Prime Smoked Sirloin

Unity · 01-03-2007, 10:54 PM

We took our son's family out for Christmas Eve dinner at the top-rated restaurant in Monterey CA, Montrio Bistro, which occupies a historic downtown Monterey firehouse and boasts a mix of French, Italian and American cuisine.

The menu item that caught my eye was "Prime Smoked Sirloin, whipped potatoes, with asparagus, tomatoes and balsamic-veal reduction."

So I asked the waiter, "Tell me about this smoked sirloin." He said the chef smokes it blue-rare over wood chips, then grills it to order. He didn't know anything else. Curious, I ordered it, medium rare.

The balsamic-veal reduction was a little stout. The side veggies were not very attractive either to eye or palate. But the steak wasn't bad. I couldn't taste the putative smoke, and the reduction it was floating in masked the meatiness more than I would have preferred.

When it was first served, my 5-year-old granddaughter said, "Oh, that looks good!" Later she admitted that she thought the potatoes were whipped cream.

That night I had the worst headache I can remember. Aspirin wouldn't touch it, and I couldn't sleep because of it until around 3 am. It had to have been something about the food. The part I've already described? The salad? The dessert? I'll probably never know what caused it. I'm glad it went away.

--John

(People didn't look at me too strangely when I took pictures of my plate.

)

DATsBBQ · 01-03-2007, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unity

We took our son's family out for Christmas Eve dinner at the top-rated restaurant in Monterey CA, Montrio Bistro, which occupies a historic downtown Monterey firehouse and boasts a mix of French, Italian and American cuisine.

The menu item that caught my eye was "Prime Smoked Sirloin, whipped potatoes, with asparagus, tomatoes and balsamic-veal reduction."

So I asked the waiter, "Tell me about this smoked sirloin." He said the chef smokes it blue-rare over wood chips, then grills it to order. He didn't know anything else. Curious, I ordered it, medium rare.

The balsamic-veal reduction was a little stout. The side veggies were not very attractive either to eye or palate. But the steak wasn't bad. I couldn't taste the putative smoke, and the reduction it was floating in masked the meatiness more than I would have preferred.

When it was first served, my 5-year-old granddaughter said, "Oh, that looks good!" Later she admitted that she thought the potatoes were whipped cream.

That night I had the worst headache I can remember. Aspirin wouldn't touch it, and I couldn't sleep because of it until around 3 am. It had to have been something about the food. The part I've already described? The salad? The dessert? I'll probably never know what caused it. I'm glad it went away.

--John

(People didn't look at me too strangely when I took pictures of my plate.

)

Bet you got a heavy dose of MSG. I know I'll be crucified for my comment but it is a classic case of ingesting that nasty crap. Sorry for your poor experience at a fine bistro.

Griff · 01-03-2007, 11:26 PM

So John, I'm thinking you're not going to order that again. Bummer about the flavors and the subsequent reaction. But I liked the pics.

Griff

Cliff H. · 01-03-2007, 11:43 PM

Looked like over priced steak a taters to me.

Did your service seem to improve after you took the pic ?

Larry Wolfe · 01-04-2007, 06:41 AM

You should have taken your Wolfe Rub Bold with you John! Sorry your dinner wasn't as good as you expected!

Nick Prochilo · 01-04-2007, 06:58 AM

Sorry the dinner was disappointing John. Now, pictures of food at a resturant...........John, that's daring!

John A. · 01-04-2007, 07:54 AM

It looks great, too bad it was not as good as it looked. I think Dat's hit the nail on the head about the MSG, some folks react badly to it. My SIL is an MD, he would rather see people that can use it do so in place of salt.

Finney · 01-04-2007, 11:29 AM

Too bad about the dinner.... It sounded good.

Nick Prochilo · 01-08-2007, 05:56 PM

John, go back, it's on him!

Finney · 01-08-2007, 06:07 PM

I'll go for him.

Unity · 01-08-2007, 06:22 PM

Thanks for your reply, chef. I live in VA, but our son lives in Monterey County, so I may take you up on your offer later.

It sounds like I'm back to "I may never know." I don't drink at all, so I know that wine didn't have anything to do with it. (When I did drink I experienced more than a few killer hangovers, but I've never experienced a headache like the one I had Dec 24.)

Based on the rest of the family's experience, I would recommend your restaurant to others (but with a small anecdote added).

--John

(Sent by email.)

Finney · 01-08-2007, 06:24 PM

Maybe you just had a headache.

DATsBBQ · 01-08-2007, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooksabit

Wow!

I am the Chef at Montrio Bistro, I always like to here feedback, good or bad about the experiences people have at Montrio. So I do thank you for your detailed description of your experience.

Firstly, I will take a look at that dish and re-evaluate it for our menu, it is one of the most popular items on our menu, It's also the least expensive steak on the menu and what I would consider a great value for a USDA Prime Graded cut.

I can't tell you what may have caused your headache, any number of factors may have caused it, I’m not a doctor. I had several glasses of wine last night and I had a headache as well!

As far as the person suggesting the use of MSG, at Montrio Bistro I take great pride in the sourcing of premium ingredients, I do not use items such as MSG, liquid smoke or any other flavor enhancer, other than good quality salt and pepper. I use a large quantity of organics and naturally raised meats.

The whipped potatoes are Idaho russets that are hand riced with roasted garlic, butter and salt.

Feel free to contact me via E mail, I would appreciate the opportunity to have you back at Montrio Bistro as my guest.

chef@montrio

I just love a stand up guy. Kudo's to you!

Nick Prochilo · 01-08-2007, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DATsBBQ

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooksabit

Wow!

I am the Chef at Montrio Bistro, I always like to here feedback, good or bad about the experiences people have at Montrio. So I do thank you for your detailed description of your experience.

Firstly, I will take a look at that dish and re-evaluate it for our menu, it is one of the most popular items on our menu, It's also the least expensive steak on the menu and what I would consider a great value for a USDA Prime Graded cut.

I can't tell you what may have caused your headache, any number of factors may have caused it, I’m not a doctor. I had several glasses of wine last night and I had a headache as well!

As far as the person suggesting the use of MSG, at Montrio Bistro I take great pride in the sourcing of premium ingredients, I do not use items such as MSG, liquid smoke or any other flavor enhancer, other than good quality salt and pepper. I use a large quantity of organics and naturally raised meats.

The whipped potatoes are Idaho russets that are hand riced with roasted garlic, butter and salt.

Feel free to contact me via E mail, I would appreciate the opportunity to have you back at Montrio Bistro as my guest.

chef@montrio

I just love a stand up guy. Kudo's to you!

Your right, that was big of cooksabit!

Griff · 01-08-2007, 09:38 PM

Well, I knew the chef was going down the wrong trail with the wine reference. John hasn't had a drink for 15 or 20 years. But he is always a willing, able, and cheerful designated driver. Why he hangs around with a drunk like me is another issue.

Dats is right, the chef is standup guy. My hat's tipped to the man. And he didn't complain about the pic.

Griff

Finney · 01-09-2007, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griff

Well, I knew the chef was going down the wrong trail with the wine reference. John hasn't had a drink for 15 or 20 years. But he is always a willing, able, and cheerful designated driver. Why he hangs around with a drunk like me is another issue.

Dats is right, the chef is standup guy. My hat's tipped to the man. And he didn't complain about the pic.

Griff

The pic looked good. I would have odered that dish if I was there.