Montana Avenue : A-
Review #1, lets see how this goes.
Ambience - 19 - Nearly full marks here for design. I like the open design generally and especially the glassed off kitchen area. We sat on the porch near the fireplace and despite fronting onto Grant road was very pleasant. I was tempted to mark it down a bit more based on the totally annoying table they sat us next to but in the end I know that can't be controlled for.
Service - 17 - Big bonus for having an online reservation system through opentable.com. Not only could I see what times were available, I could change my party size and time on the fly. The hostesses were polite, efficient and attractive (come on....it all counts). The bartender and waiter were both great but a little forced. I knock off a bit for a restaurant that takes friendly competent people and gives them 'lines' that make them sound kind of phony in pursuit of offering great service. The waiters serving the big annoying table were constantly muttering under their breath about how annoying they were being. I agreed with the sentiment but they really should be more discreet.
Food - 35 - I thought my mussels and chorizo appetizer was great and Tina enjoyed her baby green spinach salad. For my entree, I wasn't a big fan of the lamb shank and the potatoes were a bit dry but the pan sauce was excellent. Its hard to plate a lamb shank to make it attractive but the vegetable medley was done well. Tina had seared scallops with mandarin oranges and green beans which was really excellent. 2 of the 4 scallops were seared too long and ended up being slightly burnt. 10 seconds less on the pan and they would have been perfect like the other 2. Presentation was great. The dessert was a scoop of chocolate ice cream in the middle of a sort of creamy toasted peanut butter custard. It was like a big peanut butter cup and was outstanding. The quality of the food was really excellent but execution was off a bit.
Other - 19 - For the quality of the food and menu, I think the prices were slightly below what they should be in Tucson. We had 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 1 dessert and a few drinks each and the bill was around $80 which I would call a very good value. There were plenty of choices available and I truly had a hard time choosing from several good items both for appetizers and entrees. The wine list wasn't a particular value but there were some good bottles available. Full marks for overall coolness, especially on the patio.
Total = 90
posted by Unknown @ 9:38 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
As a good comparison, I too went to Montana Ave the same night as "Chris".
Ambience: 18. The place is supposed to be modern, open and airy, which it is, while still retainign the notion of "comfort". I think it pulls this duality off very well. Materials are earthy, but also industrial. It is clean, but comfortable. Be aware there is no great place for "quiet conversation". My two 'gripes': A) well, it IS located right on Grant next to a car dealership and post office, and B) there is no table linen outside. Do I care, not really - you might.
Service: 17. Mad props for the opentable.com access. I hope more places use this in time. We were seated immediately, in what I would have described as the perfect table (tucked in the corner outside by the fire place). Service was perfectly utilitarian - only one gratuitous "are we enjoying our meal" - and everything else was timed perfectly. Entrees were delivered 'on time', drink order was quick and corking very quick when I revealed we clearly were skipping cocktails. The waitress did say "awesome" too often. She had taken it upon herself to recommend some wine, each one being "awesome" but not very descriptive otherwise.
Food: 38. The starting sourdough bread was fine, and accompanied by xxxxxxx flavored butter, where xxxxxxx is something I could see but not taste. (it was actually greensih, I am thinking cucumber???) The sourdough overpowered whatever the subtle infusion was, but in any case, it was clearly fresh and was good, despite my inability to identify it. (EDIT: I am told it was roasted garlic. They need to kick this up a notch) I started with the salad that is mixed greens with honey citrus dressing. Tina started with the mixed salad that included bacon, nuts, and Parmesan. I will let you decide which was the better salad. (OK, it was the one with bacon, nuts and cheese, and it was "awesome".) Mine was fine, a well made lite dressing and fresh greens.
Enrees were chipotle rib eye & fried chicken. Both were fantastic (even though my medium rare steak came 'medium'. Since the meat was of great quality, and seasoned wonderfully, I will not dock it). The buttermilk chicken was the best "fried chicken" I have ever tasted, and was served with butternut squash and a cilantro cream which was terrific.
Other: 17 My biggest single dissapointment came in the 'other' category. The wine list, although comprehensive, was a bit thin. We had a very good wine, that I would certainly order again and recommend in a heart beat. I do believe, however, that the wine prices were perhaps a bit out of line, and there were limited selections under $50. (Ours was $57.) On the plus side, the entrees and appetizers were very fairly priced.
Overall, a 90 , and I would certainly return. Despite the well executed ambience, and good service, the food really was the high point for me. I would like to try lunch as well.
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