Brasserie Monte Carlo

DowntownBethesda.com User Ratings and Reviews:

• 3 Stars by caruso on 01/06/08
  

  You must be Russian or Waitress Friend!!

• 5 Stars by Resthopper on 12/13/07
  

  I recently had brunch at Brasserie Monte Carlo on Saturday and I wanted to say what an awesome experience I had. The food was delicious and the staff was very friendly and accomodating, especially the waitress who I believe is an exchange student from Russia. She was eager to please and a pleasure to deal with. I had the Eggs Benedict, which I highly recommend, in particular with the salmon. It's delicious!! I will definitely be back for more...this time with friends and family.

• 1 Stars by CLEWIS on 05/12/07
  

  My wife and I attended the Bethesda Arts Festival on May 12, 2007, on the way back to the car parked right at the same intersection, saw the "Brunch 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM" sign atop the Brasserie Monte Carlo and entered just before 2 PM. Although the restaurant was then reasonably busy, perhaps a third full inside, no one sitting outside, we were told it was closed. We persisted and were seated. A table was set, though the flowers & vase were not put back on the table, I had to do that. It then took a long time to order. We were offered water, which eventually came after a bit of a wait, though never offered refills, even when our glasses were clearly empty. I had ordered a cranberry juice but it was never delivered. The staff never once checked on us. The server was overheard complaining to two customers near us about how she was having to work every day, at two jobs, and my impression is she was not too motivated about her job at Brasserie Monte Carlo. She was especially upset about having to work on Mother's Day. While the food was wonderful, and would have been worth going back for, and recommending to my friends who live in Bethesda and Silver Spring, the service was inattentive at best, the staff clearly very disinterested in their job. In one especially telling moment, we observed an upset woman come in and confront the woman at the front desk, she was mad because she and her party had come to the restaurant sometime earlier than us and had been turned away. The staff member who dismissed her complaint spoke apologetic words, but in a clearly dismissive manner. A total of four people were shortly thereafter seated. By this time there were eight customers, four inside and four outside. Assuming the owner/chef was in the kitchen, I counted four staff, a staff/customer ratio of 1:2 at that time. Then several more small groups arrived, perhaps totaling 6-7 people, and they were all told the restaurant was closed. I give the food 4 Stars but since the service was so horrible, I'd give it zero Stars, maybe even a negative one Star, so I'd average the experience out at 1 Star.