Cafe Montmartre — Restaurant in Reston

Tonight is my second time here, and I absolutely MUST share how incredibly wonderful this establishment truly is.

Ambiance first - this is a two sided establishment - while entering the main dining room is to the left, and lounge/bar to the right. Throughout the lighting is soft, dramatic, and softly touched with deep blue, golden glow, and soft white.

I’ve enjoyed dinner during a previous time in the dining room and once at the bar (my personal preference when eating alone or with one companion). Service in both areas I would describe as outstanding, attentive, and patient. In particular, at the bar! Francisco is perfectly on time and allows for space, culinary enjoyment, and relaxation. Yet, he is always available at a mere glance. The perfect bar tender, waiter, and concierge. In fact, I have no word to describe the role that Francisco has served in since this incredible and wonderful establishment opened 22 years ago... In German/Yiddish, it would be “Mensch” - all around wonderful human being.

On to food and libations, tonight I started with the Devil’s Backbone Vienna Lager and escargots Les hors d’Oeuvres. I was pleasantly surprised about the pairing, along with the piping hot baguette... Considering the broth and mushrooms the escargots were served with...WOW! You gotta have the bread! I had to stop myself due to the entre arriving. Tonight, I was lucky enough to step in for a once-every-two weeks special known as the “Mix Grill”. And I quote from the “Speciaux Du Jour” menu, “Rack of Lamb [I ordered medium rare as any red meet SHOULD be ordered] & Quail (not pieces, an entire quail the size of my fist!). Stuffed with Spinach and Mushrooms, Peppercorn, Brandy Sauce. Served with Potatoes [pom fritz] and Vegetable.” This is paired with the Cabernet Sauvignon, 19 Crimes. GREAT choice.

So, I let the dish cool to a nice Western European “cold cut” temperature while talking with a wonderful new friend about living in the Pacific Northwest. Then, I dug in.

First, I devoured a lamb chop down to the bone. Absolutely perfect! The paired wine exploded with coffee and pepper. Then, hey I’ll grab a leg off this quail, get the few nibbles, and move on. That’s when I knew I was in trouble. After a sip of wine, and again with the PEPPER and a solid spicy chocolate after the one leg and thigh consumed, I’m looking at another lamb chop, another 3/4 of quailcompanion and a second bottle of this...

I went there this week. (This was my third time in about 8 years.) The other two times, I do remember the food being good, etc...overall a good experience. This time, I was really disappointed. The only positive is that the server was attentive and very polite. The restaurant was quite cold and we sat as far away from the window as possible. The low lighting was supposed to create ambiance but it was more like they were trying to save on the electric bill - it was annoyingly dark. There was only one other couple in there while we ate. I order the "blackened fish-of-the-day over salad special". The fish of the day was shrimp - I was excited about that. When the salad came out, it looked more like an appetizer size salad - this was supposed to be my meal. It was disappointingly small and there were only 5 shrimp, for $19.99. I was pretty shocked. My friend got the trout which looked okay and she didn't complain. She also ordered the chocolate mousse which to me, one again, was an extremely small portion for the nearly $7 it cost. I will not be returning since it appears they are trying to compensate for their lack of patronage with...

I love the local feel of Cafe Montmarte, the fact that its family owned and operated is a plus for me. They have fun events such as wine tasting, open mic night, and the owners daughter, Alyson, (who served up amazing Lemon Drops last night) said they are launching a Comedy Night in the very near future! During the Spring, Summer & Fall, the Cafe becomes and indoor/outdoor experience when they open up their amazing patio overlooking Lake Anne and just steps from the fountain where my kids along with many others, always end up playing for hours. Lake Anne Plaza is like stepping into Italy with outdoor cafe's, lots of foot traffic and local shops such as the Five & Dime, a great local book store, and the Lake Anne Pharmacy where you can actually sit on a stool at the counter and order a chocolate shake and 4 legged friends are welcome almost everywhere. Cafe Montmarte has been there for over 20 years so they're definitely doing something right!!! It's a great vibe, good food, and a calm relaxing atmosphere where you can actually sit and enjoy your company without being rushed out so they can sit someone else....