I went to Monty’s Seafood Grill in Ballantyne Commons a few weeks back. It was my first visit to Monty’s. Upon arriving, I noticed that the restaurant was really slow for 6:30pm on a Thursday night. I would have expected it to be busier. We were the only people in the dining area, although there were several people in the bar area. They had a $4 tapas bar from 5pm to 6:30pm on Tuesday through Saturday, which is probably why there were people in the bar area.

It was strange to be that slow in the dining area because they do run an all you can eat crab legs special on Thursday nights ($24.95). The Carolina Wing & Rib House was always packed during its Thursday night all you can eat crab legs special, so I suspected Monty’s would be the same. Perhaps people just do not know about it as of yet. They better find out in a hurry because I don’t know how long a place can stay in business as slow as they were.

I started with the bacon wrapped scallops. I got three scallops on a skewer that was served over a bed of diced pineapple, red onions and red peppers. The scallops were not what I would call large, but were perhaps slightly larger than average. The bed of pineapple, red onions and red peppers was amazing. It was simply fantastic. It made the entire dish worth getting. On the downside, it was a bit overpriced at $10 - especially in comparison to the other items on the menu. For example, my entree was only $17.95. The scallops would have been more appropriately priced at $7.

For my entree, I got the Grilled Mahi Mahi with lemon butter. They have several varieties of fish to choose from as well as several seasonings to choose from. The fish has a really really (really!) strong grilled taste to it. I agree with Hank Hill that you are supposed to “taste the meat, not the heat.” I don’t mind a little grilled or smoke flavoring every now and then but it should complemint the meat - not the other way around. The fish was moist and appear to have been prepared good other than the overly grilled flavor.

I also got shrimp scami on the side with were great. My other sides included mushrooms and asparagus, both of which were good (not great, just good). My wife ordered a filet which she also thought was good, but not exceptional.

For desert, we had strawberry cheesecake. It was pretty good, but would have been better with strawberries. It wasn’t spectacular by any means. In my opinion, it is difficult to find bad cheesecake.

I will probably try to visit Monty’s again in the future, but will likely do it for the all you can eat crab legs special, primarily because there are not a lot of places that have the special anymore.

I had a quick lunch at the new location of The Hickory Tavern in Ballantyne and was pleasantly surprised. I had only been to the Carmel Road location before and my memory of it was that it was very smokey. It looked fairly nice from the decor but the smoke was pretty bad the night we went. The Ballantyne location was not smokey at all. It was extremely clean and the service was exceptional. The atmosphere was very upscale for a bar/tavern. I was amazed at the level of service I received not just from my waitress but also the other waitresses within the restaurant in making sure my drink was full, etc.

There were more televisions lining the walls than I could count without physically walking around the restaurant and counting them. I don’t think there is a bad seat in the place to watch a game. Please correct me if I am wrong, as I have not actually gone there to watch a game.

I tried something that I had never had before - a Folly Beach Reuben. This was basically a Reuben with the corned beef/pastrami substituted with whitefish. It was really good; although, not as good as if I had gotten the corned beef/pastrami version. Of course, I am sure the whitefish was much more healthy than corned beef. Would I get it again? Probably - if I were in a more healthy mood. If not, I would elect for the corned beef.

Next time, I will probably get something entirely different though. Their menu is fairly large - containing your typical bar fare like chicken wings, burgers and other sandwiches to pizza, calzones, chicken and steaks. Years ago, the Carmel Road location had a oyster night with 35 cent oysters. I am not sure if this is still going on, but I am sure the price is probably higher now any way.

All in all, I enjoyed my visit to The Hickory Tavern. The service was exceptional and the food was good. Feel free to comment about your own experiences with The Hickory Tavern.

Occasionally, I meet some associates in the Ballantyne area for lunch at the Carolina Wing & Rib House.  During lunchtime, they have a wing buffet/salad bar that is fairly good.  Typically, you do not get the highest quality wings on a buffet.  My guess is that they overcook under the heat lamps.  Wing buffets commonly have small, dry, shriveled up wings that are hardly fit to eat for true wing connoisseurs.

I am not sure what is different about the Carolina Wing & Rib House, but they have one of the better wing buffets that I have ever feasted upon.  The wings are always warm and of superior size.  They typically have 3-4 flavors on the buffet - usually the Carolina Rub, a Honey or Honey BBQ, and either a hot or mild.  The flavors change slightly from visit to visit, but these are the most common ones.   On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the wings from the buffet about a 6 (or of 10).  They may be higher if you order them, but the buffet is always a better bargain when available, so that is all I have tried.  They are not the best in Charlotte by any means, but they are a great option for a quick lunch since they are already prepared.

From a service standpoint, I would rate my typical experience at lunch time as very good.    Of course, the main function that the waiter or waitress has is to make sure the drink glasses are full (since it is a buffet) and that the bill comes out in a timely fashion.    It is rare that my glass gets empty there which is saying something considering the vast amounts of Diet Pepsi or Tea that I can consume during a meal. 

I guess this is where I am supposed to tell you about the ribs. Well, I can’t because I have never had their ribs.  I will have to put it on my list so that I can tell you about it.

Another great item on the menu is their All-You-Can-Eat Snow Crab Legs on Thursday nights.  I can not remember the price, but it isn’t cheap.  Around $25 I think, but it is crab legs.  I don’t think that they have ever come out on top when I have done the crab legs special.  The last time I went, two friends and myself had 56 reorders of crab legs.  I will say that at times, the service can be a bit slow on crab legs night.  I think it is more of an issue with the kitchen getting backed up than the wait staff.  They are always friendly and apologetic when your plate gets empty.

The rest of their menu consist of steaks, other seafood, and a large variety of sandwiches.  They have a link to a coupon on their website, but it just pulls up a blank Adobe file. You may want to check to see if they get it fixed.  Also, of note, the restaurant appears very clean and well-maintained.  This is always a plus in my book.

UPDATED 8/25/2008: THIS CAROLINA WING & RIB HOUSE LOCATION IS CLOSED. I do not know of any other locations in Charlotte; however, the Litchfield Beach and the Conway locations were open last week when I was down there. Of course, if you are in Charlotte, that is a long way to travel for wings.