Peachy Picks Angela's Montana Table Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
From the sublime Roasted Cauliflower and Brussel Sprout Gratin to the Best Bison Burger East of Montana, Angela's Montana Table is where you want to be for dinner!
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If you know this (Second Avenue Subway, above),
then you have to know this:
Certainly, it is the best Bison Burger East of Montana!
The Angela Gerdrum hit parade continues with an advancement into the ranks of Peachy's Picks. As you know, any restaurant in Manhattan is only eligible in Terrific Takeout the first time, and we find many one-hit-wonders that are mentioned once and you never hear about again. There's a reason for that!
Angela has proven time and time again that she is IN IT TO WIN IT. She outperforms her competition and is highly consistent and excellent.
This is her third feature since she opened and the third feature we've written on her in the last six months; not too many others can claim that fame and we can probably count the list on one or two hands, but who wants to stop to count when you can eat?
Angela's Montana Table earned its first review last summer:
It earned its second review last fall:
Great things come in small packages and we suggest you make reservations to acquire one of the coveted few tables of Angela's.
You know who always wants a strong Italian red or a Cabernet, but this time Peachy Deegan ventured towards a Merlot to be different, and it turned out to be a superlative selection. The ripeness of this perfectly balanced Sonoma County endeavor of red in a glass was perfection throughout the evening. The atmosphere of Angela's Montana table is warm and comforting and they play THE EAGLES (we like Don Henley so much that was one reason why we wanted to go to BC) and Rod Stewart, whom we like best. It is not loud or overbearing, either. We hate loud music where you feel like you are at a club. At Angela's Montana Table, you feel like you are visiting her and her family on their Montana Ranch on Second Avenue. It is like VACATION. Though casual, she does not miss a single trick and there are not too many that are as talented as she is that work as hard as she does. Angela is friendly and just delighted to see her guests from the first moment they walk in.
Angela does not do ordinary.
She only does extraordinary.
There is no regular butter here.
Angela's commitment to authenticity is among the highest we've seen by any newcomer in years, and even the clover honey used in this butter is from her family farm in Montana. You can't get any more fresh or authentic than that and you will taste it. It is the best bread basket we've seen so far in 2017. Also used in this butter are pink peppercorns (also popular in pineapple desserts by Mover and Shaker Marco Pipolo at Marcony) and thyme. Though the atmosphere is not pretentious, the culinary elements are sophisticated.
Angela even brought out the honey straight for us to try. For someone that does not like honey all that much and eats it for health to counteract all of the naughty not-so-healthy you see published here, Peachy liked THIS honey.
The Chicken Quesadillas are perfect for an appetizer and we've never seen them done so well. We've had this with pork carnitas also another time and both are delicious. Jack cheese and pickled red onions add flair and flavor, and the classic sour cream and the spicy green sauce highlight the great starter just right.
Angela has many salad choices (high 5! we hate when we see only a couple but she has four) and Peachy chose the Romaine: cucumber, pickled red onion, croutons, tomatoes, queso fresco and kalamata olives are fresh and exactly what you'd want in a salad. The red wine vinaigrette was thoughtfully placed on the side. The final firework was our favorite, the Grass Fed Bison Burger. Every bite is pure carnivorous ecstasy of juicy bison grilled to perfection, gloriously gushing cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and horseradish cream. Fresh lettuce and tomato come to the party on the fresh bun.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Angela’s is very small establishment, tucked away in 2nd Avenue; it would be easy to walk by and miss it, which would be a shame as it’s unique and different to any restaurant I have ever visited and I have eaten at numerous restaurants in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
When we walked into Angela’s Montana Table, we were greeted warmly by Angela herself who made us feel very welcome coming in from a cold winter rainy evening. It was clear that with so few tables that you need to reserve, particularly weekends. I began with a terrific brew but then tried the wine Peachy ordered which was phenomenal.
Often restaurants are called names of people that are anonymous, either after an owner in name only but have little to do with the day-to-day running of the place. Or it can be a fancy name that sounds good but actually nothing to do with the restaurant. This is certainly not the case with Angela’s Montana Table, Angela IS the restaurant! She is the chef, waitress and the host, talk about personal service! Everything she cooks is natural- many directly from her Dad’s farm in Montana.
Onto the food – for my starter I chose the Roasted Cauliflower and Brussel Sprout Gratin, coming in from the cold this was an excellent start it was warming and delicious, the Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts were cooked to perfection in fact perfect consistency which I would describe as “Al Dente”, supplemented perfectly in the tasty subtle cheesy sauce. Usually when I am reviewing food I tend to only eat half of it to keep room for the forthcoming other courses but this was too delicious and tempting and I felt guilty when I completed the whole dish!
For the salad option I went for the Cobb Salad, which consisted of romaine, tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, boiled egg, avocado and crispy bacon with red wine vinaigrette. The presentation of this dish was very impressive, like a buffet banquet laid out with extreme care. The fusion of various tastes was mouthwatering and alluring, once again I ate more of this dish than I normally would and it was a large dish. I was getting worried about being able to eat my main course.
Which was Pistachio crusted fillet of brook trout! I am a particular fan of trout and it would always be one of my dishes of choice; it is an underestimated fish that rarely features on menus and there is almost a snobbish attitude towards it, that it is poor relative of salmon for example. Anyone who tried Angela’s trout would dispute this at it was quite simply the best I have EVER tasted! It was succulent, scrumptious and compelling. Considering I had eaten more of the starter and the salad than I normally would, I easily ate all of the trout, it was simply irresistible! It was accompanied by yellow rice, grilled vegetables and lemon butter sauce which complemented the trout, however for me personally the trout actually didn’t need this, it was so captivating it could stand alone. I am not criticizing the yellow rice, veg or lemon butter sauce, far from it, I am merely emphasizing that the trout was THAT GOOD!
Considering Angela is the host, waitress and chef, she was very attentive and spoke proudly about her original Montana table. I am recommending Angela’s Montana Table to anyone who is seeking a unique experience in high quality unpretentious food. Angela is genuine, so is her restaurant, it is on 2nd Avenue between 91st and 92nd street. DON’T WALK PAST!
Also check out the new garlands on both walls!
We would like to think the wine we drank contributed to these endeavors...
Peachy Picks Angela's Montana Table!
Angela's Montana Table is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
Be there.
