Moe's Char House — Restaurant in Chanhassen

Update 11.25.24 I gave them another shot and Im even more disappointed the second time around. I had the Kobe Kai stir fry bowl and it was beyond terrible. The rice was absolute mush. Think overdone risotto. The name "Kobe" would indicate some sort of beef with the bowl, but it was just under seasoned veggies with the disintegrated rice. To quote their menu online: Kobe Kai Stir-Fry Stir-fried beef, mixed vegetables, and rice noodles in a savory sauce, garnished with scallions and sesame seeds.

There was no meat, no scallions and certainly not noodles.

My dinner companion had pasta with overcooked limp noodles in Cajun sauce that was drowning the dish. One of the kiddos had a sirloin steak that was cooked to a medium rare perfection, but whatever seasoning or basting sauce they use is very off putting. We all tried a piece and agreed.

I would not waste my money here when there are plenty of great options just down hwy 5 in Eden Prairie. Such a bummer!

Original Review: I was really excited to try this new spot in Chan, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to expectations. The charm and atmosphere that Axel’s once had are completely gone. The space feels disjointed, with a clear division between the bar and dining room that lacks any sense of flow.

The dining room features these awkward crescent-shaped booths that make it nearly impossible to sit and talk comfortably with your companion. To engage in conversation, you’d need to prop a leg up and twist toward the other person. The tables for these booths are also oddly shaped half-circles, which made it cramped and impractical.

We ordered an appetizer and an entree each, and the plates were practically stacked on top of each other. The table was so small I had to hold my water glass because there was no room to set it down.

As for the food, it was disappointing. I had a burger that tasted like something you could get anywhere—mass-produced, with no noticeable seasoning or care in preparation. My friend ordered the lobster roll, which was overly fishy and chewy. The regular and sweet potato fries were just okay, while the onion rings were mostly batter with very little onion.

Given the price point, I expected much better quality—something on par with Redstone, but it fell far short.

On a positive note, the service was great. Our waitress was attentive and knowledgeable, which was a highlight of the experience.

I had hoped to find a new go-to spot to visit a few times a month, but sadly, this...

Great service, decent enough atmosphere but terrible food.

For the owner: this is the second time here and here's what I would do to quickly improve. This is going to be critical as these reviews will keep coming from people disappointed in the food quality.

The first time we visited the salads were over-sauced and the pasta was also over sauced and over seasoned. The second time we visited we just had apps and those were under seasoned and mono-flavored.

Specifically the two apps are the artichoke dip and the prime rib bites. The artichoke dip is a singular flavor of cheese. There is no nuance whatsoever and it represents the least desirable dip I can imagine. For this dish I would increase the mayo, add some heat like crushed red pepper maybe some acid would help. Do something, anything and it should improve. For the best (and weirdest) artichoke dip, go a couple miles and visit North Coop. Copy them. Next the bites, these were dry chunks of rubbery nothingness on a bed of fried onion bits served with very bland sauces. Season these better with some real sea salt bits and improve these sauces as they are very bland.

People WANT you to do well and succeed but this is not going to work if there are alternatives that make better food within literal feet of your front door. Review the food that is coming out immediately and really assess what it tastes...

After a fun evening out, we decided to look on Google Maps for nearby restaurants and found this gem. Instantly, we were impressed with the atmosphere. Our server, Lauren, was very kind and helpful, which is reflective of their entire staff. The food was phenomonal. We ordered the onion rings (which were huge!). They were probably the best onion rings I've ever had, and it is easy to mess up an onion ring. I don't know what sauce they served it with, but they should bottle that and sell it, because, man, it was so good. We also ordered the spinach and artichoke dip, and it was by far the best version of that dish I have ever had, too. It puts every other attempt at it to shame. We both devoured it and loved every bite. We also ordered the Cajun chicken pasta, which had such a rich and flavorful multi-layered sauce, and the Pub Burger absolutely hit the spot. All around, very very impressed. At the end of our meal, we got to speak with one of the head chefs, Chris, to tell him just how impressed we were with the food and our experience. He was very personable and friendly, and grateful we enjoyed our evening. We are from out of town, but we promised we'd be back to introduce new friends to this place. Very much looking forward to returning. This is the first review I've ever written for a restaurant, but they've earned the praise....