CJ raves about Mojito in record-length review

[Robin Garr]

Marty is clearly smitten by Mojito, and justly so, again raising some question as to why he doesn't just go ahead and give them four stars. Servers being unprepared to answer questions about every item on the menu seems to be the only nit he picks in an 843-word review, a report of remarkable length by SCENE standards. Still, this Brother of Havana Rumba is a great place, and this rave review is fairly earned.

[url=http://cityguide.courier-journal.com/fe/RestaurantReviews/Profile.asp?businessid=47425]Marvelous Mojito
Tapas and paella are so good you'll want more – soon[/url]

<B>Mojito</B>
2231 Holiday Manor Center
(502) 425-0949

We ate at Mojito last night and have to echo Marty's opinion. This was our fourth or fifth visit and it was outstanding. The few service glitches we experienced during our first 2 visits were gone. The food was sensational and the addition of the new daily tapas specials is a nice idea.

I thought this was more significant than the ignorance of the menu:

You may also notice that in the crush, though dishes arrive speedily, the niceties, like clearing tables, are sometimes given short shrift; eventually your table will look like a school cafeteria.

I was more puzzled my his mention of items that are also on the Havana Rumba menu. I haven't compared the two, but I saw next to no overlap in the food items. Did I miss something?

[Robin Garr]

I haven't compared the two, but I saw next to no overlap in the food items. Did I miss something?

We went to Mojito twice in its first couple of weeks, and I wrote a pre-review at that time, but to be honest, my recollection of menu specifics isn't vivid. It seems to me that there were a few of the Havana Rumba specialties on the bill of fare, but we didn't order them specifically so we could try more new stuff.

As for the nits, good point, I guess (in my experience, tables were cleared promptly), but it really comes back to the essential questions about ratings that I chew over regularly: (1) should four stars represent <i>perfection</i>, with any small flaw making the top score impossible; or should it simply be an "A" grade, very very good but with recognition that nobody is perfect and that minor nits shouldn't make the fourth star unattainable; and (2) should the four-star rating be reserved for upscale, white-tablecloth restaurants, as the CJ appears to believe under both the current critic and his predecessor; or is that wrong-headed and anti-egalitarian, as I believe?

None of this is important, of course. But it's interesting ...

I don't know how to explain it, but anywhere else the uncleared dishes would annoy me. At Mojito, they just seem to be part of the energy and flow of the place. There is, to me, this sense of entertaining chaos as the dishes come flying out of the kitchen in no particular order and everyone at the table gets that first taste. After a while you look around at the pile of dishes with bits and pieces left on them and you can benchmark what just happened. I'm sure everyone doesn't feel that way, but to me it's just part of Mojito which has become our neighborhood place.

That's a super cool perspective.

I was there last night as well and felt that the food certainly merited 4 stars. It was one of the first "wow" meals I have had in a while. I definitely want to go back and try the paella. There was an orange miso glazed sea bass special last night which was excellent and for 8.99 one of the best deals in the city. The frita cubana easily ranks as one of the best burgers in the city if not the best. Also, the sweet potato fries are addictive. The service wasn't perfect, but its fine, and any weaknesses are a result of the type of restaurant it is. Also, many of the servers are not native english speakers, so I give them the benefit of the doubt. They are friendly and aim to please. I would give if 4 stars.

Thank you everybody for the kind words, we are thrilled with the review. Our team is been working really hard and we are all learning from our mistakes. My cooks and servers they get 4 starts from my review because I know how hard they work everyday. Tapas are so different, sometimes you have a guess using up to 4 or 5 plates at the same time so that makes it really hard to keep tables clean when we are busy, but we are trying to get better. Next Sunday we are taking our staff to Kentucky kingdom to celebrate this wonderful review and after that dinner at Cafe Lou-Lou. Fernando Martinez.

Thank you everybody for the kind words, we are thrilled with the review. Our team is been working really hard and we are all learning from our mistakes. My cooks and servers they get 4 starts from my review because I know how hard they work everyday. Tapas are so different, sometimes you have a guess using up to 4 or 5 plates at the same time so that makes it really hard to keep tables clean when we are busy, but we are trying to get better. Next Sunday we are taking our staff to Kentucky kingdom to celebrate this wonderful review and after that dinner at Cafe Lou-Lou. Fernando Martinez.

Nice review!! Man...you are so gonna get spanked!! Congrats!!

Thank you David and yes we are getting spanked. Fernando

We've been three times, and each time the food was amazingly good. Since we're in Indian Hills, it's very close to our home, and we feel lucky.

Sometimes plates linger a bit - the servers are bringing several dishes at staggered intervals rather than standard courses after all - but in a fun tapas place, who cares? The server was accomodating of our little girl. She doesn't want sauce to touch her food, and the kitchen changed the plating of a couple of dishes to accomodate her. To me, that's good service

If you can squeeze in dessert, the churros are a far cry from what the churro lady sells on the subway. Sweet, light donut sticks with a deep chocolate sauce for dipping. The goat cheese flan is one of the best desserts I've ever eaten. The goat cheese flavor isn't overly pronouced, but it's there enough to cut the sweetness a bit. It's original without being too strange for almost anyone to love.[/b]

Thank you Eliza I,m so happy that you like Mojito we are planing to have a kids menu out pretty soon with good choices for kids. Fernando/chef owner.

Mojto’s just adds to the great eating establishments in Louisville.
All of our dishes were well presented and tasted great.
Service was a little off balanced on bringing out the deserts at the same time but overall it was a fantastic meal.
Robin, get over the CJ rating with the Star system. It means nothing to me, as does the way you rated your old reviews with stars and numbers. Tell me if the food and service is good or bad and I think most readers can go for there. Why do you always have to comment on the CJ reviews?
Star rating is for first graders papers from the teacher.
Doug Chin

My brother and his family were in town visiting the last two days. They wanted to go somewhere for lunch that they couldn't get back home (which is just about anything!) Decisions decisions with all the great restaurants in Louisville. My choice narrowed down to Havana Rumba and Mojitos...and we decided on Mojito's. My brother who is a serious "meat and potato" man absolutely loved everything. . .as did everyone else.

It was another perfect visit to Mojito's! And having Nadia as our waitress made it top notch!

Looking forward to trying the brunch!

Thanks Lori and Doug. We are working on the brunch menu and I'm really happy with menu selection lots of different choices. Fernando.