Mona's Bistro & Lounge
6421 Latona Ave NE (Green Lake), 526-1188. Dinner only Sun-Wed 5-10 pm; Thurs-Sat 5-11 pm; lounge daily 5 pm-2 am.
I was very cranky when I met up with Roger Steiner, this week's guest columnist. But he promptly cheered me up by ordering some drinks and telling funny waiter stories. Along with restaurant work and traveling, Roger also hopes to get more into writing, which is what he studied in school back home in Boise, Idaho. I felt much better by evening's end, and confirmed two facts about myself: (1) I always get along well with waiters, and (2) bourbon makes me a nicer person. --Min Liao
Since I'm a cautious romantic, I was hesitant about the possibility of seeing a strolling violinist and maybe even some tongue contact going on when I arrived at Mona's. Other reviewers have painted this place as the quintessential Italian venue for a hot date--cozy, romantic, the kind of place where I often lose my appetite completely.
Mona's is indeed romantic, but it's not exactly cozy--and "Italian" carries too many preconceptions for their creative menu. It's more like... quasi-nouveau Italian fusion with Northwest attitude (although that sounds pretty affected). On balmy summer nights, Mona's front windows are wide open, and Green Lake becomes the Gulf of Salerno if you're willing to compromise a little.
On top of the pleasant atmosphere, almost all the food I sampled was delightful. For starters, the house-cured salmon with mustard crème fraîche ($12) barely edged out the "composed" salad ($10, a niçoise-style salad with albacore carpaccio) for number one, and the spinach salad with goat cheese flan and macerated strawberries ($7) took a close third. I did, however, take issue with the flan. I found it too eggy, and therefore a bit bland, without enough goat cheese flavor. (But the greens on all appetizers were beautiful--cheers to the greens' vendor, and to those who prepared them.)
The most memorable entrée was the goat cheese ravioli ($16), which were tossed in the perfect amount of lemon brown butter, asparagus, portabello mushrooms, arugula, and shaved manchego. (To goat cheese haters, and I know there are a lot of you: The spinach salad and the ravioli are the only menu items that contain it.) The herb-crusted roast chicken ($17) was also delicious. It truly did have a crust, which made for a nice textural contrast with the light tomato sauce and savory house-made gnocchi surrounding the chicken.
I was disappointed in the grilled pork loin ($17) with rather bland ginger rice--the pork's spicy tomato-based sauce tasted so much of cloves that I was briefly transported back to my teenage years, during my clove-cigarette phase. The flavors in all other dishes were so subtle and balanced that the chewy pork was something of an unexpected and unpleasant smack in the taste buds.
I could only handle one dessert--a creative panna cotta ($6)--after all the generous entrée portions. Rather than the traditional, ultrasweet jiggly custard that slithers across your tongue (which is good too), Mona's panna cotta was firmer, creamier, and not as sugary (and I'm pretty damn sure it had yogurt in it). The accompanying fresh apricots, strawberries, and mango slices provided all the sweetness I needed.
The staff at Mona's is friendly and accomodating, as evidenced by my great first impression of the place when I first sat down for a drink. A customer asked the bartender if he had any lighter fluid. As I sat there thinking, "Jesus, does this guy think he's in a convenience store?" the bartender reached down, pulled out a bottle of lighter fluid, and set it on the bar with a friendly nod. Other than forgetting to mention that the kitchen was out of a couple of menu items, my server was thorough and professional, and did a great job of pacing the meal and making herself fairly invisible.
Some dipwad on Citysearch.com claimed this place was a rip-off (to which I say, "Go back to McDonald's, pal"), but prices seem reasonable compared to most neighborhood spots. Starter salads are six bucks, and appetizers are all under $12, with the most expensive entrée--filet mignon wrapped in bacon--topping out at $23 (all the others are between $16 and $20). Alcohol prices are fair, and the wine list is approachable. I'd recommend stopping in while the Green Lake breezes are still warm.
