When Moct(pronounced “most”) opened in 2004, it housed a restaurant named Café Fabrikathat featured upscale Serbian fare updated for current tastes. Café Fabrika didnot last long, and Moct concentrated on its bar/lounge aspects. Recently,however, food service has resumed with Novo at Moct. This time the theme is“small plates.” Some Serbian items remain, but the new menu also ventures intoother territories with items like tacos and a Puerto Rican mofongo.
One item practicallyleaps off the menu: duck fat fries ($7). This is a generous serving of finefries, though you should not expect to notice any fat or duck flavor. The friesare crisp, not oily at all, and ready to dip in one of six sauces. The srirachamayo is a bit spicy, but the garlic aioli is just right.
Start globe trottingthrough the menu with the steamed P.E.I. mussels ($10), a bowl of deep bluemussels steamed with Thai green curry and a coconut kaffir lime broth. Thiswould be a welcome item at any Thai restaurant.
Ordinarily, tilapiawould not be my fish of choice, but the small pieces in the fish tacos ($11)have a perfect cornmeal batter and could even be passed off as perch. They areserved with cabbage slaw, avocado crema and chipotle aioli.
I have had shrimpmofongo ($12) many times in Puerto Rico. Theheart of mofongo is a big ball of plantain mash served with shrimp in a creolesauce. Here the amount of plantain is reduced and its bland character is zippedup with garlic and bits of chicharron (fried pork rind). The medium shrimpsurround the plantain mound in a tomato citrus sauce that makes this especiallyworth eating.
For Serbian fare,start with the addictive chevaps ($7), grilled sausages of beef and pork. Theyare served in a roasted red pepper sauce and include a small salad of fieldgreens dressed with light vinaigrette and some farmer’s cheese. With thismenu’s burek ($13), one option is filled with beef and the other with spinachand cheese. The spinach and cheese is a delight. The amount of phyllo dough isless than normal, so the size of the burek is smaller than the local norm, butit rocks. Order this with another small plate, as the bureks take more time toprepare. The only down note was the Serbian sliders ($7)they are basicallymade with the same meat as the chevaps, but in small patties they seem rubbery.
Warm summer eveningscall for an outdoor table. If the sun is still shining down, potted palm treesprovide a little shade. As the evening progresses, the lounge takes over andthe crowd will focus more on mojitos and blackberry margaritas. Moct remainsone of the hot spots in the Fifth Ward, and the return of a kitchen is verywelcome news, indeed.n
Novo at Moct
240 E. Pittsburgh Ave.
414-273-6628
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Credit Cards: AllMajor
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