Finally I feel I can give El Monumento 5 stars. I really hope this continues.
A Sunday, 5pm, the place was about half full. It was my fourth visit in 3 years. We almost didn't go after reading the latest year's mixed Yelp reviews. But I wanted to take my partner to a beautiful place for his birthday, so I took another chance. Glad I did.
Ambiance: always 5 stars. The place is gorgeous. But as one reviewer said, "The owners must have spent all their money on architecture and landscaping, and didn't have money left for a chef." Ha. That was my previous opinion too: great drinks, middling service and mediocre food. Glad that this evening was much better.
Service: 5 stars this time. Maybe we lucked out, but Alex was very professional, attentive, and congenial. Always there when we needed him. Refilled our chips and salsa. He asked if we had been there before, and he commented that the menu had been reworked. He was right. My only possible negative... we waited maybe 5 minutes after being seated to get service. I got nervous that the night was going to be a Service Don't. But we had menus and it took about that long to decide what we wanted. And then Alex walked by with a tray full of food and apologized, and said he would be right with us. He was, from then on.
Food: 4.5 stars. I had the Green Chile Pork Stew. Good chunks of meat and potatoes. A homey and tasty dish. Presentation could have been a bit better. The large plate/bowl was filled with a bland-looking stew, but happily that was only the appearance, not the flavor. A bit of chopped cilantro, some escabeche, and/or cracked pepper might have helped. The Partner had Camarones Relleno (Shrimp Chile Relleno) that he said was very good, but also could have been presented a bit more artfully. A cloth-covered basket was filled with at least 10 delicious warm thick slightly-charred tortillas (suspiciously appearing to be that abomination of flour/corn blend, but still, they were very good). All in all, the food was MUCH better than previous visits. Thanks!!!
One tiny quibble: I realize that "escabeche" can mean almost anything. But in South America it is always more than just the slightly pickled jalapeño slices with a bit of onion we were served. Maybe it is a Mexican thing, but perhaps add just a bit of pickled cauliflower and carrot slices.
Dessert #1 (gratis) 5 stars. When Alex asked if we had been there before, I mentioned that we had come back for my partner's birthday (praying that there would be no embarrassing singing extravaganza) and we got a free dessert: we picked the Tres Leches Cake, which was wonderful. The sliced fresh strawberries were not only pretty, but added a nice texture, color and flavor to a dessert that can sometimes be a sloppy sweet white mess.
Dessert #2: 5 stars. The Mexican Coffee was fabulous. And it should definitely be in the dessert category. The set-up arrived on a beautiful silver-like platter. Wonderful French press coffee, black and strong and so good. At least 3 full coffee cups worth. Note: ask for 2 cups and share this dessert. At least 4 ounces of dark Patron XO Coffee Liquor plus tequila (add that booze to your breathalyzer test). A little pot of simple syrup, but go easy on that sweetness, in my opinion. And a good size bowl of whipped cream. Yum. The world became All Good.
Price: $77 plus $20 tip for outstanding service = $97 total. An excellent value, especially considering 5 strong drinks, in a beautiful restaurant, for a wonderful birthday dinner. If it would mean continued 5 star ratings, I'd be happy to pay an additional $20.
Post-note #1: Beware the awesome power of the Mexican Martini. I'll stick with ONE next time. Delicious, but I'm sure I would have blown .09 if the friendly Gtown po po had pulled me over. The Partner started with the El Monumento Margarita. Not as tasty as I remembered, and it seemed smaller, with more ice. He was glad that his second drink was the Mexican Martini. It could have used a few more cubes of ice in the shaker to keep cold.
Post-note #2: We both had serious indigestion and were medically dehydrated when we got home. Our bad. Lessons: share one basket of chips, not two. Don't lick ALL of the salt off the rim. Have ONE good cocktail. Leave a few of those yum tortillas, or better yet, take half of everything home for a second meal. Have a Mexican Coffee OR Tres Leches cake for dessert. Not both. Ask for water.
And as a final snippy note to the reviewer that complained that the place "IS DEFINITELY NOT CHILD FRIENDLY. (Her emphasis.) They didn't even have paper and crayons for my kids." For god's sake. Get real. This is an upscale restaurant, not Chuck E. Cheez. Leave the little whiners at home. Please. Unless they are well-behaved, adorably quiet kids... last witnessed in 1973. In Argentina. read more