BUDDHA-LICIOUS UPSCALE SEAFOOD IS THE CATCH AT NEW AGOURA HILLS EATERY.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic MOZ MOZ Mozambique (ISO Country code) MOZ Million Ounces (mining) MOZ Motoroktanzahl (German: motor octane number) , pronounced ``moh-z,'' not to be confused with a restaurant called Mo's, and apparently named after its owner, Moez Megji, is an ambitious new, somewhat upscale dining and drinking hangout in Agoura Hills. Megji, who also owns the Fins restaurants in Westlake and Calabasas, sticks to his successful seafood direction, this time with strong Asian accents. With his Fins executive chef Roberto Leyva, Megji has developed an appealing, contemporary menu that allows dinner patrons to easily spend $50 or $60 a person, especially if they opt for the more expensive Maine lobster, Dungeness crab Dungeness crab Edible crab (Cancer magister) found along the Pacific coast from Alaska to lower California, one of the coast's largest and most important commercial crabs. The male is 7–9 in. (18–23 cm) wide and 4–5 in. (10–13 cm) long. or ribeye steak entrees. That's because many of the starter items run between $9 and $13 each and desserts are ticketed in the $7 range. So, by the time drinks, wine et al. get into the act, dining here is no budget-saving suburban outing. But, to its credit, Moz, a spacious, comfortable, expensively appointed restaurant, lounge and fire-lit patio, tries hard to place itself at the top of the area's avant-garde dineries, ready to please a hip, relatively affluent adult clientele seeking a serious cooking venue. Only open a couple of weeks, Moz has yet to settle into a groove. Staffers, trying to acquaint themselves with a widely diverse menu that has a seared sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. ahi tuna dish on soba noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. ($13.95) on the first course side of the listings and a seared ahi tuna on wasabi mashed potatoes n. pl. 1. Potatoes which have been boiled and mashed to a pulpy consistency, usu. with sparing addition of milk, salt, butter, or other flavoring. It is a popular accompaniment to a meat course [U.S., 1900's], providing bulk and calories to a meal. ($21.95) on one of its main course pages, can easily get confused and order the wrong dish. Add to that dishes like a ``seafood ceviche'' ($12.95) of purportedly marinated scallops, shrimp, calamari and octopus (plus unlisted mussels and clams) which comes up as a handsome seafood salad (on greens), without the least hint of chile marinade spiciness, lacking any of the usual ceviche ce·vi·che or se·vi·che n. Raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice with olive oil and spices and served as an appetizer. [American Spanish, from Spanish cebiche, fish stew, from characteristics, and there can be customer confusion as well. The Moz kitchen, though, deserves its share of applause. It truly makes some delicious dishes. Dynamite scallops ($12.95), spicier than most sushi bar renditions, are superb, and the spicy tuna tempura Tempura - Language based on temporal logic. "Executing Temporal Logic Programs", B. Moszkowski, Camb U Press 1986. roll ($10.95) is a gem. I love the Moz recipe for roasted corn and crab soup (cup $4.95, bowl $7.95). And the wild mushroom and onion soup ($6.95), a sort of French onion soup French onion soup is an onion and beef broth based soup traditionally served with croutons and cheese as toppings. Although ancient in origin, this dish underwent a resurgence of popularity in the 1960s due to the growth of French cooking in the United States. with mushrooms, is also a worthy effort. However, there's a suggestion of a ``no bread'' policy. And both these soups cry out for bread companionship. Yes, if you insist, a couple of toasted, thinnish bread ovals will be brought to accompany certain starters. Similarly, the expensive and impressively prepared signature whole crab ($32.95) and spicy, wok-cooked Maine lobster topped with prawns ($29.95) arrive in all their solo glory, unaccompanied un·ac·com·pa·nied adj. 1. Going or acting without companions or a companion: unaccompanied children on a flight. 2. Music Performed or scored without accompaniment. by anything, even rice. When questioned about this one night, a waitress said that regular white rice was there for the asking Adv. 1. for the asking - on the occasion of a request; "advice was free for the asking" on request . At these prices you'd think it would be served automatically. For lobster fanciers, it's gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. to see lobster chunks show up here and there. A tasty, entree-size lobster Cobb-style salad ($13.95) and mashed potatoes studded with lobster pieces ($9) are both worth trying. As for the smaller decapods, a plate dubbed ``hot and spicy crackling shrimp'' ($16.95), which resembles an everyday wok-fried shrimp and vegetables dish as done in your neighborhood Chinese restaurant, should be passed up in favor of the nicely done Moz version of tiger prawns with buckwheat buckwheat, common name for certain members of the Polygonaceae, a family of herbs and shrubs found chiefly in north temperate areas and having a characteristic pungent juice containing oxalic acid. Species native to the United States are most common in the West. soba noodles in a ginger and garlic sauce ($19.95). The only nonseafood entree experienced, a lamb curry ($19.95) offering, reminds one of how well a favorite Indian restaurant can cook a similar dish at less than half the price. But a trio of small, torched creme brulees ($7), reminiscent of those at Chinois on Main, gives a definitive lift to a meal's ending. And you know that that groove Moz needs to be in could be just around the corner. MOZ BUDDHA BAR Food: Three stars. Wine: Two stars. Service: Two stars. Where: 30105 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills. Hours: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, for dinner from 4 p.m. nightly, to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, to midnight Friday and Saturday, to 10 p.m. Sunday. Recommended items: Corn and crab soup, wild mushroom and onion soup, dynamite scallops, ahi tuna roll, lobster Cobb salad, ahi tuna on soba noodles, tiger prawns, Dungeness crab in black bean black bean see castanospermum australe, erythrophleumchlorostachys. sauce, wok-cooked spicy Maine lobster topped with prawns, lobster mashed potatoes, trio of creme brulees. How much: Starters from $4 to $15, entrees from $15 to $33, desserts $6.50 to $12 each. Full bar. All major credit cards. Wine list: Well-rounded selection on a two-page list of 94 bottlings that include Kenwood-produced chardonnay ($22) and cabernet sauvignon ($25) bearing Fins house labels. No vintage dates noted except on '93 Dom Perignon. Prices run from $19 (Bollini pinot grigio) to $210 (Opus One and Roederer Cristal). No apparent bargains. Corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere : $15. Reservations: Suggested. Call (818) 735-0091. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: At Moz Buddha Bar, owner Moez Megji, left, manager Zsuzsana Hutchinson and executive chef Roberto Leyva present menu selections, which include lobster eggrolls. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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