Montez Brothers Menu and Review - Logan, Utah

I mentioned before that there were changes afoot at Hamilton's, a fine dining steak and seafood restaurant that has been a fixture in Cache Valley since 2004. Hamilton's has now become Montez Brothers. This Herald Journal article clarifies the ownership changes. I will report on the changes to the decor, menu, and service. I also photographed the menu, which isn't currently available online.

I'm torn here. I always encourage everyone I know to support our unique locally-owned eateries over national chains, and to visit the great restaurants we already have instead of wishing for one chain or another that we don't have. I don't like to be negative on this blog because I want to be a fan and a champion of local.

That being said, I am going to report the truth: my experience at Montez Brothers was uneven, both in terms of food and service. I hope this can be chalked up to early-days kinks that will be ironed out as the new restaurant finds its legs.


There's always a danger in reviewing a restaurant based on a single visit. I hope to return to Montez Brothers soon with Logan Foodies to sample a wider variety of dishes. In the meantime I'm going to abbreviate this review. If any of the owners/managers read this and would like to discuss in more detail the positives and negatives I saw in the restaurant, I welcome them to contact me. I want local places to succeed! 

Montez Brothers
2427 N. Main Street, Logan, Utah
435-787-8450
www.montezbrothers.com (under construction as of 7/27/12)

Hours: Open for dinner only, Monday-Thursday 5-9pm, Friday-Saturday 5-10pm, closed Sunday
Prices: Appetizers/Salads: $6-12, Entrees: $13-24
Liquor: Yes, full liquor license, wine menu, and bar
Year Opened: 2012

Quick Review of Montez Brothers - Logan, Utah

Montez Brothers -- described by the owners as a "Latin-influenced" restaurant -- makes a worthy attempt to rise from the ashes of Hamilton's, but this phoenix seems to have a clipped wing. Sometimes it soars, as with the inventive ahi tuna tostada appetizer ($8) and improved interior touches. Sometimes it bombs -- bland sea bass entree ($24), service issues. Montez Brothers lacks focus as it tries to walk the line between being Latin-influenced and being just another Latin restaurant in a town overflowing with them. Not a hint of Latin influence in the chicken and pasta dishes, more so on the beef and appetizer list. Our meal started on a high note with the tuna tostadas, but went downhill when our entree order wasn't "put in", leading to an extremely long wait time and the offer of a comped dessert. It didn't help that the sea bass entree in question ended up being not at all worth the wait (or the price). The helpful manager and huge portion of tasty creme brulee helped the meal end on a sweeter note. I'd like to see Montez Brothers work through these food and service issues, but will it ever fly higher than Hamilton's once did? I'll reserve my final opinion and give the restaurant another chance in a few months.

Detailed Review of Montez Brothers - Logan, Utah


As we approached Montez Brothers, we noted a sign on the door that said "original" Hamilton's gift cards would be honored until July 31st, with the proper gift card posted. We later heard a server explaining that there were many other types of Hamilton's gift certificates and cards that were not being honored. I understand that the financials of the two restaurants are entirely separate, and that the new owners have every right not to honor old certificates and cards. On the other hand, their decision is causing a lot of bad feelings about the restaurant right out of the gate, and seems like a bad p.r. move. Companies can gain a lot of favor with the public when they "pick up the pieces" of a failed enterprise. Montez Brothers is leaving themselves open for a competitor to step up and honor the Hamilton's cards, even at 50% value. I've seen this done before, to great effect.

Moving on...

Upon entering Montez Brothers we were promptly greeted by a friendly hostess who told us the wait would be about five minutes. Another party was waiting as well. She offered both parties seats at the bar, which we both declined. We knew that Montez Brothers was a "Latin themed" restaurant, but wondered what that meant in the context of semi-fine-dining, so we quickly grabbed a couple of menus to see what was in store. The menu, which featured a few Latin ingredients and preparations among other influences (chicken cordon blue?), seemed to lack direction but looked promising.

Soon we were seated in the cavernous main dining room, which was about 1/3 full. That caused me to wonder why we hadn't been seated upon arrival, but I suppose there were only so many waitpersons available. The room has been freshly painted deep red and gold, and has had a few minor changes to the decor. Casual drapes line the booths along the walls, new artwork is featured above the double-sided stone fireplace, and green pendant lights hang above the booths. Notably, the dark wood floor that was looking extremely rough and scratched on my most recent visit to Hamilton's has now been refinished in a lighter and more rustic stain that will better hide wear. Nothing about the ambiance screams "Latin" (other than the music), which I appreciated but at the same time found confusing -- how much has the restaurant really changed?

My answer would be...not enough (YET) to not meet the fate of Hamilton's. Rather than continue with a long and detailed review I will quickly note some of the positives and negatives we experienced.

Positives:

• Friendly and prompt hostess
• Clean, refurbished restaurant that feels "nice". This is still a gracious place to eat a meal. The big round tables are great for larger parties, too.
• Interesting menu with several appetizing descriptions
• Tuna tostada appetizer ($9), which featured slices of seared soy-glazed ahi tuna accompanied by fresh guacamole and pickled cucumber salsa on 3.5" diameter tostada crisps - a fun Latin-Asian fusion appetizer, four per order.
• Attentive and friendly front-of-house manager who visited our table several times after a service snafu
• Creme brulee, which was comped and arrived in a trough-sized ramekin (troughekin?)

Negatives:

• Our server, who was monotone, unenergetic, and unsmiling, and who poured water in my husband's soda glass from the halfway point of the meal on, instead of asking if he would like a refill, and who may or may not have forgotten to put in our entree order.
• Timing issues. After we waited a significant amount of time for our entrees to arrive we were informed there was a "mix-up" and our order hadn't been "put in" at the right time. We were offered a comped dessert.
• Sea bass entree ($24). Bland, overcooked (shrimp especially), and overpriced. Waiting so long for it made it doubly disappointing.
• Typographical errors all over the menu. That kind of stuff in a printed piece drives me crazy and really downgrades a "fine dining" restaurant in my eyes. (Don't judge me for typos here, haha!)

Could go either way:

• White queso appetizer ($7), which featured roasted poblano peppers and was much better than the version at Chili's, though not as good as one I used to get at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Bountiful ages ago. I was hoping for natural unprocessed cheese, so for me it tasted too much like elevated gas station nachos, but I think this appetizer is probably a crowd pleaser.
• Grilled peach salad ($11). Great in theory, it featured arugula, fresh mozzarella, lemon dressing, and balsamic reduction. If only the peaches had in fact been grilled, but there was no evidence that they had been, and they were far under-ripe to boot. It still tasted good and fresh.
• Lack of focus. The restaurant is supposed to be "Latin influenced", but features a lot of French-, Italian-, and New American-style dishes instead, with a few Latin ingredients and dishes thrown in here and there. Maybe this was an attempt to keep some of the popular dishes from Hamilton's? I note that a coujple of the chicken dishes, one of the pastas, one salad, and one seafood dish remain from the Hamilton's menu.
• Prices. The only significant price reductions are in the Steaks and Appetizers areas of the menu. Prices are unchanged on the Hamilton's dishes that remain. The prices overall are very comparable to The Elements restaurant and not all that much higher than, say, Olive Garden

As you can see, that's a bigger list of positives than negatives, and the negatives are easily fixed with training and refinement of the menu. I hope to see improvements the next time I visit.

What about you, anyone else been to Montez Brothers? How was it?

Labyrinth at St. John's Episcopal Church - Logan, Utah

What: Labyrinth at St. John's Episcopal Church
Where: 85 East 100 North, Logan, Utah
When:  The building is open Monday from 9am-noon, Tuesday-Friday from 8am-noon, and Monday-Friday from 1pm to 3pm. Worship services at St. John's (Service of Holy Eucharist) are Sunday at 9am and 11am and Wednesday at 5:30pm.
Cost: FREE
FYI: The open hours outside of worship times provide more solitude for the sacred walk.

Website: www.stjohnslogan.org

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Did you know that inside this lovely old church (St. John's Episcopal church in Logan) I mentioned as a venue of the CVCA Gallery Walk, there's a labyrinth? It's true.

Now, I grew up in the '80s so it's impossible for me to say labyrinth without thinking of this.

Great show. My three-year-old little sister endearingly called it "The Goblet King" [the Goblin King], and we had "Dance, Magic Dance" sing-offs bi-weekly. I think I have the entire movie memorized to this day.

...Oops, I seem to have gotten off track. Anyway, when I say "labyrinth", I'm still referring to something pretty cool. It's this...

In the entry to St. John's is a walkable labyrinth modeled after the one in France's Chartres Cathedral. Labyrinths of this type are considered a non-denominational symbol to be used as a "sacred walk". A labyrinth, unlike a maze, is unicursal - which means there is only one path, with no decision points. Walking a labyrinth is said to quiet the mind and allow for meditation, reflection, and prayer. The St. John's website even suggests helping young children walk the labyrinth when they do not wish to sit during church service.

There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth, but most enter and proceed slowly to the center, pause for as long as wished to reflect, then turn around and proceed by the same path to exit. The many turns in a labyrinth often cause those who walk the path to lose sense of the directions of the outside world, allowing for an inward focus and the opportunity to find one's own direction.

The labyrinth was installed during a 2004 renovation and expansion of St. John's, which was originally built in 1909. When it opened, St. John's featured the valley's first lending library and first indoor shower (in the church basement). At that time, Sundays found the priest preaching to as many as 30 Mormons to 1 "gentile", since the church was an important community center for all. The congregation has grown and Sunday service now has close to 200 attendees who worship in this beautiful Sanctuary.

The exterior of the church is described as "Western-Romanesque-Gothic".

A stone at the southeast corner of the building memorializes some important dates in the history of St. John's. The first St. John's Episcopal Church in the valley was a small adobe building at 91 West 200 North in Logan, a former bakery the Episcopalian congregation first occupied in 1873. A simple wooden church was later constructed at 263 West Center in 1877, which was used until the "new" St. John's was constructed in 1908-1909.

The church originally had clear glass windows, which were replaced over time by stained glass.

St. John's also acts as a concert venue from time to time, such as last March when singers and musicians under the direction of Dr. Craig Jessop performed portions of J.S. Bach's "St Matthew Passion" in concert on Good Friday. I'll be watching for further concert announcements.

First Splash Pad In Cache Valley - Alma Leonhardt Park, Providence, Utah

When I compiled my list of fun places to swim or get wet with kids in Cache Valley, I didn't know that the first splash pad in the Logan area had opened while I lived in Philadelphia. Three different people happened to mention it to me the next week, in different contexts. Talk about a message! I knew my little boys would love it, so I took them for a visit last week.

What: Splash Pad at Alma Leonhardt Park

Where: 310 West 250 North, Providence, Utah

Hours: Park open daily, dawn to dusk. Splash pad water feature available from 10am to 8pm.

Cost: FREE

FYI: Trees are small so you may want to bring your own shade (umbrella, beach tent, etc.), and of course towels!

Cache Valley's first splash pad opened at Alma Leonhardt Park in Providence, Utah in the summer of 2010. The pad is 1,200 square feet and has 63 jets, including a tall and powerful column spray in the center. The jets are activated by the push of a button at the side of the pad, and run on a cycle for a few minutes before the button needs to be pushed again.

The different jets and water features at a splash pad provide a lot of soaking wet fun for kids - much like running through the sprinklers, but with more variety and an element of surprise. For parents, it's a great spectator water activity that doesn't require them to get wet. Yay! (Some days you just don't want to put on your swimming suit, right? Or is that just me?)

Alma Leonhardt Park also has a fun playground that is partially wheelchair accessible, a large grassy area, restrooms, and a good-sized picnic pavilion. My boys enjoyed running back and forth from the splash pad to the playground, while I huddled in the rapidly decreasing shade of the restroom building. There are a few small trees that provide a minimal spots of shade around the perimeter of the splash pad, but in-the-know moms had come armed with pop-up beach umbrellas and tents.

In February 2012 the North Logan City Council heard a proposal from Public Works Director Alan Luce regarding addition of a splash pad to Mountain View Park. I haven't heard anything further about this possibility, but I hope it comes to fruition.

Happy Pioneer Day!

I'm off for the holiday, but I'll be back tomorrow. Sit tight, because I have posts about Sweetly Divine and Montez brothers in the hopper, plus more. I hope you have a happy and safe holiday!

Pick Of The Week : That Famous Preston Night Rodeo, July 26-28, 2012 - Preston, Idaho

Did anyone make it out to the Gallery Walk, last week's POTW? (Pick of the Week, in case my acronym threw you.) I would have loved to go, but my children came down with the plague...er, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (not as horrifying as it sounds, but still no fun). It's been making its way through the under-10 set in our neighborhood and family at a rapid pace this summer. We had to quarantine ourselves, and we missed not only the Gallery Walk, but a company party at the Bees baseball game/firework show in Salt Lake City. Boo for viruses!

Hopefully it will be all cleared up in time for this week's POTW, "That Famous Preston Night Rodeo" in Preston, ID, which runs this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday July 26-28, 2012.

Morgan Heaton on Wendy's Rocket in 2011. Quoted in article here.

Though not in Utah, Preston is definitely still in Cache Valley. They have one of the best little small-town rodeos around, and it's surely worth a visit if you haven't been. My brother-in-law Morgan (sometimes "Moe") Heaton will be riding on Saturday night if you want to know who to cheer for. He's been a bareback rider for going on eight years now. That's him pictured above. You can also see an awesome photo of him and his little son getting ready in the bucking chutes here (lots of amazing rodeo photography at that site, www.mattcohenphoto.com).

Have you ever been to a rodeo and felt clueless about the events and how they are scored? A little knowledge can make the rodeo a lot more fun for spectators. Check out the Preston rodeo's website for helpful explanations of the events and scoring. The website also explains something I've always been curious about: why this rodeo is called the "Famous Preston Night Rodeo". After all, every rodeo I've ever been to has been at night. I guess that wasn't always the case. Preston rodeo says they are recognized as the first night rodeo in the world, and they became famous for it. I guess with a start time of 8:30pm it is one of the latest/darkest rodeos I've ever been to. That adds to the fun, I think. There are lots of pre-events like a parade and carnival and even helicopter rides that caught my eye ($25 per person). Check this page for the full schedule.


What: That Famous Preston Night Rodeo
When: July 26-28, 2012 - Rodeo pre-events at 8:15pm, rodeo starts at 8:30pm. Associated events all day.
Where: Preston Rodeo Grounds, 198 W 2nd N Street, Preston, Idaho
Rodeo Ticket Prices: Thursday $9 and $8,  Friday $12 and $11,  Saturday $12 and $11
www.prestonrodeo.com for more information and online ticket purchase

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As for me, I'll be missing Morgan's ride on Saturday because my husband and I have tickets to a concert in Salt Lake. Okay, I'm just going to go ahead and say it. We're going to the Neil Diamond concert. We've actually never been to a big concert together, and this, THIS, is the first one??!? Well, I figured we may not have many chances left to see old Neil, and I hear he's a great performer. Anyone ever been? We'll have to hit the Preston rodeo on Friday night.

Pioneer Day Celebrations in Logan and Cache Valley - 24th of July, 2012

I'll be back tomorrow with the regularly scheduled Pick of the Week, but I wanted to pop in and mention the Pioneer Day (24th of July) celebrations happening on Tuesday this week.

Do Other States Have State Holidays?

For those who don't know, Pioneer Day (aka the 24th of July) is Utah's state holiday. The day commemorates the arrival in the Salt Lake Valley of the first party of Mormon Pioneers (LDS - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). I've always been curious about whether other states have state holidays, and it's been my impression that most don't. My curiosity led me to this list of state holidays. It seems that Utah is, indeed, one of a few states to have a true state holiday. Pioneer Day follows so closely on the heels of Independence Day that for Utahns July is a huge party and firework month, full of state and national pride!

Local Celebrations

Logan and North Logan both have Pioneer Day celebrations/parades/firework shows. Info here for Logan (warning, PDF may be slow to load), and here for North Logan. For those who want firework info without clicking, the Logan fireworks are at Willow Park and the North Logan fireworks are at Elk Ridge Park.

Have a safe and happy holiday week!

My Fair Lady At Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre - Logan, Utah

Sorry for being MIA yesterday. Sick children and dear out-of-town house guests kept me away from the computer. Before this gets too out of date I want to review Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre's production of My Fair Lady, which I saw on Saturday, July 19, 2012 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Main Street in Logan.

Vanessa Ballam as Eliza Doolittle, photo from UFOMT website

For those who don't know, UFOMT is a yearly festival of operas, concerts, and musicals founded 20 years ago by opera star and local Loganite Michael Ballam. (Read more about Ballam's background in this interesting Deseret News article, "Michael Ballam: Utah tenor's career comes full circle".)

Each year my grandparents drive all the way up to Cache Valley from the far southeast corner of the state to see the UFOMT operas and shows. They aren't the only ones. Most of the festival's 20,000+ attendees come from all over the state and country. This year's productions are the operas Faust and Tosca and the classic musicals  My Fair Lady and Kiss Me Kate. For more information on the shows, visit this blog post about Logan on Salt Lake City View.

The season is designed so patrons can see all four shows on one weekend, in a combination of matinees and evening performances. My dear grandparents purchase extra tickets each year so they can treat their children and grandchildren to the shows. How sweet of them!

I have been lucky enough to see several lovely UFOMT operas over the years. This was my first time seeing a musical, though. I was not disappointed! From the actors to the sets to the orchestra to the beautiful theater itself, nearly every detail was perfect. We are indeed lucky to have this caliber of performance available to us in our own little city. In my experience the UFOMT shows far surpass the quality of the national touring productions I have seen in Salt Lake City.


My Fair Lady Review


In Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre's production of Lerner and Loewe's classic musical My Fair Lady, Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (the lovely Vanessa Ballam) transforms into a sophisticated lady of society under the tutelage of dialect coach Professor Henry Higgins, ably played by Kyle Pfortmiller. The sets, costumes, staging, singing, and acting are all top-notch in UFOMT's rendition of the show. If one "fault" could be found with the production, it's that Vanessa Ballam's beautiful, classically-trained voice shines too brightly through the harsh, flat tones of Eliza's native dialect. Vanessa's acting, though, perfectly suited the role. It's in her blood, of course. Her father (and UFOMT founder) Michael Ballam, disguised under a bulbous nose and layers of makeup, stole the show in his comic turn as Eliza's father Alfred Doolittle.


Another stand-out was the quartet of men who sing with Eliza on "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?". I particularly noticed the sweetly soaring voice of the tenor. The whole chorus, in fact, was excellent as an ensemble and in their individually highlighted parts. A strong ensemble is a hallmark of UFOMT's shows. The performers come from all over the country, and are auditioned and hand-picked by Michael Ballam.


Costumes and sets were attractive and well-designed. I did wonder why we didn't see the black-and-white dress pictured above during the show. (It's a distinctive costume from the "Ascot Opening Day" scene.) Instead Eliza wore a pastel confection and carried a ruffly parasol that gave her a lot of trouble, to hilarious effect. The whole scene is traditionally one of the showpieces of My Fair Lady, musically and comically, and it lived up to expectations.


Funny and heart-wrenching by turns, and filled with catchy tunes, My Fair Lady is a good introduction to musical theater. Whether you're a longtime musical fan or not, I encourage you to see this performance. The remaining show dates are July 20, 25, 28 (matinee), August 3 (matinee), 9 (matinee), and 11. Single ticket prices range from $12 to $76, with half price tickets available for students and children. Or take advantage of UFOMT's season design, which allows one to attend all four shows in one weekend. Visit www.ufoc.org for details.

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Special mention should be made of UFOMT's venue, the beautiful Ellen Eccles Theatre. Read about the theater's history here. The neoclassical interior rivals theaters I've visited in San Francisco and New York City.

Interior of the Ellen Eccles Theatre, photo from UFOMT website

Detail of balconies and phoenix mural. Photo credit: Wally Bloss, Executive Director of the Cache Valley Center for the Arts

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Have you been/are you going to any shows this year at UFOMT or at the Old Lyric? What's your favorite musical?