oba oba harrisburg

Johanna was in town this weekend, so we made plans to check out Brasilian Jazz band Oba Oba Brasil at Jackie Blue. First, though, we headed to Moe’s Southwest Grill at the “Shoppes at Susquehanna” (the new shopping center near Cracker Barrel — and the old EarthLink building — off Progress Avenue). I was craving Mexican food, and knew that sating such a craving would be nearly impossible in Harrisburg, but since I’d never been to Moe’s, I was hopeful.

Moe’s is a narrow storefront, in the Quizno’s or even Subway tradition. That is, the customer spends a while trying to figure out the menu — in this case further complicated by the bizarre names given to each item — then orders it from the person on the other side of the counter. Regardless of what the customer has ordered, though, the employee will walk the customer through the preparation of their order piece by piece. I, for example, ordered an “Other Lewinsky”, a taco which differs from “The Full Monty” in that it comes with guacamole and sour cream. When, however, we reached that point on the assembly line, the preparer asked if I would like guacamole and sour cream. While I appreciate the greater customization available with this system, I would have preferred not to have to figure out the menu if I was going to have to make every decision again a minute later anyway. A much simpler system would be to list the main categories — burrito, taco, quesadilla, and fajita — and gather information on an as-needed basis. It occurs to me that this is how Chipotle does it. It’s a better system.

The Moe’s system, though, did result in me getting what I wanted, and that’s all that really counts. Almost. My taco was good. It was better than anything I’ve ever had at El Rodeo, and probably even better than what I’ve had at Herbie’s. I haven’t had enough Herbie’s experience to have the disdain for them that I do for El Rodeo, though. Anyway, my taco was good. Except that the meat and beans were really salty. Oddly salty. Johanna pointed out that, even more oddly, the guacamole was too salty. This undermined the freshness that is vital to this kind of cuisine, and made a significant difference for me. Don’t get me wrong — I’ll probably go back — and Moe’s is now the best option for grabbing a little-closer-to-authentic taco in Harrisburg. It’s even better than Taco Bell.

After the salty meat, Johanna and I headed into the city to the aforementioned Jackie Blue to see the aforementioned Oba Oba Brasil, which has no web presence of its own, but is closely related (in terms of band members, not so much style) to Chester Attic. Oba Oba Brasil features Frederico on percussion, and also includes Monica Carr, Brent Shallcross, Dan Stief, and, of course, Erik and Fred Otteson. This was the group’s second performance together, although Dan, Erik, and Fred are also 3/4ths of Chester Attic.

It was a blast. Jackie Blue was packed — although not uncomfortably so — and Fred mentions in today’s entry that it was “the biggest revenue night the restaurant / bar had ever had.” I imagine that’s a record that won’t stand for long, as Jackie Blue is a great place. It’s a great combination of classy, fun, and laid back, and is completely unrecognizable from its previous incarnation as Double Jack’s. I haven’t eaten there, but I’ve heard only good things about the food. The mojitos were good.

The music was good, too. Very good. Johanna and I danced, although not nearly as well as the Brasilians — and even some non-Brasilians — also present and dancing. I think I say this every time I try to write about anything musical, but — I’m not musical, and so I can’t give a critical analysis of the evening, but I *can* say that it was a good time and definitely worth repeating. The group is playing at Suba, the tapas bar at Mangia Qui, this coming Saturday. I highly recommend checking it out.