Moto-i

Looking at moto-i from the outside, it looks like a discreet little asian watering hole. Very dark, no discerning sign except right on the front of the building. All of this in a likeable way, of course. Upon entering, moto-i layout and atmosphere is simple, yet varied. There's an average sized bar, and on the other side are tables or booths to sit, low and high. It's spacious, with high ceilings and wood floors. I epsecially appreciated the light fixtures on the ceiling, flat, broad panels of of light, arranged abstractly about. And oh yes-they have shuffleboard. Any bar game besides pool and darts earns my (and likely many others) appreciation.

Disclaimer: if you want to be (yet again) educated about the sake, read other reviews. Or the website.

My guest, Mr. C, and I decided for a night out to moto-i on a nice Thursday evening. This would be my 2nd time there, and his 1st. One thing I like about moto-i are all the small plates. I will admit - trends usually hit me about a year or two late. Lately, I have been having a craving for a plethora of small plate action. Me and Mr. C went a bit bonkers in that aspect. I shall introduce, with no further ado:

Taro Shoestrings: Taro is a root vegetable. These seem baked, and result in thin, small crispy strips. Their vehicle was a short drink glass decorated with newspaper, giving the vague appearance of a french fry cone. These small nibbleys are salty at first, with slight earth on the aftertaste. They come with a sort of spicy mayo dipping sauce, which is kind of orange in color. I found them to be better without the sauce. I also found it nearly impossible to dip them, as they were tiny and thin. They were tasty, but overall left me hollow.

Lotus Chips: Our first order was dropped on the floor by the waitress. However, she was matter of fact apologetic about it, and our replacement came quickly. So this was forgiveable rather than macabre.Lotus Chips are described on the menu as "honey sambai." They are imperfect cirlces, somewhat resembling small pretzels, but nowhere near similar in taste. These were just as described; sweet and honeylike. They are served with a sweet brown dipping sauce. These were a good flavor contrast to the Taro Shoestrings, and I preferred them. Another humdrum crunchy snack.

Sweet Potato and Scallion Tempura: This was my guests choice, and let me tell you, I had some major food envy happening. This was just plain good. I am not well-versed in all things tempura, but I don't know if it's possible to NOT like anything tempura. The sweet and toasty flavor of the tempura, the lovely mouth feel of the silky potato! Yum. It was served with a flawless dashi (ginger-like) sauce that we dipped various other things in. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try the scallion. My guest ate it all. Booo for me.

Yakimono: This gives different meat choices, to be grilled. I got chicken. It was basically grilled chicken on a skewer. But when dipped into that dazzling sauce, it transformed into ginger chicken amazement!

Morokyu (cucumber, miso and japanese aioli): Cucumbers can do no wrong in my book. This salad was tasty and honorable. Like tomatoes, a good cucumber is hard to find. It seems the ones I buy in the stores are always so bitter. These were fresh, cool and crunchy. The sauce was sweet and poignant. It was simple and satisfying.

Sashimi: I have not had sashimi before this. My guest agreed I should try it out. I am still venturing into the fresh fish territory of the food world. The sashimi was red snapper, and was thin sliced and alone, with a bit of brown sauce over it. I don't know how this is supposed to be served. Should there have been pickled ginger? Either way- I liked, but it didn't start the 4th of July in my head or anything. It was a bit texturally challenging to me, but I assume this is acquired.

Finally, for the entree, we had the Coconut Green Curry. It was uh....spicy. Really spicy. I can handle solid spice. But with this dish, I found myself wanting more coconut; more balm to put on my wounds. There was simply no balance. Each bite was a mouthful of...spicy. And the onions? Well, there were TOO MANY. In my food adventures, one unfortunate culinary hurdle I can't seem to conquer are mushrooms and onions. This dish traditionally comes with mushrooms, with no mention of onions on the menu description. I asked for no mushrooms. So um, what the heck? Did the chef take it upon himself to improvise? Either way- this dish was dysfunctional. It was a spicy, onion-ey mess. The one thing I did like was the rice. It was nice and sticky and not gummy or undercooked.

Beer: Kayake Kolsch: yummy, amber but not a traditional amber ale. Sweet and light, slightly malty. Very good.

Overall, I liked it, but didn't love it. I would go back, only if invited and if I was prepared to drop some cash. Even though they have small plates ranging form $3-$8, they are VERY small plates and would not go here to have a full fledged dinner experience. Sharing and socializing is ideal here.

http://www.moto-i.com/