The venerable Grove institution (there's a Miami Beach location, too), open more than two decades in a sprawling ranch of a place tucked kind of oddly into the second floor of a waterfront mall that once was a hangar for seaplanes, draws a touristy clientele, but regular locals, too, like to talk business and pleasure here. The distinguishing feature of the dining room is its size: You could seat, it seems, the population of Medley in here, and probably have room for most of Sweetwater, as well.
Seafood stars here, with raw bar specialties and stone crabs at the top of the list. Locals say the kitchen turns out a textbook version of key lime pie. This upscale restaurant (covered with photos of celebrities who have dined there), also serves mouthwatering fruit de mer and specialties such as the Jamaican-spiced red snapper.
Florida's stone crab season is out, and what's the connoisseur of claws to do? Monty's Stone Crab Seafood House has a dual strategy to hook you in.
Part one: Jonah stone crabs from Maine, in season during summer. They're similar in texture to Florida's, with a flavor a little more like a snow crab.
Part two: a menu with gourmet leanings, a real departure from the restaurant's Monty Trainer's roots as a straight-ahead fish house.
The venerable Grove institution (there's a Miami Beach location, too), open two decades in a sprawling ranch of a place tucked kind of oddly into the second floor of a waterfront mall that once was a hangar for seaplanes, draws a tourist-y clientele, but regular locals, too, like to talk business and pleasure here. The distinguishing feature of the dining room is its size: You could seat, it seems, the population of Medley in here, and probably have room for most of Sweetwater, as well.
Decor, right down to the huge salad bar, is rather out of date, making an odd match with the modernized, interesting menu. That menu holds a vast array of seafood, with a nice surprise that we'll get to in a moment.
We began with a dish touted as a Monty's classic, a holdover from the original menu, conch chowder ($6). This is a hearty and rich chowder, brimming with tender conch in a tomato base, flavored with sherry and celery and other vegetables that staff won't divulge -- house secret. It's a good, sturdy soup.
Another good one is she crab soup ($6), a thick porridge, fish stock and cream and much Maryland crabmeat; a shot of sherry here, too, adds interest. Not for the light eater -- it's a good-size bowl, and this stuff is creamy.
Of two starters we tried, one was a standard: Maine calamari ($11). This was a large platter of rings and baby squid, lightly dusted with flour, sprinkled with salt and pepper and deep-fried. On the plate were wedges of lemon and a little bowl of an excellent tomato sauce sweetened with basil, a nice foil for the mild, crunchy calamari, which unfortunately was served too cold.
Pan roasted baby conch ($11) is not a standard, though -- it's a new item on the menu and only partly successful. The conch are pretty tender, actually, but they're saut?ed in a complicated mix of lemon, butter, coconut rum, pineapple juice, garlic and shallots and then served over rather gummy cappellini. Too much going on.
On to entr?es. Another Monty's classic is bouillabaisse ($25), which is served with fanfare in a giant pewter crock pot. Your server will ladle it into your bowl, and it's positively chockablock with seafood: mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, scallops, oysters and chunks of grouper or dolphin. Stock is a rich, flavorful brew of tomato with ample saffron, leeks and celery, and it's satisfying. A pair of garlic cheese toasts go along here.
Things get innovative with Jamaican spiced snapper ($24), an excellent and attractive dish. The fat fillet is marinated in Jamaican jerk spices and wrapped in sweet plantains to seal in the spices, then saut?ed in olive oil. The finished fish is presented in a bright orange pool of mango puree and butter. Black bean, red pepper and corn salsa, on the side, adds snap and zest against the mild, sweet sauce.
The surprise is an excellent steak: Monty's 10-ounce filet mignon ($27) is wrapped in peppered bacon and then grilled, served with sliced garlic potatoes and a beef and red wine gravy. Meat is tender, richly flavored, and the bacon adds underlying smokiness and spiciness.
Monty's final classic is, of course, Key lime pie ($5), and it's world class: a case of a standard recipe executed to perfection. Graham cracker crust is fresh and sweet, and there's a great balance among lime, cream and sugar. A must-order.
