What recession? People in the Mahoning Valley must have a lot of gas…gas money that is…because the restaurants have been packed. Two Saturday night’s ago, my wife and I attempted to meet some friends at Arnie’s in Ravenna, and it was closed for vacation. So we went to our “go to” restaurant instead, the Café 422. OMG, it was PACKED to the gills with wait times up to an hour. Eventually we corralled a place at the bar and ate there making friends with some “interesting” people who make life, well, interesting.
This past Saturday night, once again we made the trip to Arnie’s. OMG, it was PACKED to the gills with wait times up to an hour. This time we knew better than to try to go to the 422, so we stopped at The Fifth Season which was on our way home to a pizza. It also had wait times in excess of an hour. So we headed on down Mahoning Avenue.
Just a little bit before that infamous landmark The Pink Elephant, across the street is a place called Mojo’s. I screeched to a halt and told my wife I had seen this place advertised on television and also a segment on the WFMJ Good Morning show. One is never to old to pull a u-ie when no cop is watching, and we pulled into the parking lot. I didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised.
This area has a plethora of schizophrenic eating establishments that are basically sports bars, but offer upgraded food that is beyond the facility’s basic premise. Mojo’s is one of those places. It is a tavern/bar. The décor is relatively simple with televisions strategically and well placed. Somebody knew what they were doing. The bar area is actually kind of small and off to the left when you go in. The rest of the restaurant is your standard table and booth thing. Nothing fancy but still very attractive.
The menu is more ambitious than the décor would indicate. And I was skeptical when I first saw it. There is a wide range of sandwiches and flat breads, along with standard wings and fried cheese. But it also offers a number of Cajun specialties and a whole lot of BBQ and steaks and the like. There are numerous and creative chicken dishes. And the bar menu is terrific with lots of innovative Mojotinis!!!
My wife and I ordered burgers…and they were OUTSTANDING. I gotta tell ya…nothing fills the bill like a great burger. And as we waited for our food to come out, I watched the plates of all sorts of food coming out of the kitchen. One thing looked better than the other. In addition to the burger, I ordered a bowl of loaded potato soup. OMG, it was PACKED to the gills with everything good. It made Fettuccine Alfredo look heart healthy. I swear the recipe for the soup started with add a pound of bacon fat. It was SOOO GOOD, and now on my top list of favorite soups, that seems to be growing by the week.
Service was prompt and friendly. Our waitress is one of the nicest we have had in awhile. Mojo’s gets a big thumbs-up from me. There is a large outdoor patio area which I assume is used in the summer. No meatballs awarded because we have only been their once, and I want to try one of their entrees before making a meatball judgment. But I suspect it’s going to be good. I like this place.
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