Great design at Moxies

There are some nice and modern places in Ottawa and I think it's important to recognize that. One of them is a restaurant called Moxies in Gloucester. Clearly whoever designed that place took the time to give it a nice feel and appearance. First, the exterior is well appointed and gives a very good first impression with its welcoming planters on either side of the entrance door, a beautiful stone facade and a two story terrace (I still have to try it on a nice night). The materials they use are also very modern: wood, metal, glass, stone are very noble and trendy materials nowadays. The shape of the building is reminiscent of modern architecture from the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright (one of my favorite architects). And the outdoor lighting is very sculptural and enhances the look of the building at night.

The inside doesn't disappoint either. The stone wall continues right indoors and morphs into a fireplace (must be great in the winter, gotta try that too). There's a nice flow to this two-story restaurant. It doesn't feel cramped or stuffy. Everything is clean and well kept. There's no weird smells, no dirty carpet, no ripped fabric. There's a nice attention to details and a good application of basic design rules such as rhythm through repetition, balance and appropriate scale.

Unlike the Mercury Lounge, the lights are properly installed ;) and their style matches the style of the space. They also create a very nice and intimate ambiance at the various tables and booths.

Even the kitchen looks nice and clean! You can actually see the chefs and sous-chefs working. They take their work seriously and they look organized. They also look like they are having a great time cooking and they seem to like what they do. (I saw some of them dancing to the music of the restaurant as they were cooking ... ah yeah, great music... another good touch). There's a really nice oven: a nice focal point in the kitchen. I love the cylindrical shape of above the hood with the horizontal slats: very dramatic By the way the pizzas from that oven are awesome.

I also like the little extras they put into the decor of the place. Every time I've been there, I noticed new fresh flowers. I think they are changed on a regular basis. It just makes the space that much better and makes you want to come back again and again.

On top of that the food, drinks and staff are awesome, which is also very important for a restaurant. The food is fresh and tasty. The portions are just right. There a good variety of drinks to choose from. The staff looks nice and is very professional, polite and friendly. And the restaurant is open till late (finally we found a great place that still serve food past midnight in Ottawa!).

Moxie's Gloucester definitely deserves some kudos for the way they do business. I hope they keep it up and more establishments follow their lead and offer great food, great service and great ambiance. They best way I can describe this place is that it's sexy :).

P.S. Moxie's is a Canadian restaurant founded in Calgary with a nice sense of humor...