Monarque — Restaurant in Baltimore

Monarque was one of my favorite dining experiences ever. And it started weeks before even dining there.

I have sensory issues, especially around food taste and texture. So dining, especially at nicer restaurants, can be tough because chefs understandably want their food experienced the way they make it. So I emailed asking how difficult it would to have my needs accommodated. Alice replied saying it would be no problem and even was able to relate with my experience. She also informed me that there would be live music and she could make a note to try and keep us away from speakers or anything of the sort that could be overstimulating. She’s seriously an angel of a human being. I even got my days mixed up so she helped me adjust my reservations and made sure the notes she put in for us made it over to the new reservation.

So we arrive at the restaurant basically as soon as it opens and was greeted by Alice as soon as we walked in. Having that familiarity, even though just through email, was a warm welcome. She took us to a nice booth a little out of the way with avoiding overstimulation and a nice date night environment in mind.

Our server was amazing as well, he went above and beyond. For example, I love Balvenie Caribbean Cask scotch and it wasn’t on their menu but he was able to go over to the Elk Room and grab it from there for me. So we’re already blown away before we even look at the food. Which we even learned from the cocktail menu that French 75s may have been originally made with cognac. And that’s one of my partners favorite cocktails so she was excited about that.

When it came time to order the server was already aware of my accommodations and made ordering so easy compared to the normal charade I go through. The food was absolutely amazing. And throughout the evening Alice even came and checked in on us. After our food and a couple cocktails we asked our server about the Elk Room and how to get in. He led us a phone booth and told us how to get in. Which this was our first speakeasy experience. So it was so cool.

Definitely plan on coming back any time we are in Baltimore. The food alone is worth coming back for, but the amazing service and experience somehow managed to overshadow it.

Monarque is such a vibe too. Highly recommend, it’s worth every dollar for a nice dinner. While we didn’t take advantage of it, they do have wonderful happy hour specials. Like half price...

One of my best restaurant experiences I have had in a long time.

For context, a few months ago at another Atlas Restaurant a server served me food he deemed safe that actually had what I was allergic to in it. Forgot my epi-pen and had to leave immediately. It was my mom's birthday dinner. Prior to that, most Atlas restaurants we've visited have had alcohol and vinegar (my two severe allergens) in nearly everything where I only had the option of 1-2 menu items.

After this past experience, I finally called Atlas HQ and was directed to Roy Kelin who is the VP of Operations. Roy was incredible and handled the situation as well as one could possibly hope. He was not aware to the extent of limitations offered for allergy substitutions. He profusely apologized what happened at the last restaurant, gave me his personal cell so I could text him to make a reservation and he would personally call the kitchen to prep them, overhauled and re-evaluated all of the allergen policies at each restaurant and offered me a do-over meal at any Atlas restaurant of my choice, which was above and beyond what I was expecting!

I choose Monarque as my birthday dinner and his executive chef, Devin was incredible. He made me a french onion soup with an apple cider base and everything I wanted to my heart's content. Brought my parents and my friend and genuinely had the best time. Our server Liz was awesome and on top of it. Allergen safe food was marked with flowers. Entertainment was great and so was the service! I don't think our water glasses dipped below half full at any point. Some of the things we loved were the drinks, the seafood tower, table-side tartare, cote de bouef and genuinely every dessert!! They made me some kind of strawberries and cream ice cream and we had the crepe souffle and pots de creme. I felt like a celebrity that nobody knew all night--it was perfect!

Some of the best customer service I've ever received and I feel so grateful that Roy has put so much effort into not only enhancing the dining experience at Atlas for me but for everyone with serious food allergies to have an equally matched experience. Forever grateful for Roy and Atlas' kindness to rectify the situation. Genuinely can't wait to come back and visit more Atlas...

Amazing Experience. Make Reservations. This is an adult restaurant no one under the age of 18.

The concept is a Cabaret. You have a wonderful meal and a show. Our show consisted of a dance trio and then we had two burlesque performers. All the acts were fantastic.

Jovonte our server was one of the best I have ever encountered. He was knowledgeable about the menu. Had plenty of recommendations. Very old school fine dining service vibes.

The food was excellent. The prices on the menu or the specials may be a shock to some, $200 for a steak. Just keep in mind you are also getting a show. We started with the Black Truffle Cheese Mouillette, an open-faced grilled cheese with ham and watercress on the side.

The bread was pillowy and the cheese warm and gooey. I had a French 75 with Gin but they do offer cognac instead. It was light and refreshing

For Dinner I had a Bavette Steak with a Chimichurri sauce and my wife had a Filet Mignon with a chili wagyu butter. She remarked how good it was, even several days after eating it. My steak was a beautiful med rare. She order hers med well, I know, and for the most part it was, save for a few spots that appeared under but for the thickness of the steak you couldn't have asked for a better job.

For sides my wife got the asparagus and I had the Potato Daupinois Gratin. The potatoes were thin and cooked in cream and covered in cheese. The tender potato practically melted in your mouth.

Finally for Dessert Jovonte recommended the Chocolate and Sea Salt Pot De Creme. It was two different custards in a dish with chocolate discs on top. This was the perfect dish to end such a heavy meal. The custards were light and airy.

I would highly recommend it. Atlas Restaurant Group knows how to do...