Moto-i

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The tapas model, where restaurants feature a food menu made up of mostly small plates, seems to be the new way to go with Twin Cities restaurants. There's new spots Barrio, with its Latin food paired with tequila, and Smalley's, with its BBQ with rum, both of which have done a commendable job of pairing up specialty drinks with flavorful specialty cuisine.

It's a method we can get behind. Take a group of friends out for drinks and share around the little dishes that come to the table, sample some of the specialty drinks, and have yourselves a merry little outing.

The same merry little outing is awaiting you at Moto-i, the new Uptown bar and restaurant from the brains, and brewer, of the Herkimer. Just off of Lake and Lyndale, Moto-i's drink of choice is sake, the Japanese rice wine. The restaurant offers a full sake experience, and does a good job of educating customers on how the sake is made—and Moto-i should know, since it's the first sake brewery to open outside of Japan.

An essential element of the education is the sake flight, which brings three different shots of sake on an instuctional placemat that discusses the different grades and flavors of sake. Our favorite was the Junmai Nama; although not the sample with the most alcohol, we were charmed by the hint of melon. (And if you're looking for a drink brewed closer to home, don't worry, they have domestic beer, too.)

Along with the educational drinking, Moto-i serves great food. We took a look at several dishes on the Moto-i menu that could mix and match to make a great meal for a group of people. The pork dumplings, the Rangoon and the ribs were all appetizer-sized portions, but packed in great deal of quality into the small quantity. The rotisseria hen was a little larger in the amount of food that comes out—it's an actual cooked hen prepped on a plate—but was also well done.

Although Moto-i has a lengthly list of small plates to choose from, their main dishes deliver on the deliciousness too. If you're the kind of person who like to draw out a bit of sweat from a spicy dish, try the coconut green curry. The ingredient list—mushrooms, scallions, cocnut milk, chili and curry—doesn't sound out of the ordinary, but the dish quickly builds in heat and will have spice fans sweating by the end of the bowl. 

For something a little more mild, but just as flavorful, try the Yakiudon, which is a bowl of noodles. In the sauce, the noodles are consistent, soft but still a little firm, and delicious.

If you're just going for drinks, order up a glass of the Vietnamese beef jerky or the roasted peanuts which are spiced with Thai chili. Both come in a cup lined with a corner from a Japanese newspaper, the final attention to detail that helps Moto-i, and the increasing tapas approach, serve the Twin Cities well.

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