| rev:text
| - Scott Conant's Mora is one of those restaurants where, if the service and kitchen are on, and if you know exactly what to order, the experience can easily be a full-blown five-stars. In my original review when they first opened, that's exactly what I gave Mora. However, in many of our experiences, after returning multiple times and getting past the "honeymoon phase," these opinions often change. And this is one example where things tapered off a bit, so I've revised my review to reflect more of an overall opinion of the restaurant.
Mora is loud, hip, sleek, and lively. It's one of those places where you really have to be in the right mindset in order to dine here. The thumping music can be rather offsetting, originally being so bad that I could feel my booth shake to the beat. Over time, however, things have kind of leveled off a bit to where you can actually have a conversation without yelling.
The starters are mostly hit or miss. Some salads are better than others, but there's a lot of inconsistency on their generosity with certain ingredients. One notable instance was ordering sprouts that were mysteriously missing the lemon vinaigrette, as well as an endive and radicchio salad that lacked the parmigiano. For this reason, I suggest choosing very carefully.
I really like their bread cart. Actually, it's no longer a cart, but just a "bread board" that they prepare in the back. You're given a variety of bread, including one that includes smoked salami, which is spectacular when combined with their butter and various spreads. If you want to take the leftover bread home, be sure to stress that you want it boxed up. They ignored our request once, which further fuels my theory about these Italian joints being all weird about people saving their bread.
For other starters, the veal and meatballs are a great choice. The stand-out favorite though, is probably the polenta, which includes seasonal mushrooms, truffle, and bacon - and I usually have no interest in polenta.
For our main entres, I've had the gnudi. Topped with a bit of sauce and packed with a combination of mascarpone and ricotta cheese, these "pillows" of flavor, as they are often referred to, do not disappoint. The pomodoro (spaghetti) is absolutely spectacular, aided by their creamy and buttery tomato sauce. It's probably the best offerings out of all of their pastas and dare I say, even gives Chris Bianco's spaghetti a run for its money.
Sticking with the pasta family, the fettuccine, which includes mushrooms, garlic, and escarole (not to be confused with escargot), is also very good - with the mushrooms exhibiting great quality. My girlfriend loves the cavatelli, which includes duck, ragu, arugula, and black truffle. Allow me to elaborate on that last ingredient. This is not that pungent food-perfume (i.e. truffle oil) that so many diners and chefs are obsessed with dumping on their pastas and pizzas. No, this is legitimate black truffle shavings, which are something completely different. The truffle shavings, used ever so sparingly, provide a subtle compliment to the already superbly tasting flavor, while not exhibiting that powerful stench and flavor that overpowers so many dishes that use oil. All local chefs should take note.
Their pizza? Not so impressive. Despite being co-owned by the guy who is responsible for Pomo, it's not quite a duplicate. Ingredients are okay, but crust is extremely spongy and doughy, which is in stark contrast to the charred and flavorful crust we've become accustomed to.
I have a love/hate relationship with Mora's dessert menu. It always seems to be changing. Their best offering was a Cubano coconut cake, baked with a whopping fourteen layers. It has since been removed from the menu - much to the dismay of both myself and other diners from what I've been told. I was told it was too complicated to make - which is probably why they prefer pushing easier desserts out, like the budino and warm chocolate cake that I could obtain at any other restaurant in Phoenix. Until they bring back the coconut cake, your best bet is probably the Mora Sundae - just be sure they don't forget the crumbs. Once again, there are some consistency issues in the kitchen.
Over time, the prices have slowly crept upwards, which is kind of annoying. However, in the end, I still really like what Mora is doing. When it's good, it's really good! And although not everything is perfect, it's definitely a place that I like returning to on a regular basis.
Recommended!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)