THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Monterey

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Monterey Restaurant Review:

A two-tone Mercury Monterey model sets the tone streetside at this Southtown gastropub. That the owners would probably hate the trendy term has always been reflected in the unconventionally eclectic menu, one that spawned a pop-up on off days that has now found its own brick and mortar, Hot Joy, nearby. Post-partum, El Monty has a new menu and a new chef, and if it seems a touch less in-your-face than before, just wait. In any case, there’s still more seating outdoors than in; the good beer list has been joined by an even better wine list emphasizing sherries and “expensive” wines by the glass; and house-made pickles are about the only item remaining from the old menu. New offerings include a sprightly watermelon salad (in season, of course), a complexly flavorful charred squid bowl with mango and jícama, and seared skirt steak with a shallot chimichurri. Servers are well-informed and spare you the attitude that can so often make a consciously cool place a chore to endure.