Mo's: the best of Little Italy

MO'S CRAB AND PASTA FACTORY

502 Albemarle St.

Phone: 410-837-1600

Price: $15-$25

Location: Little Italy

Hours: Mon.-Sun.: 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

Web site: http://www.mosseafood.com

The name "Mo's Crab and Pasta Factory" gave me a funny picture in my head. It was a picture of Moe Szyslak, the bartender from The Simpsons, in a warehouse pulling down a lever that squeezed out spaghetti noodles. I had no idea what to expect. Yet, I couldn't be too picky. I had recently begun to search for new Italian restaurants after several disappointing trips to Sabatino's, which is popularly known as the best Italian restaurant in Baltimore.

Upon immediately entering the restaurant, one can see that this is no shady joint. Lining the wall next to the entrance are photographs of the many celebrities that have dined at Mo's. The restaurant is huge, with a bar and seating downstairs and an expansive upstairs with another bar and plenty of seating. The atmosphere is much nicer than many other Little Italy restaurants because of its great view of Baltimore.

As my friends and I sat down to dinner, I was slightly worried that the menu would match the atmosphere: good but expensive. However, the menu had plenty of moderately-priced possibilities and offered a wide range of options, including chicken, beef and seafood dishes, as well as traditional Italian dishes. With such a large and extensive menu, it was difficult to decide. Finally, I ordered the fried calamari as an appetizer and the linguini with shrimp scampi as my main course.

The fried calamari was certainly not a letdown in any way. It was certainly not among the worst calamari I've had in Baltimore (Sabatino's), nor was it the best (Donna's). It was generally the quality I would expect from a nice Italian restaurant, and that, plus the tasty gourmet salad that came with my entrZe, served as an excellent prelude to a great meal.

The linguini with shrimp scampi was certainly the highlight of the evening. It struck me as odd that it was not simply called "shrimp scampi," as chain restaurants like the Olive Garden call it. I would soon find out why it had the different name. This was no chain restaurant pasta dish.

The dish was like two meals in one. A seemingly endless bowl of linguini in a creamy garlic sauce that was at the bottom, but it was hard to see through the pile of shrimp that graced the top. These were no baby shrimp, either. They were large, tender and flavorful, and I was surprised that they were able to include so much shrimp with the dish and still keep the price reasonable. I don't think I could have finished the shrimp alone in one sitting.

Dessert was out of the question after such as huge meal. Not being able to eat nearly as much as I used to, I wrapped the remainder of my meal in a doggy bag and was able to make another two lunches out of the leftovers.

Mo's Crab and Pasta Factory is not only the best Italian I've had in Baltimore, but one of the best Italian restaurants I've been to, period. This, plus its reasonable price and generous portions make it a place that I will be sure to return to and that every person should try. If you're looking for the most bang for your buck, head to Mo's in Little Italy.

Mo's Seafood has six locations in the Baltimore area, some of which are restaurants and some of which are seafood markets.