Monaco — Restaurant in Irving

My in-laws were in town over a long weekend, and it happened to be my mother-in-law's birthday as well. We wanted to take them someplace nice and chose Monaco. I knew nothing of the place - my wife chose it because she thought it had a view onto the nearby faux-river (it doesn't, but who cares - this place is great - hang on!) So I look online at the menu and I think it's kinda small. I will say if you are looking up the menu do it from their actual website and not a google summary or anything else. The menu is quite diverse and there is definitely something for everyone here - which is good when you're trying to impress your in-laws. We had reservations and were seated quite quickly. First impressions - smaller place, but very trendy-ly (?) decorated. High curved ceilings with chandeliers, ceiling painted dark blue with stars among them. Small bar, back wall is wood with bottles of wine built into it. LOUD! For a small place it was pretty loud. But we did ok. We had a nice seat - 4 top booth. The chairs they use are neat - they have little gold handles on the back which is something I've not seen before. Let's just get right to it: We LOVED it! And it's all thanks to Quinton, or "Q" as he asked to be called. He was our waiter, but he told us he's also one of the managers. And I have to say, he was one of the best waiters I've ever had. Here's why: I got their Nakatomi Plaza drink to start and any real man will tell you that's a perfect name for a cocktail. It was great as was the wine I had after. We ordered arancini as a starter. Q tells us they come in a set of 3, but since there is 4 of us, he'll add another on there at no charge. Nice! They were excellent. When it came time to order our meals, Q had excellent suggestions and told us his favorites. Oh - we also ordered the "bread service" - now we sort of tacked that on after ordering our meals - sort of "oh and can we have the bread service" so it wasn't a surprise that we didn't get it quickly. I mentioned this to Q - just in a casual reminder "Oh we ordered the bread service as well" - Q goes to check, said it got lost in the shuffle, brought it out, and said there was no charge! I have complained about stuff before and not had it taken off the bill - this I mean I wasn't even annoyed I nearly forgot I ordered it - so for him to do that meant a lot to me. The service here - at least with Quinton - is not something you should miss. It's at a level that makes you, the common schmo (speaking of myself) feel special. It's really nice and you rarely see it these days. Also - I rarely eat meat these days - long story - so when I'm out I like to get a steak. And their 15-ounce ribeye does not disappoint! It was excellent - tender and cooked just so that the fat was as wonderful as the meat. My father in law cleared his plate, I nearly did - little gristle - not to worry - it's normal. Mother in law had the pasta and she raved about it. Wife had the branzino which was lovely. I have to tell you, I had low expectations for this place, but the cooks in the kitchen are crushing it, the place is super cute and nice to be in, and Quinton just blew us away - what a gem! We will...

I am glad I tried this place on a whim during the Las Colinas 50th Anniversary festivities. I had the redfish that evening that was honestly not my favorite, though tasty. However, the roasted oysters and NY strip were delicious and prepared perfectly. Beyond that, our server, Mary, was a sweetheart and very accommodating, so much that I told her I would return to see her. Another time I had a to-go smash burger with frites. Very good! So, tonight I decided to return to see the lovely Mary but was instead waited on by Marissa, who was similarly bubbly in her personality, helpful, beautiful and not pretentious. The chicken milanese was excellent! And the desserts are always rich and worth the wait. The wine was also well-paired and worth the cost. And though Mary was not waiting on me, she said hello and was helpful when I asked about Greek wines. The blonde receptionist who always wears a lovely dress was similarly attentive, handing me a wine bottle list immediately. The manager, whose name I haven’t caught yet, also remembered me and was helpful as always. There was another male server who also cleared my dish promptly and recorked my wine bottle just because he passed by and saw that it needed done. Very attentive service! The food is pricey but reasonable for the style of restaurant and dishes. They are not strict on the dress code. The restaurant is located well on Lake Carolyn with other restaurants and businesses nearby and ample strolling and areas to relax, though parking can be challenging during peak hours. I shall return again if only to be spoiled in service by the staff and snack on roasted...

If I was more technically savvy I would build an ARMY of AI bots to review this place.

The FOOD. The SERVICE. The ATMOSPHERE.

Every. Single. Thing. On POINT.

I typically expect this from Michelin star restaurants, but this place absolutely killed it. The Branzino, Salmon, mushroom risotto, and one of the red sauced pasta dishes with butter shrimp were all IMPECCABLE. The beet salad to start was also original and delicious. Taste, texture, smell, every detail flawless.

Their staff were friendly, fun, kind, and did EVERYTHING to make our night suave, smooth, and miraculous. Let us try four wines before we settled on one both my sister and mother could enjoy (far more difficult than bipartisan support from US congress).

Keep KILLING the game Monaco. Y'all rock and we’re excited to eat here again soon.

P.S. I do feel like if the restaurant did something super unique they could get people driving 30 minutes to visit again. Perhaps you’re greeted with a thick cardstock lux 3x3 inch card that has a water painted landscape of Monaco and some gold embossing. It has the “deepest secret” of someone who ate in the restaurant previously. At the end of the meal you’re given the same card (with no text this time) with a Monaco sweet (something unique, tasty, globally loved) and asked to write your deepest secret on it. The restaurant would need some added candles/textures to make it fit that theme, but yeah, just thinking creatively here.

Thank you all for an...