First Look: Moxie, Opening at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst on Monday October, 26

If you were a diner in Northeast Ohio in the early aughts, you most certainly would have beat a path to Moxie in Beachwood. And once seated in the colorful, contemporary dining room, you likely would have enjoyed regional American dishes such as crab cakes, crispy calamari, wedge salads, Bell & Evans airline chicken breast, the Moxie burger and bread pudding.

When Moxie reopens at Legacy Village on Monday October, 26, diners will be able to re-live those taste memories by ordering dishes such as crab cakes, crispy calamari, wedge salads, Bell & Evans airline chicken breast, the Moxie burger and bread pudding.

One year after opening in 1998, Moxie was named by Esquire magazine as one of the best new restaurants in America, a massive triumph considering Cleveland’s less-than-outsize reputation back then. The ebullient American bistro, founded by partners Brad Friedlander and Craig Sumers, started with a bang and continued to thrive for years thanks to top-toque talent that included Doug Katz, Jonathan Bennett, Karen Small, Eric Williams, Tim Bando and many others.

This time around, Friedlander is teaming up with Michael DuBois, his partner in concepts such as EVOO at Legacy Village and Odd Fellows in Chagrin Falls.

“Ever since our closure in 2019, patrons have continually asked about their favorite dishes and recipes,” Friedlander explains. “People really want it back and I think it’s still relevant.”

To come up with the menu – a sort of greatest hits compilation that spans Moxie’s 21-year run – Friedlander consulted with longtime chef Bennett. The opening menu, now under the direction of chef Scott Stiving, is studded with the dishes that made the most lasting impressions.

“The appearance is very different, the dishware is different, the silverware is different, but the food essentially is the same,” adds Friedlander.

This go around, Friedlander swapped Beachwood for Lyndhurst, taking the former Bar Louie space at Legacy Village and reworking it into a polished and upscale dining room and bar. Moxie will enjoy a more reasonable footprint than its predecessor thanks to the creation of a separate lounge, The Seven, in the rear of the space. Moxie 1.0 fans will find the same sort of oversize booths in the dining room that have long been a signature feature of Friedlander’s restaurants.

The Seven, which will open in the coming weeks, is an intimate cocktail lounge with its own entrance, kitchen and restrooms. The goal is to create a late-night destination for drinks, food, dessert and entertainment.

“In this room we’re going to have the seven best cocktails, the seven best appetizers, the seven best entrees – completely different from the restaurant,” explains DuBois.

The 35-seat lounge will offer small plates, sandwiches and desserts that might include a variety of raw and cooked oysters, shrimp cocktail, French dip, smash burgers and dessert.

Moxie will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

“Our mission is to bring back the hospitality, connection, and sense of occasion that made Moxie unforgettable, while creating a place where tomorrow’s stories can begin.”