Date
1/28/2012
Location
Just off Hydraulic, west of 29
2001 Commonwealth Drive
What I ate
Smoked salmon, asiago, and mini farfalle in a light grappa sauce
Chianti slow cooked beef stroganoff with wild mushrooms and au gratin potatoes
Affogato al caffe
Who went
Cassie, Kelsey, Alex, Cathryn, Bobby, Stu, Chris, Raj
Website
Brasserie Montiel
Thoughts
What a day! I'm going to try to keep this review to dinner, but I can't let the rest of the day go without mention. Awesome times heading to Blue Mountain Brewery for lunch, wandering Grounds, and drinks after dinner. Those of you in the "who went" section - you know how much fun the day was. The rest of you - I'll switch back into restaurant review mode from here on out.
Brasserie Montiel is far enough out of the main road to go unnoticed, but easy enough to find if you know where you're going. It's a small, cozy space that worked great for our group. We occupied our own little corner of the restaurant and it was exactly what we were looking for. Our waiter was a little out of sorts and gave us the weirdest receipt I've ever seen, but that didn't detract much from the experience. Looking at the non-Restaurant Week menu, it seems like it'd be a nice place to go for a fancy dinner if I'm ever back in Charlottesville for an extended period of time.
Now to our focus, the food. Far be it from the Jewish kid to turn down smoked salmon; I'm glad I gave into that stereotype. The sauce was the best part of the dish and I could've used a little more fish (surprise surprise), but it was a light, tasty way to start off the meal. The cheese melted into the grappa sauce and coated all of the pasta. I'm really happy that they gave me a spoon for the stroganoff. I thought I was keeping up my dignity for the first half of the dish, but I switched over to the spoon when I realized how much of that delicious sauce I was leaving behind. The beef was tender and the whole thing just made me feel good to be eating it. I'm still not entirely sure what constitutes a stroganoff, but I think that's more because of what I ate growing up rather than what I was served at this dinner. Whatever they call it, it was delicious. The only disappointing part of the meal was my dessert. Following the success of my birthday dinner, I was excited to try another version of affogoto (see Tre Piani). While the taste was similar, very little else was. The plate looked pretty and I liked the little pot the affogato was in, but it came to me already combined and starting to get soupy. I did snag a bite of Cassie's much-tastier dessert, but mine just fell flat. It wasn't enough to bring down the whole meal, but it was a disappointing finish.
Recap
Pros - tasty food, relaxed ambiance
Cons - confused wait staff
Overall - I had a great meal and recommend a visit, though be sure to choose your dessert carefully. I'm happy they joined in on Restaurant Week because I'm not sure I would've found them otherwise.
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1 comment:
Thanks for the review, Steve. I think we all really enjoyed the day, and Brasserie Montiel didn't disappoint. My spinach and goat cheese salad was light and pleasant - the roasted shallot and honey truffle vinaigrette was a nice way to start off the meal. There was no way I could refuse the barbeque duck quesadillas for dinner. I think pairing them with the pineapple pico de galla really brought the dish together. Lastly, I was probably most impressed with my tres leches topped with cinnamon crisps and fresh fruit on the side. It was rich and creamy - the cinnamon crisps gave warm flavor and added nice texture. Only problem was it was far too small, as it always is. Lovely time; let's all go to c'ville again soon!! :D
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