I really struggled with the rating of this one. I wanted to love it more than I did, but I just found it to be average. I'm going to break down my review into sections.
1. Ambiance - 4/5 stars
Mo's was noticeably clean upon entering. It had a modern interior as soon as you walked in. We sat in what appeared to be an addition, with pretty stone walls, wooden ceilings, and a waterfall. The bathrooms were clean - huge plus. My only complaint is that the tables are rather small.
2. Service - 3.5/5 stars
First impression was underwhelming. Upon entering the restaurant, the host sat us immediately. No issue there. However, we had to wait a good 10 mins before our server came. During that time, you could see a group of employees chatting at the hostess stand. But no one came to get our drink order. When one server finally noticed that we had no drinks, he came over and asked if we had been helped. We told him no, and he told us he would get our server. Which he did, and she did come right afterwards. But it just wasn't a great first impression.
Our waitress was nice. She was attentive and knowledgeable as far as the menu is concerned.
Our appetizer came before our bread, which I thought was a tad strange, but whatever.
Overall the service wasn't bad. Was it exceptional? No. But not bad either.
3. Food - 3/5 stars
I ordered the steak and crab cake. It's a 16 oz. NY strip and a crab cake, served with rosemary potatoes and your choice of an additional side. I chose the vegetable of the day - broccoli and carrots with Parmesan - as my additional side. The crab cake was ok. The flavor was good, and the texture was nice as well; however, it had a tad too much filler in my opinion. The NY strip was just ok. First of all, I asked for it to be cooked medium. It was more like medium well, so it was a little more dry then I prefer. It really didn't have much of a flavor to be honest. It needed seasoning. I hate to admit that I had to use A1 sauce. I truly don't like to use A1 at a restaurant, but the steak just really lacked flavor. And again, it was dryer than I like, so the A1 was necessary. The Rosemary potatoes were slightly over cooked but well seasoned. And the vegetables were cooked and seasoned well. All in all, I wasn't overwhelmed by the food. It was ok.
4. Value - 2.5/5 stars
I'm no stranger to spending good money for a good meal at a nice restaurant. I have no problem paying for great food. I'm a total food lover. I went to culinary school, I've worked in restaurants, I just love great food period. But honestly, for the quality of the food I received, Mo's was overpriced. Nearly $40 for a steak and crab cake meal that was just ok...no thanks. For almost $40 I expect to be blown away. I expect big flavor, steak that doesn't need A1/is cooked to my liking, and crab cake with less filler.
I truly wanted to love Mo's more. I'm a sucker for local restaurants and tend to shy away from chains, with a few exceptions. And again, it's not that it was a terrible experience, but it was nothing to write home about either. Would I go back? Probably. I wouldn't order the same dish though. Would I be in a rush to go back? No. read more