Monte – Carlo NYC

I got an advertisement in the mail, a postcard celebrating their one year anniversary. Never have I been so disappointed with the service in any restaurant within 10 blocks of this one. Forget about the overpriced menu. I ordered my usual drink of Jack Daniels and Diet Coke with a wedge of lime. Two small glasses were brought over; one with Diet Coke and the other with all ice and a hint of Jack Daniels. When I asked to combine it in one glass which is the normal way of serving it, i was brought a diluted flat drink without gas. I asked the waitress how many scallops were in their pan seared dish for $ 32 and was told 4 large ones. She served 3 average sized ones for a price of over $ 10 each. Had she served 4 then the price would have been $ 7.50 each. I asked the waitress why I got only 3 when she told me I was getting 4 large ones and she answered that sometimes they are large enough to give you only 3. I asked her why she told me I would get 4 and she ignored the answer, I got up to leave and asked for the bill for the lousy drink she served. I told her that she does not know her job. If you get only 3 then tell me only 3, and don’t tell me 4. Her incompetence forced me to leave without eating. The manager jumped up and told me that the drink was on the house. I went around the block to Uva and ordered scallops and got 6 large scallops for $ 22 and they were delicious and served with a smile. You will never see me or my friends in Monte Carlo for dinner. I can’t understand how they survived the first year. They need to hire more competent waitresses who understand the menu and explain it correctly, especially if they want to command 150% of the price of all the restaurants around them. I had difficulty giving this restaurant even one star!!!

We stumbled upon this restaurant as we were looking for a place to stop for a drink at a bar before our dinner reservations. We picked this spot given how cute, cozy and romantic it looked from the sidewalk. We were not disappointed! We just missed their 1-​year anniversary party (¹⁄₂₁) but we congratulated the bartender nonetheless. She was awesome and I wish we got her name (we went on ¹⁄₂₂ at about 7pm). The place was hopping and the bar was very inviting. I wished we loved closer as this would be our neighborhood bar of choice, for sure! I wish the staff nothing but the best in their second year!

Quite possibly the best steak I’ve had in Manhattan – and also the most amazing service. Good atmosphere (clean, simple lines) and beautiful table settings. We had a fabulous experience and will totally be back. (The only bad thing: asparagus severely overpriced at $ 2.50/stalk).

Amazing ambiance and service; outstanding food.
My friend suggested this place having passed it and what a great French restaurant find.
The linen covered tables and candles give a sophisticated, elegant, romantic feel. But still has a warm and inviting ambiance.
The service was attentive and friendly.
Menu selection — many fish, seafood, steak options. And a great wine list/​selection.
The Tuna tar tar was super.
I ordered the lobster entrée (lobster with biscuits, wild mushrooms, puff pastry and lobster sauce) and it was divine; lobster paired with the sauce and biscuits were perfect.
My friend ordered the scallops in truffle oil, also delicious.
Highly recommend.

Nice bistro in the neighborhood. Staff is incredibly nice (I think the earlier reviews probably complained about staff that is no longer there) especially the young waitress who works weekday nights. Manager is also there to greet guests. Food is good and reasonably priced, though I’m not sure if it’s organic (have to ask next time). Will be back again.

Delicious and reasonably priced French food.
My friend and I shared the Barbajuans-​Deep fried ravioli stuffed with wilted seasonal greens, ricotta and parmesan. They were soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. A nice portion as well.
For my entrée, I had the Lobster Vol-​au-​vent-​butter poached Maine lobster, pike quenelle, wild mushrooms, puff pastry and lobster jus. The lobster was cooked perfectly and paired wonderfully with the puff pastry and mushrooms.
The service was a little slow, but otherwise a great French find in the Upper East Side.

I live in the neighborhood and have dined at Monte-​Carlo numerous times since it opened in early 2015. Every dish I’ve tried is a treat, I especially enjoy the lobster, scallops and sole. The pasta and ravioli selfish so are also delicious. The service is good and the ambiance is like a good restaurant in the south of France.

Consistently good cooking at a reasonable price. Have eaten there twice in a week. Duck is fabulous, hanger steak and skate wing too. Decent wine by the glass. Great neighborhood place.

Just had dinner here and was pleasantly surprised.
Nice atmosphere, food was good, service attentive.
Had the Caesar salad, lobster dish and the hanger steak. I’ll be honest that I didn’t love the lobster (I didn’t care for the sauce, but the lobster itself and the pastry were perfect) so I switched with a friend who filled up on the white bread (which was better than the wheat roll). Cocktails were good especially the roulette.
I would definitely repeat this meal.

Very happy to see this resturant reopen and serve simple authentic French food. I have eaten here several times and have never been disappointed. The crab cake, skate, coq au vin, and duck leg are all delicious.

The food wasn’t very good. The service was worse. Ordered a cheese plate appetizer at the beginning of the meal. When I asked about it the server said that the cheese APPETIZER was served AFTER the meal. We asked about it again after the meal when the restaurant was completely empty. After 15 minutes it never arrived I walked up to the bar handed them my card and closed out. Lazy servers.

I am from Paris and I have very high standards when it comes to food when going out and I found the food there to be perfection. There is no skimping on quality and you can tell that everything is made in the kitchen. The service is perfect as well. The French owner is present and very welcoming. I hadn’t had a coq au vin since I left the motherland and it was a pleasure to experience the same level of taste and presentation that I would have at a high-​end Parisian restaurant. I will recommend it warmly.

Amazing! Stumbled upon this place and so happy I did! Went for dinner with my husband and we order more than we needed just to try it all. Started with French onion soup that was delish. Close to the best I ever had. Then had the house special spinach and goat cheese ravioli and they were very good. For main courses we had delicious skate fish and the skirt steak with fries. The fish was great, served with amazing mashed potatoes and very light frisée salad. The steak was cooked perfectly and in a delicious sauce. Both of our plates were emptied! We shared a fantastic crème brûlée for dessert.
I highly recommend this restaurant, all of the staff are super sweet and Alexandra, the owner, makes a conscious effort to come over and see how everything is going. She is a hands-​on owner that really cares about the success of her new place. Please check it out, always great to see a new restaurant in this neighborhood filled with nice people and nice staff. For what it’s worth, the tables on either side of us were both raving about how great their food was as well.

We were looking forward to a new neighborhood place, and with French food to boot.
We were so disappointed by the amateurish service, and our waiter was downright rude, telling us brusquely that he would not tell us highlights of the menu until we told him what we wanted to eat. wtf? The nice manager stepped in, but still. Re the food, my dinner was good, but my husband’s duck was not.

Really liked the food, hated the crowd. I suppose that isn’t the restaurant’s fault. But what a tacky bunch of people. Our waiter, Oscar, was delightful. Crab cake appetizer very filling. Great for sharing or could be a main with a side dish.
The hostess was dressed very inappropriately/​unprofessionally for a restaurant. She needs to up her game.

So glad that my boyfriend discovered this amazing French restaurant. I wasn’t sure what to expect because we found this restaurant through
! The food is so delicious. Those fried raviolis are a little piece a of heaven! We also ordered the skate fish that was just right and the duck. But the dessert was the best. These chocolate drizzled ice cream sandwiches that were made w cream puffs were to die for! Aw man! I am craving one right now. Alex the manager is cool too. She gave me her card and told me about these dance/​brunch parties that they are going to have on Sunday’s in about a month. I’ll see you soon! Yum yum yum

Great service, good food, we ordered barbajuans for share (fried ravioli spinach) it is ok, had lobster vol au vent and traditional coq au vin for main and apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Definitely recommend the lobster and dessert. Love the lobster juice, which is a little bit like lobster bisque, and the combination with puff pastry. Apple pie is thin and crusty with perfect balance of sourness and sweetness, top with homemade vanilla ice cream!

Delicious! A more private view from the exterior with curtains on the windows on a normally quiet UES street; tight seating accompanied by a youthful staff makes this restaurant curiously inviting and available. Background EDM was replaced by the noise of diners post 7:00 PM, who represented an established UES clientele; loved the food. Plan to be back soon. Recommend floral arrangements or candles on the tables.

This new spot is a total gem! The décor is very simple, all white which is refreshing. It’s a great spot for a romantic and quieter dinner. The food was fabulous and the service was top notch. They have a small cute little bar as well. It’s a little on the expensive side but here you get what you pay for– a superb dining experience.

I was absolutely elated to see this new café/​resto open up in Yorkville. There isn’t too much over this way that’s nicer than a diner or a coffee shop and not chock full of old ladies with lapdogs, so it’s really a treat to be able to dash out to such a luxe feeling downtown-​y restaurant, without the 45min walk and subway ride to SoHo or NoLIta.
The menu is pretty much everything that is amazing about French food (do we say Monoccan food? ;), both delicious and crafted, decadent and elegant in its simplicity: they have both a terrine and a confit re foie gras and it’s made in-​house, which already blew my mind. A few other apps were the crab cake and a shrimp cocktail. Next time I’m definitely getting the crab cakes, they looked gorgeous.
Salad section will not surprise, but it adds some French touches, like the joyfulness of lardons ;) and anchovies to the usual suspects.
For mains there is a handful of seafood choices and a few meat options, in the hearty heavy but moderate portions a la francaise. Duck leg confit, roasted chicken, coq au vin — perfect for the colder nights ahead, and the UES specialty: hangar steak with poivre sauce!
Overall, the sense of the curated menu with the items with few, carefully chosen and created parts is the key here. Very French, very awesome. The ambiance is both warm and cool, with the music really adding to the setting. Just like the place itself: chic enough to be super French, but close enough to Italy to have that relaxed cool vibe. I’m super excited to become a regular here, and I hope they continue to expand and evolve their menu with the seasons.