we decided to divide and conquer the menu, so we could try as many different things as we could. My first course choice was the Squash Blossom Relleno, oozing with melty cheese and poblano and deep fried, served with pickled onions and a black bean purée. All of the flavors paired perfectly, and the textural differences between the melting cheese and deep fried crunchy exterior was mind-numbing. My friends chose the Roasted Cauliflower Soup, which was also was fantastic. Just the right amount of truffle oil.
My second course choice was the Jumbo Lump Crab Salad, which was a crab cake with an adorable salad housed inside of a baby romaine heart to the side. It was the best crab cake I've ever had in my entire life (shh, don't tell my fella's parents, who hail from Baltimore and regularly throw crab fests). With huge lumps of crab, it was wonderfully seasoned and perfectly accompanied by the salad, which was served with a delightful vinaigrette. I would've happily eaten 20 more of them. My friends opted for the Pork Belly, which was surprisingly large. I thought that it was just the slightest bit overcooked, but it was still incredibly tasty.
I ended up going with the Hanger Steak for round 3, which was phenomenal. It was cooked to medium-rare perfection, served with asparagus slices, a béchamel, and pesto. It was the perfect final appetizer to get me stoked before the main course. My friends who chose the Yellowfin Crudo were obsessed with theirs as well. The tuna was incredible, served with aioli and atop a delightful rice cake; crispy on the outside, but the perfect chewy interior.
By the time the main course came around, we were all so excited that we could hardly keep control over our limbs. A real sucker for well-prepared Rack of Lamb, that was my fourth course choice. It was cooked phenomenally, and came with a huge serving. I'm very picky about my lamb, usually opting to only order it at French places, as that's how I've found I prefer it seasoned. So, while prepared very well and served with excellent pairings, the seasoning used here was not my favorite flavor in combination with lamb. That being said, I can't fault them for my own picky tastes. One friend went with the Bucatini, pasta with a variety of tasty sea creatures. The pasta was served with a cheesy cream sauce which complimented the seafood very well. The one small point I had against it was that the scallop was just a bit salty, though not too bad when paired with the noodles. My other friend had the Cast Iron Filet Mignon, which was to die for. I'm a big steak gal, and this was one of the best steaks I've ever encountered; the cast iron left the exterior of the steak wonderfully crispy, without drying out the interior at all. Each bite was like heaven, especially when paired with the scalloped potatoes (which happen to be my favorite way to consume potatoes--though let's be honest, there's no bad way). Our last friend had the Surf and Turf Trio which was in short, perfection. A smaller piece of filet mignon, served next to lobster ravioli and the Chilean sea bass. I only sampled the sea bass off her ate, but it was melt-in-your-mouth amazing. Needless to say, we were all bursting at the seams full with the completion of our fourth course.
Because we were also celebrating two birthdays in our party, the restaurant treated us to their most popular desserts, complete with sparklers and a small gift for the birthday gals. We had the flourless chocolate cake and the rum cake, both of which were amazing in their own accord. I lean a little more towards the rum cake, myself.
We had impeccable service throughout the entire evening, with people available at all times should we have any questions, and regular check-ins to confirm we were enjoying our meal. All of the food runners (they probably have a fancier title at such a fancy place) were very well informed about all of our dishes, providing detailed descriptions with each delivery. My water glass never even reached the halfway point before being refilled, and all the staff were all smiles throughout the evening. The stunning service I think is what truly put the meal over the top.
For anyone looking to celebrate a special occasion, or perhaps just looking to splurge on a fantastic meal, I highly recommend Cafe Monarch. Everything was spectacular from top to bottom, and it was a stellar experience throughout--and we'd know, we spent 2.5 hours here :)
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