i'll say this much. if you're going to have "international gourmet" in the title of your restaurant, you'd better deliver. with a wealth of fresh baked goods in sight as soon as the front door is opened, and a menu stacked with a variety of selections that are more than worth the moderate price, montano's certainly delivers.
there are side salads, and there are meal salads. the meal salads available at montano's are a bargain considering the quality and the size. opting for the caesar salad, topped with shrimp, was enough to be a meal for one or an appetizer for two. crisp romaine lettuce, kale, carrots, and grape tomatoes covered the plate, along with parmesan cheese crisps and add another crunchy, salty layer to the plate. for dressings, the housemade caesar was surprisingly good, far beyond the standard fare at most establishments that leaves you wondering what brand is on the bottle in the kitchen's refrigerator. although the caesar was good, the warm bacon dressing was better. salty and sweet in just the right ratio, it is hard to imagine a salad that would not be improved by a serving or two.
the montano's menu happily touts its new england clam chowder, speaking of how their hire of a native new englander brought this authentic northeastern dish to their south atlantic venue. "this recipe was given to us when we first opened at towers mall. i guess we were lucky to have hired that girl from new england," the menu proudly proclaims. but is it authentic? absolutely, it is. the chowder is rich and creamy, the flavor of the clams fresh and prominent, and the finish lacks overwhelming rush of saltiness that so many pretenders seem to have. it's just right, and an ideal half of a soup and sandwich lunch.
montano's rare roast beef sandwich is exactly what it is designed to be, simple, ample, and tasty, but easy on the wallet. montano's personal take on the traditional new york beef on weck sandwich is every bit as good as the original. in fact, i tend to prefer their variety. a half-pound of the in-house beef is stacked on the fresh kaiser roll, exclusively served cold with lettuce, tomato, and parmesan and pepper dressing rather than the prepared horseradish that is standard beef on weck fare. the difference between the kaiser and the kummelweck buns is marginal, if anything, in the united states, even though the german type of roll are notably less soft. the parmesan and pepper dressing actually compliments the beef better than the horseradish, in my estimation. still, ask for extra dressing as it will be needed with a sandwich so large.
with all of the food brought to the table for the meal, there was no room left for dessert, despite the visuals of everything made available. that said, dessert will be planned for in advance on the next trip, because cheesecake should never be turned down. that next trip will be sooner rather than later, and other establishments in roanoke will have to wait for their first visit until montano's has had its second.