Reviews & Ratings for Montrio Bistro

09/24/07

Fine Dining?

by erneststranger

5pm and the place was empty; we informed the hostess we needed to be out by 6pm. She sat us at a nice table which rocked like a horse and, after trying to shim it , we moved to the next table over. The buss person immediately showed up and gave us the stink eye, even though we moved the bread and oiive oil ourselves. Hey...smile and fix the rocking table and you won't have to toss another piece of butcher paper over it for the next setting.

We finally got a waiter to take our order and the $15 glass of Heitz cab comes in a white wine glass. At my request, I am brought a more appropriate one to enjoy it and left on my own to decant...maybe the waiter was afraid he'd spill it on the transfer...a $15/glass red deserves a decent glass; costs the sme to wash.

I order the lamb medium rare. At 5:40, it arrives medium-well. the waiter takes it back and in 5 minutes (I guess they keep you waiting the first time so you drink more wine) it comes back medium rare...I'm ecstatic. until the first bite...worst preparation I have ever had; you need to work to screw up lamb. Tasted cooked in bullion and kitchen bouquet. I get confirmation from my wife and the couple sitting next to us...wanted to make sure my taste buds were intact.

In all fairness, the waiter took it off the bill (not at my suggestion, either) and we got out by 6pm. My wife's crab cakes were good as were the fried olives with bleu cheese.

We have had many, many meals at Tarpy's and it never misses the mark in food or service...Montrio looks like it is now catering to the young chocholate-martini-small-plate crowd overflowing from Lollipalozza.

Hey Tony...good call...their money is as green as mine but you couldn't get me back into Montrio again if you paid me. A restaurant of this calliber should tighten up their act considerably and have a captain or floor manager keeping an eye on the dining room and the attitudes of the staff. If you do,the cash regiester will take care of itself.

• Pros: location
• Cons: non-seasoned staff at every level

02/26/06

Great for everyone!

by chefcho008

My husband and I love this place. It's hard to get sick of this food (we're regulars). The restaurant constantly has a "buzz" to it, the food is consistently great, and the service is fast, knowledgeable and friendly. Whenever I have visitors, whether they're foodies or not, I bring them to Montrio and they are always impressed. The White Chocolate Bread Pudding is a must.

• Pros: tasty, creative food, great service, fun ambience

05/21/05

Good place, no wow's

by shellers1

We went to this place for dinner on a Friday night. The food was mostly excellent and the service was good. We started with crab cakes for an appetizer which were delicious - too bad you only get 2 for $11! For entrees, I had the salmon with Yukon gold potatoes and he had the duck - both portions were very good sized and cooked well (mine was a bit on the oily side though). Desserts were amazing in flavor and presentation but portion sizes were, again, pretty small. Wine, port and cocktails were all excellent. Our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable and had good recommendations. We had to ask for water and a second helping of bread though (he had a big party he was waiting on as well). Ambiance and atmosphere is great.

• Pros: Prompt seating, Desserts
• Cons: Portion sizes

12/26/04

Great Restaurant

by erdoc

We went on christmas eve and couldn't ask for a better place to celebrate our holiday. The service was great, we had chili lobster bisque and it was the best lobster bisque I've ever had. The crab fritters were good and the cured salmon appetizer was ok. The pork chop was great with stir-fried spinach and the veal cheek was rich and tasty. The best thing about the entire meal was the dessert...the white chocolate bread pudding is to die for

Contemporary California cuisine in a bustling, stylish setting in downtown Monterey.

by Contributor

The Scene
Located in a historic, renovated firehouse in downtown Monterey, this spacious, contemporary restaurant makes an upscale change of place from the more raucous fish houses and theme joints along Cannery Row.

The Food
Expect well-prepared California cuisine that makes the most of the region's bountiful seafood and produce. Highlights among the starters include Dungeness crab cakes, oven-roasted artichokes with balsamic-apple vinaigrette, and roasted baby-beet salad with Point Reyes blue cheese. For entrees, try the herb-crusted salmon, succulent veal cheeks or grilled lamb with ratatouille. Finish your meal with a warm brownie with peanut-butter mousse or Meyer lemon tartlets with blood-orange syrup.

12/12/02

Why dine elsewhere?

by warrenthek

My favorite in Monterey. Great food, service almost at the level of San Francisco (where they really know how to train waitstaff), unique ambience. Established over 5 years ago, and getting better each month.

06/02/02

High Powered Dining!!!

by TheDiner

One of the high powered restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula. One of the jewels of Tony Tollner's "Downtown Dining". Originally Tony partnered with nationally renown chef Brian Witmer in this effort. But since Brian's departure a couple of years ago the restaurant still maintains its high standards for excellent cuisine and service.