In addition to the Montana Hotel blowing me away from their hospitality standpoint, I shouldn’t have been too surprised that the food and beverage service was also next level. The Louis Bar was a much needed stop for me after a huge dinner offsite on night one. The ambiance was beyond lively as the patrons were really feeling the jazz quartet who were no strangers to the space, playing below photographs of themselves from years passed. I had such a fun time, I returned before dinner on night two where I had this delectable espresso martini.

Scala was such a nice meal on night two, I went ahead and made it my third night’s meal also. Let me share with you a bit of both meals. The food was very well done and large portions in quite a grand atmosphere. The place could have easily gone stuffy, but seemed to make for quite a great date night for many. Service was….OK…. but I am chucking that to busy servers not fully appreciating a solo diner.

The bread was this massive sun-dried tomato studded baguette with whipped butter options. You could have given me the check right here.

For a start on both nights, I had this gorgeous king fish ceviche with salmon caviar. The flavor was incredible and the plate, a work of art.

My main on night one was homemade paccheri with artichokes and shrimp. While the plate does look nice, unfortunately I wasn’t blown away and there was quite a bit of this to get through. I’d advise saving the carbs for that bread stick.

Ok, so it seems that the bread and start really sold me on night one because the dessert was actually terrible. Though gorgeous, the fig tart, coffee ice cream combo did not work at all for me. I had a bite or two and failed to finish any more. My server did not even inquire about my taste for it, but maybe that’s a cultural nuance.

The second night was much nicer with the ceviche on repeat, naturally. The main was a gorgeous sea bass with roasted veggies and a ring of pureed sweet potatoes. Very generous in portion and absolutely delicious.

Dessert was well-improved the second night as well. I tested some small apple tart from the seasonal menu which was exactly the right amount of sweetness on which to end a meal.

Scala was overall such a nice experience from atmosphere, presentation, and food. I would absolutely return for an evening on my next trip to the Hotel Montana. Many people seemed to agree with me as friends who went the following weekend weren’t able to get a reservation. So, be sure to contact them in advance.