Gulp ... I recognize the long hiatus from blog posts. It certainly seems that life has started catching up to me and forcing me to rethink responsibilities and roles. And while the inevitability of increasing expectations should not take me away from my hobbies (and trust me, blogging is my main hobby); there does come the time when push comes to shove and I strip away my extracurriculars to maintain normacy in the workplace. And for that I apologize.
Nevertheless, I wanted to continue where I left off and while this post is two months overdue (or post-dates) I still recall the meal like yesterday. In Edmonton we would routinely use Moxie's as our usual go-to should we run out of new restaurants to try, trusting on their consistently excellent wait-staff and tasty, if albeit a tad safe, cuisine. And so I found myself in that situation again where me and a fellow resident wanted a quick bite in downtown Winnipeg prior to an event in the area. Out of inspirational ideas, Moxie's became our fallback.
Being literally in the MTS Centre, Moxie's could not have asked for a better location. And thankfully, during the renovations to the arena, the developers also gave way to improvements to the restaurant itself. Their hard work and effort results in a plain out gorgeous establishment: a combination of classy and elegant exteriors, an huge patio, a cozy but upscale bar and an expansive dining room with comfortable plush booth style seating. Tack on experienced, knowledgeable and extremely approachable wait staff make this truly a pleasant dining experience even before any food has arrived to your table!
The simple three pager menu has a nice assortment of
appetizers, soup & salads, mains and sandwiches. And while on
initial glance everything looks fairly pedestrian, there is enough
nuance and creativity here to keep even the most discriminatory foodie
happy. Embodying the melting pot nature of Canada, the dishes come from a
dizzying array of influences and flavours and come together into
something that can only be described as contemporary.
The Calamari came highly recommended by our waitstaff. Lightly dusted fingers of squid (and shrimp too!) are fried and combined with some heat in the form of srirachi aioli and sweet via the sweet chili sauce. I marveled at the level of crunch attained by the light fry job and remarked how un-greasy the entire dish felt. And while the sauces lacked imagination, they did add some well needed sweet and spice to the seafood.
Being stuck watching a movie while feeling bloated is the worst! And so wanting to avoid such a situation, I went with a light Parmesan Chicken & Crispy Proscuitto Sandwich. Credit has to go to the chefs for creating such a brilliant crunch on the chicken (nice and tender to boot too!) which contrasted well with some herbed cheese and a smooth roasted red pepper sauce. I was less enamored with the choice of bread, with the crispy and overly doughy ciabatta overwhelming and overtaking the other ingredients. Comes with your choice of salad or fries (I chose salad).
My dining companion had a similar idea and went with the Fish Tacos. And wow, what a visual site to behold! Three behemoths of soft shell tacos hold a bounty of grilled haddock, lettuce and pico de galo. Addition of a valencia hot sauce was a nice touch as it gave the dish a nice balance of heat, sweet and creamy. But really, the star was the large and fresh fillets of haddock, grilled to perfection and meaty enough to balance out the rest of the ingredients.
Moxie's still remains as my consistent go-to chain restaurant for contemporary Western Cuisine. And while the menu has a nice assortment of safe but nuanced dishes, it is the decor and location that make Moxie's in Downtown Winnipeg a standout. An easy recommendation for anyone looking for a bite before, during or after an event downtown.
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