Le Mont Restaurant — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

You should take veal off your menu. if you didn’t already know, veal is the meat of baby cows, usually males and they are normally between five and eight months old when killed. These calves are a direct co-product of the dairy industry. The two industries are linked and the production of veal and dairy is indisputably one of the cruelest forms of animal abuse on the planet. If you are familiar with how the dairy industry operates you already know that dairy cows don’t choose to become pregnant, they are forcefully inseminated. This cruel practice keeps them pregnant repeatedly, so they keep producing milk for consumers. But did you ever wonder what happens to their babies? Both male and female calves are separated from their mother as early as one day old. The females are often kept alive so they can grow up to become a milking machine like their mom and face a life of heartache and torture. They do not get to drink the milk from their mother that is intended for them. The male calves are either shot at birth or sent to live in tiny stalls and raised for veal. The devastated mother cows bellow for days and desperately search for their babies while some run to chase after their calves helplessly. Their heartbreaking cries have been captured on video like this mother cow desperately running after her babies in New Zealand as they are taken away in the back of a truck. It is the last time she will ever see them.

Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) explains the life of a veal calf born to a dairy cow mom.

“"Milk fed" veal calves are often anemic. The calves are fed a low iron diet to produce the most desired white meat. They are fed milk replacer, which can be laced with antibiotics in order to control the diarrhea that is caused by an inadequate diet. These calves are restricted from moving and spend their lives in small stalls or hutches. They are slaughtered at 18 to 20 weeks of age. Calves can be so crippled from confinement that they have to be helped into the truck or trailer on the way to the slaughter plant.” - HSVMA

Without the dairy industry the veal industry would not exist. It’s just another reason to ditch dairy forever and choose cruelty-free milk options like coconut, oat, soy, almond or rice. Cruelty to calves runs rampant on veal farms Veal crates keep calves prisoner their entire lives. They never see sunlight or breathe fresh air.

Although veal crates are banned in Canada and the U.K, there is no federal law prohibiting their use in the United States. An undercover investigation by Mercy For Animals at Buckeye Veal Farm in Apple Creek, Ohio in 2010 revealed calves chained inside two-foot-wide wooden stalls. You can watch the video here.

“These stalls did not allow calves to turn around, much less walk, run, play, or socialize with other animals. Calves could not breathe fresh air or see sunlight. They were unable to lie down comfortably or even clean themselves.” – Mercy For Animals

Some US states have individually banned the use of veal crates, including Ohio, but not nearly enough have done so yet. Over the years other undercover investigations by animal rights activists have revealed workers violently punching, kicking, throwing, and tormenting calves. The babies are left to suffer alone on the floor until they die. They are deprived of social contact with their mothers and other calves, malnourished, anemic, iron deficient due to an unnatural diet, their lack of exercise prevents normal muscle development, they are prohibited from grazing naturally outside on grass, and their extreme and endless boredom leads to despair and health issues. When it’s time to be killed calves are violently forced onto and off slaughterhouse trucks and prodded into kill lines. By this point many of the babies are not even able to stand up and often collapse...

Le Mont is a Pittsburgh institution with a great view, a sterling reputation, and commanding high prices. Having tried it for a celebratory dinner recently, I am sorry to say that we felt we did not get our money’s worth on our visit. However, I will start with the positives.

The view is fantastic. We were seated by the windows overlooking the three rivers. When we sat down, there was still sunlight on the water, and as the dinner progressed, the sun went down and the lights came on downtown and it was simply beautiful. Great environment. The restaurant itself is very well appointed and the tables are spread far enough apart that you do not feel cramped. The food was prepared impeccably. We tried the Sea Bass and the Chicken with the rice and both dishes were perfectly cooked. The one unusual note was that both dishes came with sides of carrots and green beans: The carrots that came with the fish were exceedingly sweet – which jarred unfavorably with the savoriness of the fish dish preparation. Since it looked like the same carrots that came with the chicken, we could not understand why they were so different?

However, that is a minor complaint. The more major problems were with the service. Our service team must not have been very experienced. The assistant managed to throw ice cubes on us as she was pouring our waters and then dropped some of the balls of butter she was preparing off the table. The main waiter was very uncomfortable in making the Caesar salad and left large chunks of anchovies in the salad rather than crushing them to be part of the dressing. A much more serious problem was that we were being rushed to leave – or, at least, it felt that way. We were not half way through the appetizer course when our entrees were plunked down in front of us and the remaining salad and soup were whisked away. Huh? We wanted to have a nice, leisurely celebratory meal, and instead we were in and out in less than 70 minutes.

But the worst part of the night’s experiences revolved around the wine. Their wine list is decent, if not particularly exciting. I did find a very interesting 2013 Washington Merlot listed on there at a very affordable price which complemented the dishes nicely which I ordered. When the bottle was presented, it was not a 2013, but a 2018. When I pointed out the discrepancy to the waiter, he very properly took the bottle away immediately in search of what I ordered. A few minutes later he came back with a manager who proceeded to tell us that they buy their wines from the state store (Really?), that they have no control over what vintages they get (I find that even less believable), and was instructed to accept that wine. I demurred and instead we agree on a 2016 Pinot Noir from Oregon. When that bottle arrived, it was from 2019!!!! I decided not to make a fuss over this and the wine was good and worked well with our food. Then, when the bill arrived, they charged me $20 more for it than what was listed on the wine list. I briefly considered calling the manager over to complain, but ultimately decided it was not worth spending any more time here.

Therefore, the three-star rating is a balance between the high points and the low points. The food was excellent: The service had many problems. When one spends more than $120 per person on a celebratory meal, one expects an experience that’s as close to perfection as is possible. This experience was nowhere close...

Le Mont Restaurant. My first visit with a party of more than ten, this last Saturday. The grandeur of the restaurant reflects the five-star rating as I was told that it is; however, I must compare it with five-star restaurants from NYC, Toronto and Shanghai, in order to give it a proper review. The panoramic view which the dining room offers is truly spectacular. The grandeur of the room captivates you and transports you to a time long pass. In my business, service sells, and good people pay for good service. I had to leave early and spoke to the maitre d about leaving my credit card with a young lady to pay my portion of the bill. I advised that my bill would have a tip between $200 and 300 dollars and so it was. It went smoothly. Our waiters/attendants did a great job, Marco was very attentive and respectful. I believe that a certain young waiter may need to have his skills refreshed, being too fast can have ill consequences, for example spilling food on the person of honour and advising a simple sorry and moving on, would not qualify you to serve at a five star restaurant. I understand how it works, but remember the patrons are your job. For me, my medium rare filet minion was done exactly how I do it with more crust(bark) and I think it may have been sitting too long, before I tasted the glorious meat. I took about 8 minutes to get to it, because I carry the food that I cook on my phone and demonstrated my steak filet to a Pittsburgh businessman in conversation, at my table. The taste was good, the bacon was a great addition. I had ordered a drink, other than water and after the first, I requested another, at that time I was told that they were out of that brand and suggested that I try another, to which I declined, making the comment to Marco, that that’s not done at all. To say the least, I was charged for two drinks when I looked at the bill the following day. I would call this an oversight. It happens…. Marco did pack up my dessert for me to take away, as time was quite short for me. I will be returning, to be fair and make subsequent updates to my rating and reviews. One thing I did notice is that there was no strict dress code. I recall being loaned a jacket before entering a dining room years ago. I was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and tie but had left my jacket at the hotel. But then, that was almost...