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| - Wow - can't believe how many people are rating this low because THEY "thought" it was a Mexican restaurant "because of the name" and were disappointed when they discovered it to be a steak place. Uh... think much??????
Anyway...
Date night arrives and lo and behold I see that Monti's is participating in Restaurant Week with a special menu. Monti's has been a family favorite for a couple of decades and, up to this point, I had never taken my husband of 3.5 years there.
We had early (5:15) reservations for a Saturday night. The parking lot was fairly full and there were a few couples standing around in the lobby; when we checked in, we were told it would be a 15 minute wait. I said "Uh... for reservations???" The young gal quickly admitted her mistake and we were promptly seated in the fountain room (which, coincidentally, was empty - as well as the other 2 rooms we saw... not sure why there would have been a 15 minute wait... but I digress...)
Our waitress was FANTASTIC. She was the embodiment of what you want your servers to be: knowledgeable, excited about the food, honest, willing to engage the customers, offer suggestions, etc.
Naturally, our meal started off with the famed Roman bread; it didn't disappoint!! My husband ordered the Spinach/Artichoke Dip - obviously freshly made with freshly blanched spinach (not that frozen crap). It was different because of the guacamole and red pepper flakes - what an interesting combination!
With my prix fixe, I had the "Chicken Adobe Tinga Style" and it was FABULOUS!!! Nicely done, Monti's! Next on my menu was the Espresso Rubbed Filet. It was expertly cooked. It was served with "Chorizo Potato Hash" which, while tasty, I felt that it was too strongly flavored and took away from the filet. The "Fig Salsa Frita" was a wonderful accompaniment to the steak, offering a sweet flavor to offset the richness of the steak. For the dessert course, I had the "Vanilla Bean Arroz con Leche with Cajeta Churros" which, despite its fancy moniker, was quite bland and unimaginative. It was missing something.
My husband ordered the ribeye which he said was the best he's ever eaten in a restaurant and forced him to vow never to BBQ a steak again - ONLY in a cast iron pan!
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