Bistro Moulin — Restaurant in Monterey

I have been a customer of Bistro Moulin for several years. I travel to Monterey Bay three or four times a year. During my stays Bistro has been a favorite location to dine. The owner/chef was very friendly and of course and Excellent cook. Excellent food and outstanding service was the trademark. The ambiance was romantic, perfect low lighting and French decor. The entrees always delicious no matter the choice. My Favorite appetizer was the escargot, served very hot and cooked in an amazing sauce. Always cleaning the dish with the bread! I would go there so often I was given a gift card from my family. Although the name of the restaurant is the same, Bistro Moulin, the ownership has changed. After the change I noticed the food was not quite the same. The escargot was not as meaty and the sauce not like before. Before when you would take a bite you're struck with an amazing flavor, now no amazement. I had the rib eye and it was over cooked, ordered medium rare and it came a little more then medium. Knowing the ownership change I asked if I could use my gift card. The server stated she had to ask the owner, later returning indicating they would not honor the card. At first, I thought, ok its new ownership and paid the $233 check. But after returning to my hotel room I got to thinking. The new owner kept the name, I am sure to have the old clientele return. This would be a great way to keep the cash flow. If that was the case they should honor the gift cards so the old clientele(myself)would remain a loyal returning customer. The incident upset me to the point I decided to write a review on a link sent to me from Bistro Moulin. I voiced my displeasure with the fact the gift card was not honored. Within two hours of my post the owner telephoned me. He explained to me that the gift card was purchased from the old owner and that the old owner should have given refunds to customers that had purchased cards, not him. He also stated, if he honored the card he would be losing money and he is not in the business to lose money. I explained to him he was using the same restaurant name to bring back the old clientele, thus making more money. And by honoring the card he would have a repeat customer who would always return and he would make even more money. He disagreed, stating again he would be losing money. I believe in any business there is always going to be some, "give and take," its business. Well, according to him, he's about making money. We did not come to any agreement, I told him I disagree with his logic and there are many other quality restuarants in Monterey where my business would be appreciated. He became frustrated and hung up the phone. After reading this I am sure your thinking my food review is going to a bit bias. The food is not the same as the old Bistro Moulin. After my experience with the owner, if he were to offer to honor the gift card ($300) I would not return. Fortunately, there are still restaurants where its reputation and customers are important. Old Fisherman's Grotto, on the...

This tiny little French bistro sits near the corner of Wave St and David and is easy to miss but if you do, someone should slap you. If you were to close your eyes and take a bite you could swear you were in a provincial French town. The flavors are that authentic. The atmosphere is generally fun and playful and the wine selection is well balanced between reasonable bottles for the average person and very high end ones for those wishing to go big on their beverage. If you don't know your way around all the Bordeaux and Cote du Rhone then just ask Colleen and make sure to tell her what you plan to order. Actually, what am I saying, even if you think you know what you want to drink ask Colleen. There are many a hidden gem in that long list of imported wines.

But to dwell a little more on the food (it deserves it, trust me!), the execution of these classic French dishes is to be greatly admired. From the mussels steamed in Sauvignon blanc (moules frites) to the intensely decadent coq au vin, dining here is a great example of why French traditions still dominate much of the culinary world. The weekend specials are always fantastic (the chef is a magician with seafood!) and for many special events there are prix fixe menus which are not to be missed.

In addition, the chef has a great respect for his ingredients and high standard of quality. I clearly recall one dinner when I was dwelling over long on my French onion soup (a masterpiece of caramelized onions and cheese) and after I had used up my second basket of bread in scraping the sides of the bowl a server came to tell me that he must serve my fish now because it will dry out under the heat lamps and the chef will not serve it to me like that. Whether I wanted to let it sit and get dry afterwards was my own choice but he would not put a plate in front of me that wasn't succulent and delicious. It's a gutsy decision to say that the quality of the food is more important than the convenience of the customer and I honor Chef...

I moved to Monterey a few years ago, and figured it would be a killer area for great food. Like most people, I went to the wharf, wandered into one of the dozens of places offering free calamari and clam chowder samples. And I continued to be disappointed every single place I went to.

I went to the cannery, I tried a few places in Carmel, and everything ranged from insulting bad and over priced, to pretty ok-- all of it really kitschy.

I say that because the one day I happened to stumble across this place was the happiest accident.

It's incredibly unassuming, small, cozy, whatever you want to call it. It's incredibly genuine, the walls are lined with thier extensive wine collection instead of goofy touristy pictures or overpriced paintings of sunsets.

The food is authentic, just the right balance between inventive and traditional, and incredibly satisfying.

The wine list is thorough, and the servers are adept with their pairing recommendations.

There are so many places in Monterey that want to serve you yesterday's cold calamari and charge $50 for an Applebees quality steak, or $12 for Campbell's canned clam chowder.

This place is different. It's incredible, and I hope it...