Bistro Montage

Food was tasty but…
the service was very poor unlike our previous visits
the salad and pasta arrived at the same time!
very unfriendly staff — –40% of the tables were unfilled and
they wanted to seat us at a VERY small 2 person table so
we nicely asked to be moved and they accommodated us but
without any friendliness — a man came to snatch the extra tableware
and glasses from our table before he greeted us or poured our water,
actually he never greeted us! Food took forever and then both salad
and pasta arrived together. The server and told us their
printer for credit cards wasn’t working so could we just put our Credit card
number down on this scrap piece of paper! So we paid Cash included
a decent tip because we’re way too nice… left and shopped at a nearby
store and a man there told us that the same credit card issue happened to
him at Bistro Montage in December! so Disappointed, this used to be a lovely
spot to have lunch. At their price point there are few excuses for these
problems and lack of friendliness. So disappointed

We made reservations for Bistro Montage for Valentine’s the year, and we were really excited about the menu. While most of our food was delicious (the poutine, the organic chicken and the pâté were all great), we struggled with some food being bland for how expensive it was. Overall, we had a good experience with the food itself and the atmosphere was really nice for such a romantic themed evening.
However, our dining experience was very jaded due to our waiter. We were quickly seated and we received our water fairly quickly after, but we waited ten minutes for him to come for our drink order. Then we waited another fifteen minutes for two drinks from the bar. He seemed to walk around the dining area without a purpose, floating around and ignoring us. After ordering our appetizers and entres, the food timing was fine. Unfortunately, the poor attitude of our waiter continued throughout the night. As we were enjoying some good conversation, we did not realize that we hadn’t taken the napkins off the table and into our laps. Our appetizer came out and our waiter said «This is a fancy restaurant, napkins go in our laps», before setting it down. He did not ask us to move our napkins, but decided that being condescending and rude was the correct path to take.
The rest of the night was spent with him continually ignoring us or him talking down to us as if we had never been to a fancy restaurant before. While we are a young couple, we both have steady incomes and we are both generous tippers. For him to make an assumption about us based on our age seemed pretty disrespectful. Unfortunately, we will not be returning to Bistro Montage solely based on this experience.

This place is located on Ingersoll. Restaurant is small and intimate with a nice stocked bar.
We had a dinner reservation on a Friday night at 6:30 PM. We were seated right away with menus. We noticed everyone seated after us were greeted by their severs and provided water immediately. After 5 minutes of patiently waiting I began trying to make contact with any server or hostess. Finally one of the waitresses came by and apologized and said the hostess did not inform her that we were seated in her section and apologized.
We ordered the scallop appetizer. For the price of $ 20 you get two medium sized scallops with wild mushroom risotto. Our scallops were a tad bit gritty with each bite, but nicely cooked. Overall taste was very good, but do not believe it is worth the price.
Wild mushroom pasta — $ 31 — smaller bowl portion, but pasta was made fresh. Wild mushrooms and sauce tasted excellent. Please note no soup or salad is included with entrée.
Beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes — $ 39 — slices of tenderloin were perfectly cooked and placed on top of mashed potatoes. Overall dish was good, but not sure worth the price.
This restaurant has a lot of potential, but if I am going to pay $ 31 and $ 39 for an entrée I expect to get top notch service. Service was very slow… One appetizer we ordered took about 25 minutes from the time we ordered. The server kept apologizing and said she would keep checking kitchen. We did receive bread in the mean time which was good. We noticed other tables surrounding us had to wait a decent amount of time for their appetizers too. Our server was attentive with drink refills, but could see that she had multiple tables to attend. It took awhile to receive our checks or any other requests. In another review someone mentioned maybe hiring more staff… to help out.
We waited a long time for our entrees. Surprisingly we received our entrée before one other table who ordered their food before us. We placed our dinner order around 6:45 and did not receive entrees until 7:30 PM.
I woud definitely come again if service improved. This place is on the expensive side with small portions, but would be a restaurant I would visit for special occasions.

Bistro Montage is the epitome of a classic bistro. It’s small, and although the space is limited, it’s not loud, you can still hear the jazz piped in and the conversation at your table. The décor is simple, rustic and understated, with windows overlooking busy Ingersoll, in the heart of a booming bar and restaurant district.
The food here is traditional bistro fare. Nothing fancy. Everything well done and presented simply, without any fuss. It was cold outside so I ordered the cassoulet and it delivered and then some. The duck leg was perfect, the sausage was great and the dish was everything cassoulet is supposed to be — rich, warm, and satisfying. Dining partner ordered the skate and it was prepared the way skate should be — deliciously bathed in brown butter and served with simple, but well prepared vegetables. Beet salad with fried goat cheese balls, mushroom soup, a couple of drinks and the dessert sampler and we were stuffed. Every plate was cleaned and we left satisfied. Service was professional and courteous and everything was timed in a leisurely manner, without making us feel rushed.
In my previous hometown, restaurants like Bistro Montage were a dime a dozen — they were neighborhood staples — high quality French food and beverage, with top notch service. Des Moines is a small market, and Bistro Montage (based on the reviews from some) is viewed as high end, and the denizens that frequent it, pretentious. It’s standard French bistro fare and it’s hard for me to accept it as high end. It takes a lot of time and effort to prep and cook French food and that cost has to be passed on. And yes, there are a lot of big fish that swim in the little ponds of Des Moines. Get over it. You get that annoying pretentiousness when you go to the grocery store, it’s part of living in Des Moines. Do what you normally do — ignore it.

We came here quite a while ago for lunch and had a pretty good time. Parking is easy, they have their own private lot which is uncommon for the eateries in this area. We walked in at the exact moment they entered and we pretty much had a private lunch (the whole place to ourselves) for the whole visit.
The staff member was very friendly and provided good service. We had their pasta of the day which tasted excellent, unfortunately I do not remember what it was exactly. I remember getting the seafood crêpe which I did not enjoy, the taste and texture was not there for me. I do not recommend the crêpe dishes.
There are plenty of other items on the menu that have sparked my interest and we would definitely be remember to try the other dishes.

This place was great. Small, intimate place with a cozy vibe. I came here with my kid and the waitress was really accommodating to us. They didn’t come around to the table a whole lot, but I like that, I prefer to be left alone but if I need something I won’t hesitate to flag someone down. The food was perfect. The wine selection was great.

This has been on my list, so had a friend from out of town and we went tonight. Certainly an enjoyable experience for all.
From a great Dark and Stormy to start it was a great meal. Two of us had delicious beet salads with fried goat cheese. Shared some of the cheese, but still plenty. Not many vegetarian dishes so I was getting going to have mushroom pasta. However, one of the specials was a pork tenderloin over butternut squash, potatoes and spinach. That sounded so good I asked if they would just do that without the pork. They did, and it was as wonderful as I expected. Great savory flavors blending from all three items together. The guys had fillet and loved it too.
Ended the night with chocolate torte from the check in special from Unilocal!Thanks! Didn’t have any, but it disappeared fast!
Service was nice throughout. It isn’t quick, but it’s not the place where I want any rushing. All in all was just right.
Second dark and stormy was out of dark rum, but we were warned and asked if we still wanted it. It wasn’t as good as the first, but not bad.
Wish they had the crepes that are on the lunch menu at dinner. Hate seeing items that I want and can’t have. Maybe have a lunch menu.

Sorely disappointed with our experience at Bistro Montage.
Its definitely a place where confused rich people dine because they associate price tags with quality. Not so at this restaurant.
Service was very slow. The dining room was not full — ¾ at best. Our waitress had 3 tables and it seemed hard for her to manage. We had a late dinner and were there for almost 2 hours. Spent a lot of time waiting for our waitress.
Started with the foie gras which we had never tried before but it was really enjoyable. The fatty liver added a lot of taste atop the potato pancake but the dish was very very tiny.
I had the french onion soup. It was tasty but boozy.
My boyfriend had the house salad. I enjoyed it but he isn’t much of an arugula person. A lot of greens, not much else besides that — a few radishes.
For the main courses we each had one of the specials. I had the halibut with fennel and purée. It said pan-​seared but the fish was left on far too long and was difficult to break apart/​eat. Flavors were quite bland for a $ 40 fish. My boyfriend had the white bean stew with duck confit, pork belly, and sausage. It was pretty good. We enjoyed the flavor combos.
Good variety of wines. Slim beer selection but those offered were good for experienced beer connoisseurs.
The real bummer was the fact that we were surrounded by snoody parties. Hard to enjoy a meal when you’re surrounded by rude condescending people.
Overpriced for the quality of food presented. If you’re going to spend the money try Trostel’s or Baru 66.

Bistro is a very special place in a great dining city! Chef Enosh is outstanding! If you have an event he is also the area’s best caterer. He just catered my wife’s surprise 50^th birthday at a friends house. The food was fabulous and Chef Enosh and his assistant took care of every detail leaving the house spotless. I can’t say enough good things… Restaurant or special events — you can’t go wrong!

My husband and I decided to try Bistro Montage because they had a Groupon deal and wow were we disappointed! To start, the service was incredibly slow… And there was only one other table taken in the place!
When we ordered our meals, the waitress asked if we wanted soup OR salad, implying that one was included. The food was decent, but when we got the check we realized we were charged $ 17 for two salads. The waitress also charged us for a more expensive wine than the one we ordered.
Overall, definitely not worth the money. There are plenty of great restaurants in the area that won’t overcharge you for a meal.

Great restaurant! Great food! Great people! We will go there again! I’m from Europe and having hard time finding good European food in Des Moines. Bistro is on the list of my favorites now!

Finally had dinner here last night. Had been wanting to get here for some time.
My friend and I shared the escargot appetizer– BEST escargot we’d Ever had– next time I would be tempted to order it and use the bread (fabulous also) to mop up the amazing broth that came with the luscious snails, ham and potato pieces. It was honestly like the most delicious stew you can imagine. Five stars for this dish! I ordered the black bass fish special and my friend got the salmon– both were very tasty and sophisticated. I wish I’d had room for dessert– next vist it’s escargot and dessert!
We will be back soon!

Best place in the city. Classy, stylish, warm and cozy. Excellent wine list and cocktail menus. Constant new seasonal features. Knowledgable friendly wait staff. Everything made from scratch. I mean everything!
Call for a reservation to make sure you get to experience this Des Moines gem!

What a fantastic place to get a meal in Des Moines. Quality drinks, wonderful food, a nice (but not too-​ritzy-​for-​you) atmosphere, and a wonderful waitstaff. A great place to go for a special night out — can’t wait for the next one.

Selected Bistro Montage as the place for this year’s Valentine’s Day dinner. Reservations were made well in advance (mid-​January). This spot tends to be popular for dine out holidays. (Word to the wise.)
For those who have not been, expect an intimate but fun atmosphere. Quarters will be close, but it adds positively to the experience. Attire is on the more formal side of casual or better. (Translated, you might feel out of place in jeans and a t-​shirt.)
As a starter we enjoyed the sweat breads. They were excellent, flavorful, tender, and slightly crispy. The orange glaze that came on them was also very good. The couscous was a great compliment. Portion size was right on for two people.
Dinner went very well also. All courses were spaced out nicely. We never felt rushed to finish. The main entrees were the Halibut, and Tournedos with Foie Gras. Both were cooked properly and tasted great. Either if on the menu should be considered. (As a third also consider the Duck L’Orange– also a personal favorite.)
Overall, we had an outstanding experience here and I would recommend anyone keep this in mind for a quiet dinner out, or even a business dinner. The cocktails are fresh and the wine list has something for everyone.
I will be back again.

Service was very good and attentive. Although this restaurant is not meant for a fast meal, so do not expect to be in and out in under an hour! We enjoyed the wine, and thought the tortellini and Brussels sprout appetizer was excellent. The desserts were also very good. Our biggest complaint was the noise level. The restaurant has concrete floors and no ceiling. It’s a small place, but when full, the only way to hear each other is to yell. Not fun and definitely not romantic.
We just weren’t that excited about our main dishes. They were totally fine, just not very exciting or inventive. I’ve said this in reviews for other restaurants, but it rings true here as well: Des Moines has some really incredible restaurants, and this one, while good, just doesn’t rise to the top of the pack for me.

Excellent wine and cocktail selection, (try the Guillotine) cozy ambiance. Outstanding soup and seafood crêpe, beet salad, poutine. A lovely spot!

I dined on a Thursday night with a last minute reservation. Staff was friendly and accommodating. Our waitress was knowledgable and attentive.
We brought a bottle of wine, then ordered a bottle from the bar so they waived the $ 15 corkage fee. :)
The presentation of the bread was sort of steakhouse-​ish, but it was tasty.
We ordered scallop ceviche and, although the scallops were cooked and not truly ceviche, it was WONDERFUL!
I then had a veggie crêpe that was delicious. My soup was also lovely and the portion was perfect.
I was definitely intrigued enough to come back!
The only reason I didn’t give Bistro Montage 5 stars is because their salad dressings are all made with soy oil. When we voiced our concern the staff didn’t offer to prepare an alternative.
I hope with my next visit I can upgrade to 5!

I am not a huge french food fan, but I have been here on a few occasions to have their seafood crepes. These are so simple, yet the flavors are making my mouth water just writing this. Simple yet flavorful. I have had the soup of the day with my crepes and have not been disappointed there. I am giving this 3 stars as the service has always been, meh. Not horrible, but I don’t believe a lunch date should take practically 2 hours and not due to our conversations. For a small place, they may need another server or just a better process, I am not sure. With that said, I would still like to come back and try out their dinner menu.

I dined here with my friend and we had a fabulous time!
My friend snagged a LivingSocial deal and so we got the 4 course with wine pairings.
I went with the fresh spring pea soup, risotto, braised beef & flourless chocolate cake. Each course was beautifully plated and paired with a wonderful wine. My favorite dish was the beef, as it was seasoned perfectly and truly hit the spot!
It’s a cute place on Ingersoll not to be missed!