LITTLE MOIR’S LEFTOVERS
REVIEW: SEVEN OUT OF TEN STROLLERS
I took the kid and a dinner companion to Little Moir’s Leftovers in Jupiter, Florida on Tuesday night at 5:30pm.
Since moving to the area a few years ago, I heard about two Jupiter culinary strip mall institutions, Little Moir’s Food Shack and Little Moir’s Leftovers The owner, Mike Moir, has an interesting story if you have some time to read it. The oft-told story locally goes that Moir first opened Little Moir’s Food Shack in a strip mall along U.S.1 and Indiantown Road.
Then he opened Little Moir’s Leftovers in another strip mall on Military Trail. Finally, he opened Maxi’s Lineup, a tapas place next door to Food Shack with live music. In 2012, his cook protege Tim Lipman, opened up a new hotspot called Coolinary Cafe also in a strip mall on Donald Ross. See a complimentary article here. Coolinary Cafe is a hundred or so feet from Burger Bar which was reviewed here previously.
In the article I mentioned above, I read that Mike Moir said that he “would see moms driving around with their kids in car seats,” He “wanted to open a place for them, where the kids could have their mac-and-cheese while their moms were having seared tuna, cucumber and avocado salads.”
That is exactly the kind of place I like, so we went and here is my experience. We visited Leftovers on a Tuesday night right after work. Three of us went and were greeted by nice young hosts who led us to our tables. It was about 99 degrees outside so I was pleased to find a comfortable and cool seating area at the front to wait for our table. After a few minutes were were seated at the back of the restaurant, in what appeared to be a “children’s section” with a few stragglers. The servers were nice, the tables were colorful and unsophisticated, and the walls were filled with bright colors and paintings of local fare for sale.
The couple without children eyed us a bit but were friendly as we sat at a table about half a foot from theirs. I felt cramped, with no room for a stroller, and the brightness of the room was not my particular taste. Strip malls are also not my favorite, but this one is nicer than others. I had a beer and my companion a soda, and looked over the menu. It is handwritten and features a lot of cool stuff and different specials. I found it overwhelming for a first visit with a child and the prices at around $25 a plate seemed high for the family set.
After we ordered a fish sandwich, chicken salad, and kid’s grilled cheese, we waited for what seemed like a long time for the food to arrive. The kid was getting restless, as were we. At this point, we wondered what all the fuss was about. Was there such a lack of quality dining in the area, that this becomes the standard? When my companion’s order came out without dressing on the side, and the kid started grumbling, we were talking deep breaths and thinking of TV shows at home. The tropical music in the background only increased the irritation.
But…then we tasted the food. It was wonderful. The fish was fresh and delicious, a mix of delicate and filling. The salad was the best my companion has eaten in the area she said. All was forgiven. Now it was clear what the draw was– looking past the strip mall, and even the decor to fantastic fresh food, well made and original. The menu now came to life for us, with the possibilities of new creations. We talked about takeout and making this our place to take guests for fish.
Still, as far a review goes I gave it 7/10 strollers because of the potential for crowds, and a lack of a relaxing, fun ambiance. Look for quiet days and off-hours to get in and grab your food.
I would love to hear what you think about any of the places mentioned!
Up Down Travel 
One thought