If you’re wondering where the bros from YOLO went, head over to Moxies.
The modern restaurant boasts a globally inspired menu, serving freshly made dishes for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. The spacious, covered, patio offers plenty of seating should the intimate dining room fill up, as it often does. The servers (all women and all busty) are clad in tank tops and short skirts, kind of an anachronism, I thought we were beyond that kind of sexist display of servers. There are large screens everywhere on the patio and bar, and on Sunday, there were sports games of all sorts, but very few people seemed to be paying attention to them. It’s almost like management is designing for a demographic that long ago faded away. That may be because it is a chain that was founded in the 1980s. It still has that kind of vibe. What this place needs are more queers. We’d appreciate the great, reasonably priced food and the friendly service.
Appetizer options are varied, if lacking in imagination: crab cakes, crab dip, glazed Brussels sprouts, potstickers, poutine, and calamari, among others. We ordered the tuna sushi stack, which featured sushi-grade tuna stacked with avocado and mango, on a bed of seasoned rice, amidst a pool of soy ginger glaze, with seasoned prawn crackers for dipping. It was easily enough for four to share, so the $20 price wasn’t unreasonable. When I looked at the nachos on the menu, I thought they must be crazy, asking $22, but then it was delivered to a neighboring table and it had to be enough to serve 6-8 people.
The menu is surprisingly forward-thinking. It’s not that unusual to offer gluten-free buns and Beyond burgers as Moxie does (bonus points, no upcharge for gluten-free buns!). Still, there’s also an entire menu section devoted to vegetarian and plant-based dishes. About half the menu is vegetarian-friendly. My hubby enjoyed the miso ramen, which featured a rich broth, traditional ramen noodles, chili garlic, sesame oil, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and a boiled egg, for $20, or for $9 more, you can add shrimp or pork belly. Frankly, this carnivore was craving some meat, so I got a very good French dip with thick slices of roast beef and sautéed mushrooms, topped with Swiss cheese on a pretzel bun. It was accompanied by an overly salty and thick mushroom gravy and a huge side of crispy fries. The sandwich was nearly a foot long, not bad for $20. I ended up taking half of it home and it was just as delicious the next day for lunch. For such an upscale, trendy place on Las Olas, I felt the prices were very reasonable. (For comparison, my sandwich cost $20, with a soda it would have been $24. At McDonald’s, a Double Quarter-Pounder with Cheese combo meal is $17.)
Moxies
201 E. Las Olas
954-666-6861
moxies.com
Side Dish
Taste of the Island Celebrates 19 Years
Taste of the Island is an evening of food and libation featuring local food and beverage establishments spotlighting their specialties at Wilton Manors’ acclaimed outdoor tasting event. This year's event will be held on Monday, Nov. 11 at Richardson Park, from 6-9 p.m. VIP ticketholders will be allowed early entry starting at 5:30 p.m., have air-conditioned seating, and three comped drinks from the private VIP bar.
So far the following restaurants and food companies have signed on to participate: Another Perfect Party, Aroma Joe’s Coffee, Bagels & Company, Beans n Dough Cookie Company, Bravo Peruvian Cuisine, Cafe BVR, Cake Daddy’s, Camille’s Pizzeria & Ristorante, Captiva Spirits, Casa Monarca Mexican Restaurant, Christina Wan’s, D’lira’s, El Guanaco Taqueria y Antojitos, Florida Blue, Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant, Gulf Stream Brewing, Heart A Love Creations, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nour Thai Kitchen, Papa Johns, Prospect Pizzeria, Sardi Cafe Lounge, Thirsty’s On The Drive, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Union Kitchen & Bar, Wilton Wings, Woof Gang Bakery Fort Lauderdale. I’ve bolded the participants that are actually located in Wilton Manors. Go to tasteoftheisland.org for the most up-to-date list of vendors.
