Mo's Restaurants is an American restaurant chain located on the Oregon Coast and headquartered in Newport, Oregon. Mo's are named after their original owner Mohava "Mo" Niemi, who was once described as "the stuff of legend in Newport". [1]
Mo's restaurants serve primarily seafood and have long been noted for their New England style clam chowder, their own locally raised Yaquina Bay oysters and for their casual and friendly atmosphere. [2]
Mo's first opened on the Newport bay front in 1946 as "Freddie & Mo's"—a 24-hour restaurant that served the local loggers and fisherman such fare as spaghetti and steaks. Niemi's business partner Freddie Kent became ill a few years later and Niemi bought out her partner's shares of the restaurant. In the following years Mo's served more and more seafood, the clam chowder recipe evolved over time as the cooks would vie with each other to produce a better version. [3]
Over time Mo's would become a favorite, not just of locals, but of tourists and celebrities as well. Mo's second husband, retired fisherman Kaino "Dutch" Niemi along with friends often gathered at a table contributing to the "family" atmosphere of the restaurant. [4]
Great-granddaughter of Mo, Gabrielle McEntee-Wilson recalls in an interview "Granny Mo" saying (in regards to Mo's popularity) "The hippies discovered Mo's" during the 'sixties." According to McEntee-Wilson "It (Mo's) wasn't a concept—it grew on its own and changed over time." [3]
Henry Fonda, Paul Newman and other cast members of the film Sometimes a Great Notion (based on a novel by Ken Kesey about a dysfunctional family of Oregon coast loggers) ate there during location filming. Mo appears in one scene of the film as an extra. The scene was filmed in Newport's Bayhaven Inn, (renamed The Snag in the film). Mo and her father once owned the Inn in the early 1940s. [5] [6]
Oregon Governor Tom McCall and Senator Mark Hatfield and other Oregon politicians ate there as well. In 1973 Audrey McCall, wife of the Governor, arranged for the spouses of the Governors attending the Western Governors' Conference to have lunch at Mo's on the waterfront. [7]
Senator Robert F. Kennedy and his wife Ethel also visited the restaurant while he was campaigning for the Democratic Party 1968 Oregon primary election on May 24, 1968. [8]
The original Newport Mo's has an unusual front wall for a restaurant. One day a customer accidentally left her car in forward gear instead of reverse while leaving and crashed through the front wall. Mo saw the humor in the situation, and consoled the distraught woman, saying, "Well, we'll just put in a garage door so we can open it and you can drive in anytime if that's what you want to do". On warm sunny days the door is opened transforming Mo's into a sidewalk cafe. The door itself, pictured at right, remains basically unchanged since its installation and features a picture on its interior showing a woman driving her car through the door, an alarmed look on her face. [1] [9]
Over the years Niemi opened additional Mo's restaurants, one across the street from the original in Newport overlooking the bay (Mo's Annex) and Mo's West at Otter Rock. The original Mo's was also remodeled and expanded several times, in addition to the restaurant the building now houses a clam chowder factory which provides the base for the restaurants. It is also sold online and is distributed to grocery stores in 14 states. Over the course of a year, the factory will make over 500,000 pounds of fresh chowder. [10] The factory will process one ton of bacon a week and one ton of potatoes per day. [11]
The original restaurants in Newport and Otter Rock are family owned and operate as Mo's Enterprises. In 1970 Mo partnered with another Newport business owner, Tom Becker, to purchase an oyster farm and formed a company that would become known as Newport Pacific Corporation. This company now owns and operates additional Mo's in Astoria, Seaside, Florence, Lincoln City, Cannon Beach, and in the Portland International Airport. Mo Niemi died in 1992. Several of Niemi's surviving family serve on the board of directors of Newport Pacific. [12]
In 1999 Mo's clam chowder was served at a Smithsonian Institution luncheon honoring "Best American Regional Foods". [3]
In 2001, Cindy McEntee, owner of Mo's Enterprises, was named the Small Business Administration's Small Businessperson of the Year for Oregon and was the first runner-up (of four nationwide nominees) for SBA's National Business Person of the Year. She was lauded during the Oregon presentation "for continuing a tradition of great food and outstanding generosity to employees, customers and community. (McEntee) demonstrates that commitment to serving fellow human beings is the path to business success". [13]
Rogue Ales, an Oregon craft brewery, also headquartered in Newport uses a portrait of Mo on one of its Ale label designs (Half-E-Weizen, originally named Mo Ale) and they include this dedication on each bottle: Brewed in honor of Mo & Dutch Niemi whose spirit indelibly shapes the vibrant daily life of the Newport waterfront and our entire community. [14] Niemi was instrumental in bringing Rogue to Newport." [15]
New England cuisine is an American cuisine which originated in the New England region of the United States, and traces its roots to traditional English cuisine and Native American cuisine of the Abenaki, Narragansett, Niantic, Wabanaki, Wampanoag, and other native peoples. It also includes influences from Irish, French, Italian, and Portuguese cuisine, among others. It is characterized by extensive use of potatoes, beans, dairy products and seafood, resulting from its historical reliance on its seaports and fishing industry. Corn, the major crop historically grown by Native American tribes in New England, continues to be grown in all New England states, primarily as sweet corn although flint corn is grown as well. It is traditionally used in hasty puddings, cornbreads and corn chowders.
Chowder is a thick soup prepared with milk or cream, a roux, and seafood or vegetables. Oyster crackers or saltines may accompany chowders as a side item, and cracker pieces may be dropped atop the dish. New England clam chowder is typically made with chopped clams and diced potatoes, in a mixed cream and milk base, often with a small amount of butter. Other common chowders include seafood chowder, which includes fish, clams, and many other types of shellfish; lamb or veal chowder made with barley; corn chowder, which uses corn instead of clams; a wide variety of fish chowders; and potato chowder, which is often made with cheese. Fish, corn and clam chowder are popular in North America, especially New England and Atlantic Canada.
Clam soup is a soup prepared using clams as a primary ingredient. Clam soup can be prepared as a thin, broth- or cream/milk-based soup and as a thicker, chowder-style soup. In Japan, hot miso soup prepared with clams is believed by some to be a cure for the hangover.
Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. Other vegetables are not typically used. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative ease of harvesting them. Clam chowder is usually served with saltine crackers or small, hexagonal oyster crackers.
Ivar's is a seafood restaurant chain based in Seattle, Washington, United States, with operations in the Puget Sound region and in Spokane, Washington.
A raw bar is a small restaurant or a bar within a restaurant where live shellfish are shucked and served. Raw bars typically offer a variety of raw and cooked seafood and shellfish that is served cold. Seafood-based dishes may also be offered, and additional, non-seafood foods may also be part of the fare. Raw bars may offer alcoholic beverages such as oyster shooters, as well as wine and sake that is paired with various foods. Additional accompaniments may include condiments, sauces and foods such as lemon and lime. Several restaurants in the United States offer raw bars, some of which are seasonal.
South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART) is a public transit system operated by the city government of Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. The system currently consists of seven routes and is funded by local businesses. It was created when Wilsonville petitioned to withdraw from the TriMet service district in the late 1980s. Offices of the agency are in the former city hall off Wilsonville Road.
Legal Sea Foods is an American restaurant chain of casual-dining seafood restaurants mostly located in the Northeastern region of the United States.
Clam cakes are a part of New England cuisine, most commonly found in Rhode Island although they can also be found in Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts. They are balls of battered clams which have been deep-fried. On the Maine Coast, clam cakes are formed into large, flat patties and fried.
Woodman's of Essex is a seafood restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts. A local favorite, it is also known internationally for its fried clams and New England clam bakes. Woodman's has been a family business since its founding in 1914, and is a large employer in the area with over 200 staff during the summer months.
The Great Chowder Cook-Off is an annual event that was held at the Newport Yachting Center in Newport, Rhode Island, USA for thirty-three years and is now held at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. The event typically takes place in early or mid June.
Clam juice is a broth derived from steamed clams, which can be drunk on its own or used as an ingredient in various dishes and beverages.
Old Fisherman's Grotto is a restaurant in Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, California. Old Fisherman's Grotto was opened in 1950 by restaurateur Sabu Shake, Sr. The restaurant serves seafood, steaks and Italian cuisine. Their Monterey Style Clam Chowder was named best clam chowder in Monterey 15 years in a row.
Byways Cafe was a diner in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, United States. Owners, Collin McFadden and Megan Brinkley, opened the restaurant in 1999, serving American breakfast and brunch comfort foods such as corned beef hash, omelets, and pancakes. Guy Fieri visited the diner for a 2007 episode of the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Byways received generally positive receptions and was voted the city's "best brunch spot" by readers of The Oregonian in 2016. It closed in late 2019, after the owners were unable to reach a lease agreement with the landlord.
Gracie's Sea Hag is a seafood restaurant in Depoe Bay, Oregon, United States.
Dockside Saloon and Restaurant, or simply Dockside, is a diner in Portland, Oregon.
Pike Place Chowder is a seafood restaurant with two locations in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Jack's Fish Spot is a fish market and seafood bar at Seattle's Pike Place Market, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Market Grill is a restaurant at Pike Place Market, in the U.S. state of Washington.