After the play “The Winter View,” a friend and I decided to have a bite to eat and a cocktail before calling it a night. We knew that we were a little underdressed for the Harlem Grill so we headed over to The Den. After seeing the gathering of people waiting for tables outside The Den we continued walking down Fifth Avenue to 125th Street. We would try either MoBay or Bayou (more about Bayou in the next post) as a last chance effort to cop a cocktail and appetizer.As it turned out, the wait wasn’t too long at MoBay so we waited until seats at the bar became available and ordered our cocktails. My friend and I decided to have appetizers instead of entrees so we stayed at the bar which was lively and energetic. The band played a long R&B set and people seemed to be enjoying themselves on the warm pre-summer night.
I ordered their special rum punch and my friend ordered a “Change of Attitude” cocktail. Both of us enjoyed our selections. The bar has seating on both sides so it made it easy for us to converse with other patrons. We compared food items and everyone around us enjoyed what they had ordered.
A young lady sitting across from us ordered jerk chicken wings that were a bit too spicy for her palate, but she said they were very good and ate them all in spite of her scorched taste buds. Another young lady ordered cod fish cakes and her friend the catfish strips. My friend and I ordered crab cakes. The wait was reasonable and the crab cakes were quite good. The outside crust was perfectly browned and crunchy while the inside was full of tasty, well-seasoned crab meat.
Sitting next to us was an Aussie turned Harlemite jazz musician who was listening in on the set of a fellow musician. The vibe was loose, light and less pretentious than expected. I still felt a little underdressed but soon forgot about it amid the conversation and good libations.
Would I go back? The answer is a resounding yes! I found MoBay to be a nice hang out spot great for listening to live music and enjoying well mixed (though pricey) cocktails before or after another event. How would I rate my first visit to MoBay? I give them three stars out of four for their service, food and ambiance. How was your experience at MoBay?
Related: Bar Buzz :: Menu :: JC and the Jazz Hoppers
Posted on June 29, 2006 by D. Bell