Mojo Cafe ~ Ludlow, Vermont

AleciaJun 26, 20192 min read

By MELISSA PASANEN

Currently open Tuesday- Thursday 4:00-8:00pm

By Alecia Armstrong

I decided I needed a treat after a very busy and long shift. I stopped in on a Tuesday night and bellied myself up to the counter. From there I could watch my food being made right there and interact with the chefs. I treated myself to one of the best IPAs I'd ever had. Wished I remembered the name! Turns out they cycle through different IPAs every week. I only had one choice! ..............That was to make Tuesday nights a ritual outing. Below is the nightly special fish bowl. I believe this one was catfish, my absolute favorite!

Ludlow attracts writers and radio people. Read what Seven Days wrote....

"I'd heard only good things about this funky fusion spot where John and Jodi Seward and their team have been serving up a creative mix of Mexican, Cajun and what they call "street food" since the summer of 2014.

The Sewards are originally from neighboring Mount Holly (John) and Rutland (Jodi). After more than 14 years of working for other restaurants in the area, John said, they decided that "it was time to put our own ideas into action." Their exuberant menu travels the world in its varied flavors and textures: from broiled crawfish bread (like the best tuna melt ever) to spiced cauliflower-and-plantain tacos to restorative ramen soup made with house chicken stock.

The narrow, orange-walled space is imbued with quirky charm: A rubber chicken hangs from the ceiling fan, and a full drum set is tucked in an alcove over the open kitchen. The café's only negative is that, on a busy weekend, you might have to wait a while for a table.

We had to try the famous lobster nachos ($18), designed by John at the Food Network's request. (The channel was preparing a roundup of next-level nachos, though Mojo's wasn't featured in the end.) A generous pile of local tortilla chips, topped with sweet morsels of tempura-battered lobster and spangled with a mix of peppers, melted local cheese and lemongrass-wasabi aioli, hit all the right notes.

We could have stopped there, but tacos called. The Nashville hot chicken taco ($6.25) carries a spiciness warning and elicits a chuckle when you see that the cayenne-amped fried chicken comes wrapped in a slice of white bread and a tortilla. The slow-roasted green chile pork taco ($4.25) was so tender and smoky-delicious that I would happily drive two hours just to eat it again.

Key lime pie ($5) caught our eye from the specials board. It proved, once again, that Mojo does everything with its own twist, from the graham cracker crust made with plantains to the whipped cream spiked with Grand Marnier.

"My life is better than your vacation," proclaimed a sticker over the counter. Our mini-vacation was off to a great start.