Moto-i

I think it is about the coolest thing of the year that we have a sake brewery in Minneapolis. The only one with a restaurant attached in North America. With great vegetarian options. In Minneapolis. In my neighborhood. Now, that just makes it cool.

Moto-i had a soft opening last week, so by Saturday night, myself and three friends were in the door and ready to experience this long anticipated venue at Lyndale and Lake. You are probably going to drive by a couple of times before finding the restaurant thanks to an inopportune bus shelter out front and a subdued sign. But once you walk in, you are not simply in the old Macchu Pichu. The space has been completely modernized, with a bar and high tops on the left side of the space and then on the right are large group tables and booths. Oh, yeah, I can’t fail to mention the shuffleboard table too, the hint of the Herkimer ownership. Upstairs will be another bar and then by spring a rooftop deck too.

I immediately fell on to the sake and ordered the flight of the three sakes that Moto-I is currently producing. If you want to learn about sake, read the back of the menu and then order this flight as it comes served on a placemat that is so full of educational information that you might personally be able to brew sake if you actually try to take it all in. I was more interested in drinking the sake. The three sakes they have are Junmai Nama, Junmai Nama Nigori and Junmai Nama Genshu. Wow, huh? But what I can say is that they go from mild to more flavored/cloudy. They were all really good! Sometimes I am scared by the scent of sake but these sakes didn’t have that pungent nose that can repulse. Just be careful because the alcohol content is a bit higher than wine so think about that with each glass you order.

To accompany your sake tasting is a menu full of snack foods, which means that you can make your visit to Moto-i as simple or as filling as you may choose. We started with roasted peanuts with Kaffir lime and then taro chips and lotus root chips both accompanied by dipping sauces. The peanuts were tasty – I love anything flavored with citrus. The taro and lotus chips were both okay. I felt that they were on the menu in order to add the spice of Asia rather than serving French fries but their treatment did little to bring out the unique flavor of each of these roots. The dipping sauces were great: a spicier chili mayo for the taro and a sweet and spicy sauce for the lotus chips. I would prefer to order the sweet potato fries from next door to dip into these sauces.

The snacks continued – buns and dumplings. A couple of people at my table ordered pork buns and really enjoyed them. They were both available with multiple fillings like chicken, tofu or mushrooms, including plenty of vegetarian options. I can’t wait to go back and eat my way through this section of the menu.

The entrée section of the menu is also really affordable and even more pan-Asian than the snacks. I opted for a red curry with tofu. My neighbor had green curry with chicken. Drunken noodles for another. It is an interesting strategy with the menu to so clearly head outside of Japan with the options, especially with so many cool Japanese foods that that could have been put on the menu in a ton of variations – soba, udon etc. But, it isn’t my restaurant so let’s focus on what they do have. My red curry was HOT. I can’t say much else because I couldn’t really taste beyond the heat. I think I liked it and I did like the generosity with the tofu. But honestly, HOT was all I could taste. Please tone it down! And I actually do eat more spice than most Minnesotans I know. My green curry friend was also crying.

Red faces aside, I am really excited about Moto-I and am excited to return. I didn’t think that the food was phenomenal but at such affordable prices and in the casual atmosphere that has been created, it was arguably great. I also predict that the bar will be well received in the area.

Thumbs Up: Sake!, good bar space and a rooftop too, great affordable snacky menu
Thumbs Down: Heat needs to be toned down, too casual considering that sake and people intrigued by it might be a bit more upscale?

Moto-i 2940 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis www.moto-i.com