It has remained the epitome of luxury dining in Dallas thanks to the complimentary glass of sparkling wine on arrival and a $1,000 king crab offering. But now a new tradition has tousled the edges of Monarch's refined atmosphere: Sunday Supper.
The three-course menu, served family style, is a nostalgic journey into the heart of authentic Italian flavors, reminiscent of visits to Nonna's house.
We recently stopped in to indulge in the supper's pilot menu. Each week the menu will change, but you can likely expect something as diverse and nostalgic as the lineup we enjoyed, for $85 per person.
First Course
Supper began with a full spread of light bites: a pair of king crab deviled eggs made with Calabrian aioli and espelette (pepper); antipasto with cured meats, cheeses, giardiniera and a house-made salt and pepper lavosh; and a panzanella salad with delicate squash, roasted sweet potato, aged pecorino, focaccia croutons and a walnut vinaigrette.First, the deviled eggs: the filling was traditional but the king crab and chili accents added another level of flavor to an already perfect bite. The only thing missing was about half a dozen more to devour, as tradition calls for.
Placed next to the eggs was the antipasto, an essential piece of any formal Italian dinner. It has the same setup as a charcuterie board but with an Italian alias. Ours had salami, prosciutto, a mild white cheese, two complimentary spreads with a slight sweetness and a homemade lavosh.
Completing the course was a hearty version of a panzanella salad. It's traditionally made with tomatoes, onion and fresh basil, but the winter season called for some adjustments. It was one of those salads that makes you believe every other one you've had was not made just wrong, but terribly wrong.
Second Course
Course two was full of rich and savory dishes that would make our long-lost Nonna proud. Spread across the table was a veal osso buco, a cross-cut veal shank with a red currant glaze, mascarpone polenta and sage; Monarch cioppino, a fish stew with Manila clams, prawns, blue hill bay mussels, parsley and olive gremolata; and Sicilian braised greens with golden raisins and pine nuts. 
We couldn't get enough spoonfuls of the underdog, the mascarpone polenta. Its starchy counterpart left big shoes to fill, but it was a job well done. Piled with tender veal and braised greens, the stack channeled a similar energy to the scene in Ratatouille when the food critic takes his first bite and is transported back to his childhood. Except we're not Italian, nor do we have a Nonna, but you get the idea.
Balancing out the hearty plates was the briny and fresh cioppino. The stew was light and seafood-forward, woven with hints of tomato and herb, and piled with naturally tender and flavorful seafood. We would have sopped up all the remaining broth had there been a slice or two of bread.
Third Course
There are two kinds of people when dessert rolls around: those with a heavy sweet tooth and those who need "a little something sweet" after dinner. The warm berry crisp is a winner no matter which side of the craving you land on.It was indulgent without being too much, baked fresh and served directly out of the oven with two scoops of rich vanilla ice cream. The crisp was sweet but still tart, and the ice cream complemented the crumble, balanced out the textures and added that extra dose of sweetness. The individual scoops for each of us didn't go unappreciated, either.
The latest menus are announced early in the week on the website and Instagram. Make your reservations in advance. Window seats require a $125 per person food and beverage minimum. If you're adding a drink or two to dinner you could easily qualify for one of the best seats in the house — or in the city for that matter.
Monarch, 1401 Elm St., 49th Floor (The National). Sunday – Thursday, 5–10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 5–11 p.m.
