January 7, 2023 (updated April 25, 2023)
So that really is how you spell it, three “o”s and four “.”s. Mooo…. is part of the Columbus Hospitality group which includes Ostra, Mistral, Sorellina, and two other Mooo…. locations. I’ve been to the Beacon Hill Mooo… several times, but was never really that impressed. I only have been to Sorellina and Mistral one time each, but Ostra, I have been to many times and really like it.
In Burlington, Mooo…. is located in the former L’Andana space. I really like the renovations they made. It is now more modern and less cavernous. The service was friendly but spotty. A couple of drink orders were screwed up, though quickly reset, and our server was sure there weren’t mushrooms in the meatballs before coming back and telling us there were. To drink I had a casino cocktail, a glass of very good pinot noir, and a dark rum. They have a strong wine list, both by the bottle and by the glass, as well as some nice choices for whiskey.
The food was really good, and we didn’t even get steak. We started with a shrimp cocktail. It was very traditional, six shrimp on ice with lemon and cocktail sauce, but the shrimp was large and perfectly cooked. They also brought complementary rolls. They were excellent too, doughy, brushed with butter, and sprinkled with salt. I was glad to see them served with butter and not olive oil as they used to serve with the bread at L’Andana.
Instead of getting steaks, we got two appetizers and a side. The steak tartare comes out under a glass dome filled with smoke that perfumes the table when they remove it, but the smokey flavor is not as noticeable as the aroma. That’s not a problem though because the tartare is excellent. The beef is tender and is garnished with soft boiled quail eggs. On the side is a very excellent bone marrow toast.
Meatballs, as mentioned above, are made with American Wagyu and mushrooms and served in a red wine demi in place of the traditional red sauce. The mushrooms give them an earthy punch and the sauce is a sophisticated upgrade that compliments the rest of the menu. It’s been a while since we had meatballs as enjoyable as these.
There are plenty of options for sides, including creamed spinach, panko-Parmesan onion rings, and heirloom squash brûlée. My son had some sea salt fries which was a generous serving, but pricy. My wife and I had brussels sprouts with bacon. The brussels were petite and topped with strips of bacon.
For dessert, I had to try the bananas foster. This is one of my favorite desserts. The best preparations I’ve ever had were at Brennan’s in New Orleans (of course) and at Gary Danko in San Fransisco. This wasn’t a tableside flambé, but was excellent nevertheless. There are two large scoops of vanilla ice cream on top of brûléed bananas and a rich butter cake. It is garnished with crispy cinnamon-sugar bananas. Over it all, you get to pour a rich rum sauce loaded with more bananas. It’s a decadent and certainly not going to help you lose weight, but worth every bite.
Overall, Mooo…. was excellent. In an area with a lot of steakhouses that come and go, Mooo…. is good enough to stay around. In fact, they might give The Bancroft a run for their money.
I’m probably at The Bancroft at least once a month, sometimes just for a drink, sometimes for a feast. If I’m not having a big meal, I like sitting in the lounge best, particularly the seats by the fireplace. It’s not a cheap meal, but if you want to treat yourself to something good, head over. Just don’t steal my seat.
Update April 25, 2023
I was at Mooo…. last night and need to make an update. In my first review, I said that the service was spotty, but last night it was excellent. Our waitress was Kim, and she was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We enjoyed talking to her about wine and her experience in the restaurant industry.
I will also add that oversized the creme brulee is very good, creamy and smooth. I’d still recommend the bananas foster though because that was mind-blowing.
Concord Culinary Lyceum 