As I was working on writing the interview with Scooby Doo illustrator Scott Neely for this month’s issue, it put me in a fun, playful mood. I was starving and wanted to grab a bite to get my creative juices flowing. I called my friend Jason and asked him to meet me at Moe’s Grille in Springfield. Moe’s is themed around the longest running prime-time comedy series in US TV History, The Simpsons…after all, it is in Springfield!

The restaurant atmosphere is family friendly. I had the joy of watching a child enter for his first time-seeing the large life size Simpson family sitting on a couch in the back.
His eyes lit up as he peered across the room at the characters in complete amazement. Although I had eaten at Moe’s Grille in the past, I was excited as I had recently heard they had a completely new menu! Not that anything was wrong with the old one in my book-but I am always excited to hear new as I know the chef has then poured his heart and soul into creating his perfect masterpiece of offerings.

We were greeted by a friendly hostess who introduced us to our waitress, Theresa. She was cheerful and friendly as she led us to a booth in the back right by the Simpsons. She gave us the new menus and to my delight, the new offerings were plentiful and some of my old favorites remained. Theresa took our drink order and quickly returned with them in hand. She sensed our indecisiveness on what appetizer we wanted and asked if we’d like to begin with Moe’s Starter Platter. Chicken fingers, fried raviolis, cordon blue bites, and poppers for $12.99

were a perfect start as we wanted to try one of everything! The platter was served to us quickly and included three sauces for dipping the various samplings. Everything was fried golden brown and tasty. The ravioli’s were my favorite as I could taste a blend of mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta cheese. The cordon blue bites were another top of my list as the chicken was delicately stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese-pure comfort food.

For our main entrees, we both decided to order two each. Now, before you judge, we knew there would be leftovers for us to take home to our spouses who both had to work late and couldn’t join us. Those seated around us may have thought that we had eyes bigger than our stomachs, as everyone knows who goes to Moe’s that you never leave hungry! The dishes are large and the portions are bountiful.

Jason went with the Kansas City Strip Steak ($20.99). It was a 16oz. bone in C.A.B. (Certified Angus Beef) strip steak seasoned and grilled to perfection with sautéed mushrooms. It’s a huge steak! It was served with a salad, smashed potatoes and broccoli rabe. A strong steak knife accompanied the dish so Jason could dig right in.

He also wanted to try Mia’s Tortellacci ($11.99). It was jumbo tortellini filled with butternut squash and amaretto cookies in a light amaretto cream sauce. This dish was truly unique. And yes, I meant to say Amaretto cookies! Think back to when Pillsbury held the Million-Dollar Bake-Off and the winner made a chicken dish using frozen waffles and you will understand that sometimes the most delicious culinary finds come from the blending of the most unusual ingredients. The chef at Moe’s outdid himself with Mia’s Tortellacci! I had to sample it when it came to the table as the smell of the sauce was absolutely mouthwatering. This was Jason’s favorite pick of the night. We later found out that the dish was named by the chef, Bart, after his daughter, Mia. If you are ready to explore a great new find, this one is it! I decided on the Crab Imperial ($15.99)

which was phenomenal! It was baked in an elongated dish with a light crust on top. Throughout the dish was large lump fresh crabmeat. The sauce was creamy and rich. It was definitely filling. It was accompanied with rice and broccoli rabe.

I also ordered the Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli ($13.99). Triangle shaped, the ravioli was filled with large pieces of lobster and shrimp in a sherry wine cream sauce. Seriously-you see the large pieces of seafood inside the pocket of pasta when you cut it with your fork! I highly recommend both dishes for seafood lovers.

After we were both stuffed, we asked Theresa if we could wrap up our leftovers. She quickly returned with several take out containers for us. Although we couldn’t fit one more bite, Moe’s does offer tempting desserts. As we said our goodbyes to Theresa and were getting ready to make our exit…we detoured back into the bar area. We could see through the glass door there was a ton of fun going on and we wanted to be included.

The creative atmosphere in the bar is fun and lively. Simpsons themed accessories decorate the walls. Big televisions line the bar. No matter what seat you are in-you have a great view! There are bar games for those who want to partake, a jukebox, and tables in the back for friends to gather and eat.

The fun Jason and I were witnessing was a Quizzo tournament just beginning. The live trivia game was popularized right here in our area in 1995 and since has become popular in cities across the US. Moe’s Grille is the perfect pub to host such a tournament. Honestly, this remake of Duff’s Tavern from the hit TV show is the place where you will run into friends, old and new.

Moe’s Grille is located at 121 South State Road in Springfield. Moe’s opens on Monday thru Saturdays at 11:30am and at 12 noon on Sundays. There is plenty of free parking-so tell your friends to meet you there-the more the merrier! Call 610-328-2901 for more information.