Moxie's

Moxie’s Grill / Bar

Five Locations across Winnipeg

www.moxies.ca/menu/

Moxie’s runs on the same formula as Earl’s and Joey’s.  They all have dark, modern dining rooms, up-tempo lounge music, pretty servers in sexy outfits, and generally good food.  Because of the winning formula, they’re always busy so be prepared for lengthy waits if you go during prime hours.  The lounge provides a comfortable alternative.  However, for some inexplicable reason, the tables are bolted to the floor so if you want to move them to accommodate a larger party, you’re out of luck.

Starting with the appetisers, the Sushi Cone has barely any semblance to sushi at all.  The menu purports to the cone having nori, although I see no seaweed at all.  I hoped that the cone would use nori as a wrapper but it looks like plain rice paper.  The tempura prawn has a light coating of batter but it bears no resemblance to a Japanese shrimp tempura.  That’s not to say that the cone’s not good—it’s delicious, but it just has nothing to do with sushi.  The prawn comes perfectly cooked, lightly friend until just done and crispy.  The big chunk of avocado goes great with it, and the ponzu dip messily adds some seasoning.  I would like to see bean sprouts instead of pea shoots, which have little texture and even less taste. 

The Beef Vindaloo leaves a bit to be desired.  All of Earl’s, Joey’s and Moxie’s make good Vindaloo but none of them make a great vindaloo and they just don’t stand up to vindaloo from an Indian restaurant.  The same goes for the special Thai chicken soup.  There are some good sized chunks of chicken here, and the coconut-curry broth tastes Thai, but it lacks heart and soul.   The ethnic foods taste perfectly fine—you might even call it excellent if you haven’t tasted the real thing.  That’s exactly the formula that this class of chain follows; they count on their clientele not knowing any better.  If you look at the menu, you see an iota from India, items from Italy,  a touch of Thai, a Japanese gesture and a mix of Mexican—this is the true definition of “jack of all trades but master at none.”

Whenever I come to places like Moxie’s, I always stick with the plain and simple,  They don’t scrimp on ingredients and you usually get good food when the recipe’s not too complicated.  The chicken tenders come with competently made home-cut fries and massive pieces of chicken.  They fry the batter well, just golden, and deliciously crispy.  The breast meat is just cooked on one side (remaining juicy) but the thinner side tastes a bit dry.  The honey dill dip tastes a bit bland so I’d go with the buffalo instead. 

The Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich stands four-inches high, loaded with delicious Montreal meat.  I would like to see a bit more Dijon and the bread has just a bit too much butter but otherwise, this sandwich tastes every bit as good as what the best delis offer.

I can see how the non-adventurous can spend their entire lives eating in these modern chains.  The massive advertising brings you through the door.  The transnational profile keeps them comfortable and familiar.  There’s enough good food to keep you coming back and if you don’t try anything else, you could be content forever. 

Go try something local!  But if you don’t, Moxie’s will deliver a perfectly acceptable meal.

*** /5

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