Moxie Modern — Restaurant in Long Branch

So I am going to start by saying I had high hopes for this place and maybe with time they will be able to work out some of these kinks.

The Good: this place is aesthetically pleasing, it’s modern and pretty, creating a nice ambience. They have valet which I always appreciate. Some of the food was wonderful: fried burratta, brussell sprouts and the rumbaba all wonderful. Waitress was pleasant and was trying. We were credited for the mistakes which we appreciate.

The Bad: COMMUNICATION! We waited 40 minutes from being seated to get our drinks, all to find out they were out of Lychee and therefore couldn’t make our martinis after ALL that time. As a former bartender I just shake my head. The bone marrow mousse app is suppose to be flambéd, but they don’t coordinate that. The runner who brought it let us know what to expect but after several minutes no one came had to ask directly for it, it was NOT worth the wait. Ordered the tuna crispy rice as an intermediate course, would love to tell you how it was but they NEVER brought it, our server mentioned it was coming and then 15 min later out came our steaks, they apologized but it was a missed opportunity. The cowboy ribeye was not good, over cooked (wanted medium rare) was super fatty and not one bit seasoned not even a pinch of salt. It was bland and lack luster. Sides (truffle fries, lobster Mac) were okay with the exception of the Brussel sprouts which were delicious. Our waitress was nice and clearly running between maybe too many tables to properly keep track of the meal. I feel a lot of the issues would have not happened had she been able to be more attentive. Finally, where was a manager? New restaurant, multiple issues, not just our table (heard a few around us with concerns). My husband and I go out often, the importance of a manager to mitigate issues cannot be overstated. Again, I harken back to their main issue that they do not properly communicate with each other from the front, to the bar, to wait staff, to the kitchen and I guess to the manager. This place has sooo much potential but until they get their act together sadly will not be back. As always try for yourself, this was just our Saturday...

Moxie Modern has the lineage and potential to be a top-notch restaurant. My wife and I decided to try it for our wedding anniversary. It was largely good, and though I realize Moxie is a new restaurant going through some opening woes, there are a few items that concerned me. But first, I must say the food was good. The shrimp were deveined, clean and tasty and the spicy rigatoni was quite tasty. Other dishes were equally impressive. The problems began with a lengthy 40-minute wait between ordering and receiving our appetizers without any reason from our waiter, who was only adequate. During that time, I saw a busboy carrying at least 10 rolls of toilet paper parading through the dining room. Forgive me, but shouldn't that be done before the restaurant opens? Then for drinks, I asked for an iced tea (non-alcoholic). It was already sweetened and tasted like it came out of a soda fountain. A good restaurant MUST have freshly brewed, unsweetened iced tea, a staple of the Jersey shore. I sent it back and got bottled water but was still charged for the tea. Very bad. Also, the rest room could have been much cleaner. The owner, Jake I believe, stopped at our table to chat. He could not have been nicer. He told of us his decades long experiences in the hospitality field. I'm sure he will make the necessary changes to make his new restaurant great. I hope so because with items like fresh seafood and Pat LaFrieda beef the potential is there. I will return and hopefully up my review to...

Based on the decor and location, its trying to be the next upscale restaurant in long branch. Unfortunately it failed bad.

Had reservations at 7:30 and were seated fairly quickly. We were sat upstairs. This may or may not have contributed to the excruciatingly slow service. After being there for one hour and 15 minutes, we had 1 round of drinks only and finally received our appetizers. The oysters were quite good and were the highlight of the meal. Most of us had steaks (ribeye, strip and skirt). All the steaks were fine. Not great, not bad just fine but fine doesn't cut it at this price point. They all came with a roasted garlic. I dont know if the garlic was old, over/undercooked or what, but it was dry and rubbery. You couldn't just squeeze it out. We had to pull out each individual clove and forcibly press it down to try to smear it the best we could. Less than appetizing I assure you.

By this point we are over 2 hours into our meal and had to flag our waiter down to clear off the empty glasses and app plates and to order round 2 of drinks. Finally at 3 hours in we decided we weren't going to order dessert/coffee/dessert drinks as the wait was insane and we were less than impressed with them anyway. Did I forget to mention that? Yes, drinks were meh to kinda ok at best. The lychee martini didnt taste like lychee and the bourbon blackberry drink just tasted like fruit punch.

There are way too many great places in the area at this price point that you should...