Monarch -Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Pleasant Valley Township

I left work tonight and felt like treating myself to something tonight. I'd always driven by Monarch and assumed from the outside of the building and the surrounding area (lots of fancy office buildings and the like north of 53rd street) was a bit to bourgeois for me.

My fears were quickly allayed, however. When I walked in and asked the hostess if they had walk-ins available, she offered both a table or a seat at the full-service bar. I didn't want to be a bother to anyone (the bar was a bit full when I arrived) so I found a seat all the way against the wall a chair away from the nearest patrons and settled in. If I had to do it again, though, I'd have probably trade out my work jeans for a nice set of slacks (I felt just a little underdressed).

The bartender, though she was very busy, got both my drink and food order within a very reasonable amount of time. I opted for a gin an tonic with The Botanist gin (wanted to try something a little different tonight) for a pre-dinner libation. The drink was great, not going to lie. Probably wouldn't order it again though, as I really couldn't tell the difference between a G&T with Tanqueray (might have to come back here for a martini with The Botanist - I think the tonic water is a bit overpowering).

I ordered a few things off the menu, as I was a bit hungry tonight. I started with the home-made hummus with pita wedges. Hummus is a favorite of mine, and this particular hummus was pretty darn fantastic. It was garnished with what appeared to be reconstituted sundried tomato halves. There were only three tomato halves in the serving, but they were a great fresh accent to the hummus! I'm going to have to remember this for when I do hummus at home.

I opted for the tavern burger (double) with a side of truffle fries for my main entrée. I really don't know what I expected, but the portions for both the burger and the fries were far more than I expected. It took the better part of a half hour, but I almost polished both off, with good reason too. The truffle fries had that characteristic funky taste that only truffle oil imparts and were a great side to the burger, which was cooked to a perfect medium well (just a bit of pink in the middle). Equally fantastic was the Challah bun, which I don't recall having before for a burger. I've seen brioche as a standard fancy burger bun, but the slightly chewier, somewhat more hardy structure of the Challah was superb!

Though I'd tucked myself against the wall of the full-service bar, I was still able to take in the overall ambiance of the restaurant interior. Though it was somewhat crowded up at the bar, the general noise level was not excessive. The lighting was an interesting combination of accent strips and scant hanging fixtures, resulting in the overall effect of the lighting being sufficient to fill the space and feel warm.

I'd definitely like to come back here at some point with friends or other company, possibly during the warmer weather months when the patio is open. I had a lovely experience by myself and definitely felt the quality of the food and experience adequately matched the price paid. Thanks for a great...

Wow. I cannot say enough about Monarch. But for maybe one or two restaurants in the Quad Cities, dining out is a game of trade-offs for me—I almost always must give up ambiance for unique, lively food, or perhaps the food is great but the service is lacking. I also feel that many restaurants have fancy menu descriptions, but the meals fall short. It’s very rare to have a high level dining experience where no stone is left unturned. Being fairly well-traveled, it pains me to experience stellar pairings of food and ambiance, only to come back here and be disappointed in what I know is POSSIBLE to deliver, but seems to be impossible here locally. Monarch is exceptional. From the congenial tone of the gal who took the phone call, to Hannah the mgr who is ultimately who got me to finally pull the trigger and come (she’s amazing, but that would require another separate review to highlight the many reasons she’s so great), to the attentive, socially intelligent, sweet server named Nebo, to the food itself. All aspects were 10/10: Decor, ambiance, light music, super clean (plexiglass separators above the booths were so thoughtful!!!), rotating out silverware so you have fresh sets between courses. Top notch. Nebo might be the best server I’ve had in the quad cities. I left feeling like I know him as a person, but he wasn’t an oversharer. Totally professional, the perfect level of engagement, and he used perfectly colorful adjectives to help me navigate the menu. I don’t know if it’s proper training or if he’s just a special person, but I will request him next time I’m in. This place will be here for a very long time. I’m so happy they did a series of private tastings before a grand opening. To me, there’s Nothing worse, as a diner, than having to excuse poor performance because of a lack of training...this strategy worked. It’s a well-oiled machine only 2 months in. Wow. Oh—And here’s what we had: burrata (so good. Perfect for 4 ppl to have a nice chunk), the rock shrimp which were so unique (I swear you could come just for apps and drinks on a date night if you didn’t want to feel heavy but still enjoy the FOOD). Lamb gnocchi was so unique, and super filling. Like super filling. It looks petite, but you could totally share this. Also the oyster mushroom tagliatelle was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had. Homemade, light, balanced, perfect amount of richness from the bit of truffle and ricotta, and the perfect sizes of mushrooms. That was the star tonight. On recommendation we had the cheesecake. Do yourself a favor. Just do it like Mike. Not normal.

I can’t wait to...

I had heard about this place for so long- being in the gf industry myself. I took myself and my three boys with me to get a Saturday night dinner. I had high expectations after everything I had heard and let me tell you... this place did not disappoint!! The ambience and atmosphere was so calming after an exhausting weekend. Even the chair made me want to melt. I don't remember our server's name (wonderful eastern European guy), but he anticipated everything we need. I didn't need to ask for anything before he was already suggesting it. Other servers were quick to clear empty plates or bring us water. I felt so taken care of. I felt safe. My middle son has a gluten intolerance. We let them know and our server was on top of making sure everything was safe and when my son changed his mind on abstaining from gluten for dessert, our server was quick to inform us that it did contain gluten without my even asking. He boxed our leftovers and was kind to my tantruming 5 year old (I appreciated this so much... it was embarrassing!). He treated my teenager with total autonomy and both he and I appreciated it. And I haven't even gotten to the food! I got the grilled salmon (pictured) my older boys got gf and regular burgers while my picky youngest wanted salmon, which was not on the kids menu, but our stupendous waiter made it happen anyway! And everything was delicious! I got my angel child back once he dug into his salmon. I, myself, was in heaven with my perfectly grilled fish on top of a bed of greens, fingerling potatoes and what I think was a honey drizzle... *chef's kiss". My oldest loved his burger and my middle declared that his burger tasted like a regular burger. He was so happy and declared this the best day of his life. We ended the evening with dessert... peach melba for my oldest, bourbon butterscotch date pudding for the younger ones, and creme brulee for me! It was so good! The custard was so creamy and the sugar was well solidified and thick for a perfect balance! I even tried a little of my kids' pudding and the butterscotch with the sticky pudding was divine! I didn't get to sample the peach melba because my teen devoured it all! The total check was a little over $150 ($200 with tip) and well worth it!! We will be returning and are so grateful for the little oasis the owners...