rev:text
| - Better steak than Outback, and prices are just about as good. After moving to Phoenix this summer, we went for a second time after an initial visit 3 years ago. It was better than I remembered: large, flavorful, juicy steaks, fresh, generous-sized salads, incredible onion rings for an appetizer, and your normal baked potatoes, plus soft drinks.
His top sirloin steak was 12 oz, mine was 8 oz, both ordered "medium." Mine was perfect, his was just a tad on the rare side, but both were melt-in-your mouth and, in my opinion, better than what we usually get at Outback. I'm always critical of steak that you can't chew and swallow - the kind where you inevitably have to leave little unchewable pieces on your plate. Not so at Monti's. These steaks were memorably tender and yummy.
Total price with tax for a large plate of huge onion rings, two steaks with two sides, and two soft drinks was $51. Not a bargain, but very reasonable.
As for atmosphere, it's a large restaurant but very segmented into smaller rooms (it's a very old, historic residence from the 1800s), so we had a table in the back that was quite private, although we could see other diners. It felt intimate, which is what we wanted. Noise level was low - we could hear other diners too, along with the country music playing over the speakers, but we had no problem at all hearing each other, like it is in some places.
Service was excellent. Our waiter was absolutely great because he came to check on us but never interfered.
The only thing lacking was a candle on the table or any acknowledgment of our special occasion. We told them we were there to celebrate our anniversary, and how hard could it be to put a single flower or a candle on the table, or comp us a dessert? They never said a word except to say yes, we know it's your anniversary so we gave you a special table. Other than the semi-private location, there wasn't anything special about the table. A little something extra would certainly encourage us to return to Monti's for other special occasions.
But for a great steak dinner, in my opinion, Monti's was just right.
|