Montrio Bistro
There are very few restaurants that I end up going to visit which I become truly disgruntled that they don’t have one by my house in Arizona. Montrio Bistro is one of those restaurants. This restaurant came highly recommended by my friend to go and visit while I was in Monterey. Boy, did that recommendation not let me down.
Bacon on Bacon Appetizer
Appetizer
When you first enter the restaurant, there is a small host/hostess stand and a bar off to the right-hand side of the restaurant. It is reasonably spacious, dimly lit in a very romantic and nice way. I was in the middle of being a bit sick on my journey to Monterey and unfortunately did not go and indulge in some of the amazing cocktails that they had to offer at the restaurant. However, my friend and I did start off with an appetizer after a very difficult decision of the bacon on bacon. When we ordered it we did not quite know what to expect. However, this was amazing. Sous vide homemade bacon wrapped around pork belly bites, caramelized with a sweet sauce. It was served with the strangest pairing of fresh black pepper covered blackberries. However, between the sweet, salty, savory and a bit of spice from the black pepper, this appetizer was gone faster than you can blink.
For the main course, both my friend and I decided on the “Ultimate American Burger”. This burger comes with hand-cut homemade fries and slices of their 48-hour sous vide bacon on top. The fried egg is optional.
The Ultimate American Burger
The Ultimate American Burger
This was by far the star of the show. The burger just kept on giving as far as flavor is concerned. The patties were the perfect thickness and the slices of American cheese complimented the fall-apart fatty quality of the sous vide bacon. If you have never had sous vide bacon before- it is totally worth a try. I chose not to get my burger with the fried egg while my friend did. The fries were crispy and it came with a side of cornichons for a bit of snacking. This burger had me thinking about how I would be able to get back to get another one to this day!
To really try a bit of everything on the menu, we also opted in for a mac and cheese with raclette cheese, artichokes, and crispy prosciutto on top.
Montrio Mac and Cheese
Montrio Mac and Cheese
The mac was great, but I think it was overshadowed by the burger and the bacon on bacon. It was very creamy, although a bit watery on the cheese side of it.
Overall, I would give the Montrio Bistro a hearty thumbs up and next time I am in Monterey I will be stopping by for a bite!
You can find their menu here
