I have eaten at Cafe Montrose on and off since they opened. Catherine (the owner) knows me, my wife and my friends by name and warmly greets us each time we visit.
Similarly the original wait staff (Sonja and Jimmy) are equally friendly, although Jimmy can be a bit of a goof at times. On to the food.
When Cafe Montrose opened, it was an undiscovered jewel. Really I told people about it but was always worried that when I did they would get so big and busy the place's quality would drop off.
To a certain extent that has happened when talking about the steaks, which was my original draw to Cafe Montrose. The last couple of times I've ordered Steak Au Poivre avec Pommes Frittes the steak came out overcooked and frankly although it is SUPPOSED to be Filet Mignon I was convinced I got a cheaper cut of meat. Then again the overcooking may have just destroyed what was once a lovely piece of steak. Either way I've found the price of steak @ CM has climbed over the years to be close enough to competitors that I would rather go there now.
In any case they still do several things really well in my opinion. The cheese croquettes are quite tasty, but be sure to ask for them hot. The Chicken Cordon Bleu and Mussels are classics that CM never gets wrong. Salmon Bearnaise is always done correctly. In fact CM always gets the sauces right.
But both the salmon and the steak have either jumped up in price or gone down in portion size enough that they are no longer a good deal.
The desserts are always spot on, the difficult part is just deciding which one to get.
For cheaper fare I would recommend you try a Croque Monsieur or Madame for lunch; relatively inexpensive and tasty.
Pros: Classics are always spot on
Cons: Getting pricey on some items
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