Montrio Bistro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Montrio Bistro | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1995[1] |
| Owner | Downtown Dining[2] |
| Head chef | Tony Baker[3] |
| Chef | Justin Robarge[4] |
| Food type | New American cuisine |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Location | 414 Calle Principal, Monterey, Monterey County, California, 93940, United States |
| Coordinates | 36°35′59.29″N 121°53′43.36″W / 36.5998028°N 121.8953778°W |
| Reservations | Yes |
| Website | www |
Montrio Bistro is a New American restaurant in Monterey, California in the United States.
Montrio Bistro was started in 1995[1] and is located in a brick firehouse, the first in Monterey, built in 1910.[5][6][7] The first chef was Brian Whitmore. That opening year, the restaurant was named "Restaurant of the Year" by Esquire.[8] Tony Baker serves as head chef and Anthony Vitacca is the bar manager.[3][9] In 2010, the restaurant became one of the first in Monterey County to install an ultraviolet-treated water filter system, ending the restaurant's reliance on filtered bottled water.[6] The restaurant installed a new sidewalk patio in 2015.[10] Justin Robarge, former sous chef of Deetjen's Big Sur Inn and Cannery Row Brewing Company, became sous chef de cuisine in 2018, replacing Bryan Copp.[2][4] That same year, the restaurant introduced a tipping program enabling guests to send staff an alcoholic beverage to drink after their work shift is over.[2] The bistro is listed as a two-star green restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association.[11]
Design and ambiance
The bistro comprises a dining room, bar and sidewalk patio.[10] Sculptures of clouds hang from the ceiling with pipes twisting between them. Frommers calls Montrio Bistro's decor "downright odd" and looking "like a space created by a designer with "Cirque du Soleil" ambitions."[12] Each table at the restaurant is lined with craft paper and has crayons for children.[6][13] The restaurant has a display kitchen.[14]
Cuisine and cocktails
The menu at Montrio Bistro is New American. Ingredients include seasonal, locally sourced herbs, salts, vegetables and fruits, and housemade English-style bacon.[6][7][15] The restaurant is a member of the Seafood Watch program.[5] The menu changes frequently based on available ingredients. Small dishes have included white anchovies, oxtail risotto with fava beans, bacon and egg salad, and oatmeal-crusted brie.[6][7] Medium and large dishes have included roast duck breast, artichoke ravioli, grilled quail, grilled peaches and burrata, wood roasted brick chicken with spiced green beans, a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with shredded pork ("Pork Trio") and herb-crusted Arctic char.[6][3][7][15] Desserts have included carrot cake with coconut cream cheese ice cream and lemon curd brulee.[6][3]
The restaurant's cocktail menu also uses seasonal ingredients. Bar manager Anthony Vitacca makes classic and "farm-to-glass" cocktails. He visits local farmers markets weekly to purchase ingredients, many which he uses to infuse simple syrups, vodkas and gins. He makes his own maraschino cherries from local orchards.[16] "Beta Vulgaris" is a beet juice-based drink, comprising beet, St-Germain, Chartreuse, and lemon.[6] The whiskey-based "Saving Private Ryan" comprises brown butter bourbon, walnut liqeur, chicory pecan bitters, and smoked ice.[9] The "Corazon Valiente" is made with Del Maguey mezcal, blackberry-plum shrub and organic agave.[17] The bistro also has a mocktail menu.[6]