Monk McQueens (Dine Out Vancouver 2010)

This is my first dine out of the year and it's one of the $28 options. I did not initially want to come here since I noticed that they do have a 2 for -1 entree entertainment book coupon. However, a friend wanted to come here and the menu looked decent enough. Street parking was difficult to find in the area, but there is pay parking somewhere along Moberly Road ($1/hour).

Monk McQueens
601 Stamps Lndg
Vancouver, BC V5Z 3Z1
604-877-1351

The first thing I noticed was that the restaurant smelled a bit funky. If you get seated in the middle of the dining room, ask to be moved because you'll get a way better view by the windows. The second thing I noticed is that they added a third option to their Dine Out Menu, some of the options may have been vegetarian. We stuck with what was on the website, though.

The bread was good, but the butter was too hard and difficult to spread.



The Bloody Mary Spirited Mussels (Sky vodka, tomato broth,dill, garlic & shallots) looked great and tasted great. The broth was a tad salty though, perhaps from the mussels themselves, which impaired the other flavours from really acknowledging their presence.



The Spicy Pork Empanada (refried beans, cactus honey glaze) had good flavour, although I don't know what the cactus part of the honey is supposed to be. The refried bean filling was warm and tasty. I would still recommend the mussels over the empanadas though.



For the Braised Lamb Ossobuco (baby fennel, four bean and chorizo stew roma tomato chianti demi glace), the lamb and vegetables were nicely done. The meat was a tad gamey which might be a problem for some. I was a little bit disappointed with this dish. It wasn't bad at all, it was pretty decent actually, but maybe chickpeas dominated the flavours too much for me to appreciate the dish.



Despite initial reservations, I highly enjoyed the Crispy Rainbow Trout (potato hash and braised cabbage with bacon lardoons, beurre blanc) over the lamb. Excuse the picture, it makes it look nastier than it actually is. The flavours of the trout, cabbage, bacon, and potatos went very well together with the beurre blanc. Everything in the dish complemented each other.



Below is the Mini Key Lime & Lemon Pie Duo (with graham cracker crust, whipped cream,malibu rum drizzle). No problems with this dish, very creamy when you first take a bite, but as you eat it's well balanced. I particularly liked the key lime and the colour of the rum drizzle.



Evidently, pictures got progressively harder to take as a function of time. No complaints about the Peach & Blueberry Crumble (with rolled oats-almond crust,vanilla bean gelato). Both desserts are good choices, though portion wise the crumble definitely wins.



Pretty good meal, but keep in mind that you can get 2 for 1 entrees any time of the year. You get more selection and I think it might work out to be a better deal in some if not most cases. So unless you love the Dine Out menu, there's no rush.