Nothing spectacular about Montana's
It was one of those decisions that sounded better at the time then the outcome. But when one gets invited out to dinner on someone else's dime to celebrate a birthday what recourse do you have to make alternative suggestions? Besides, I had heard positive things about Montana's despite my skepticism. So off I went with an open mind and palate yearning to be tested.
Montana's is located at 489 Wellington Rd at the corner of Commissioners Rd in London's south end. It's actually not that far from last week's restaurant selection Smitty's. Montana's is part of a larger family of restaurants owned by Cara, which includes Swiss Chalet, Kelsey's, Harvey's, Milestones and Second Cup. A listing of a who's who of Canadian chain restaurants that I'm guessing most of you have been to at some point or another. I've been to all except for Milestones.
On the night our party of eight ventured into the Cookhouse it was relatively quiet, but since it was a midweek visit it wasn't all too surprising. We didn't have to wait long to be seated and our server was over promptly with menus. One thing for certain, Montana's menu is extensive and packed with choices.
To get the ball rolling we ordered some baked garlic with cheese to tide us over while we waited for our main course. The appetizer menu boasts nine items and there's enough variety there to satisfy anyone. Our item wasn't anything spectacular, and garlic bread is normally a safe choice. No complaints here.
After digesting the rest of the menu in an attempt to find something that I was craving, I settled on the half chicken dinner with garlic-mashed potatoes. Others at our table ordered a rib and wing combo, pasta dishes, steak and a skillet seared salmon order. As mentioned previously, the menu is wide ranging and I can't even begin to estimate how many items are on it, but it certainly appears that Montana's is trying hard to satisfy a wide range of food cravings.
When dinner finally arrived I was more than a tad disappointed in my chicken order. The chicken itself didn't have the taste I had hoped for. I've had better at Swiss Chalet, East Side Mario's and my absolute favourite New Sarum Diner. Even more horrific was the cold mashed potatoes that had me thinking they must have been sitting there for hours.
While Montana's boasts about its award winning ribs, the rib eater in our group wasn't all that thrilled with his order. His preference for ribs would have taken us to Tony Roma's or St. Louis Bar and Grill. It's hard to mess up wings though, and he didn't seem to complain about those as much as he did about his ribs.
Our pasta eaters didn't seem to mind their orders, but as far as the order of skillet seared salmon goes, it was a complete disaster. First, the waitress admitted that she had forgotten to punch in that order when it didn't come out with everyone else's meal. Secondly, when it magically appeared moments later our friend was more than a little leery. Sure enough it was cold. Even more disappointing was the waitress, who didn't even offer to take the item off the bill for the faux pas.
It's quite possible that we just picked the worst day of the week to dine at Montana's. The service was poor and after our initial seating slow. The loss of an order is inexcusable, and cold food that's supposed to be hot doesn't taste good. While there is certainly plenty to choose from, I won't be going back to Montana's, certainly not on my dime or anyone else's for that matter. It will be a long time before I forget this experience. The pricing isn't remarkable or student budget conscious if that happens to be a concern of yours. Either way I don't want to dissuade you from trying though. Just don't go with heightened expectations and there will be less of a chance you will be disappointed. Need more info, want to view their menu or directions, visit their website at www.montanas.ca.
At the plate is a weekly column that features local restaurants, and in particular those that are close to Fanshawe. If you have any suggestions drop us an email.
Montana's is located at 489 Wellington Rd at the corner of Commissioners Rd in London's south end. It's actually not that far from last week's restaurant selection Smitty's. Montana's is part of a larger family of restaurants owned by Cara, which includes Swiss Chalet, Kelsey's, Harvey's, Milestones and Second Cup. A listing of a who's who of Canadian chain restaurants that I'm guessing most of you have been to at some point or another. I've been to all except for Milestones.
On the night our party of eight ventured into the Cookhouse it was relatively quiet, but since it was a midweek visit it wasn't all too surprising. We didn't have to wait long to be seated and our server was over promptly with menus. One thing for certain, Montana's menu is extensive and packed with choices.
To get the ball rolling we ordered some baked garlic with cheese to tide us over while we waited for our main course. The appetizer menu boasts nine items and there's enough variety there to satisfy anyone. Our item wasn't anything spectacular, and garlic bread is normally a safe choice. No complaints here.
After digesting the rest of the menu in an attempt to find something that I was craving, I settled on the half chicken dinner with garlic-mashed potatoes. Others at our table ordered a rib and wing combo, pasta dishes, steak and a skillet seared salmon order. As mentioned previously, the menu is wide ranging and I can't even begin to estimate how many items are on it, but it certainly appears that Montana's is trying hard to satisfy a wide range of food cravings.
When dinner finally arrived I was more than a tad disappointed in my chicken order. The chicken itself didn't have the taste I had hoped for. I've had better at Swiss Chalet, East Side Mario's and my absolute favourite New Sarum Diner. Even more horrific was the cold mashed potatoes that had me thinking they must have been sitting there for hours.
While Montana's boasts about its award winning ribs, the rib eater in our group wasn't all that thrilled with his order. His preference for ribs would have taken us to Tony Roma's or St. Louis Bar and Grill. It's hard to mess up wings though, and he didn't seem to complain about those as much as he did about his ribs.
Our pasta eaters didn't seem to mind their orders, but as far as the order of skillet seared salmon goes, it was a complete disaster. First, the waitress admitted that she had forgotten to punch in that order when it didn't come out with everyone else's meal. Secondly, when it magically appeared moments later our friend was more than a little leery. Sure enough it was cold. Even more disappointing was the waitress, who didn't even offer to take the item off the bill for the faux pas.
It's quite possible that we just picked the worst day of the week to dine at Montana's. The service was poor and after our initial seating slow. The loss of an order is inexcusable, and cold food that's supposed to be hot doesn't taste good. While there is certainly plenty to choose from, I won't be going back to Montana's, certainly not on my dime or anyone else's for that matter. It will be a long time before I forget this experience. The pricing isn't remarkable or student budget conscious if that happens to be a concern of yours. Either way I don't want to dissuade you from trying though. Just don't go with heightened expectations and there will be less of a chance you will be disappointed. Need more info, want to view their menu or directions, visit their website at www.montanas.ca.
At the plate is a weekly column that features local restaurants, and in particular those that are close to Fanshawe. If you have any suggestions drop us an email.
