Mood Restaurant

Great restaurant eclectic atmosphere. Definitely a unique place that is different than most restaurants I’ve recently gone to

Truly one of the worst restaurant experiences. The «manager» Ron, was a completely rude moron. Waited an hour and a half past reservation which I was told was nothing set in stone by Ron. Sent my wine back twice for filthy glasses. They were horribly under staffed and service was at a glacial speed. It all came to an end when we called another server over to get our server, and he told us that he doesn’t talk to that server and that he is an idiot. We then spoke to Ron, who didn’t care that we were getting up and walking out. NEW MANAGEMENT REQUIRED!!! Horrible.

Absolute best calamari I have ever had.

«Kooky» is the best way I can describe my experience with the Artisan Hotel and eating at Mood. I want to say up front, I’m giving my review 4 stars because it was a positive, fun experience, but I can also totally understand why other people might not have had a good night here.
To begin with, it is a little hard to figure out how to get into the hotel. It is valet parking only, and when you pull into the lot, the first thing you see is a sign to the right that says Valet lot only «Do Not Enter.» You can’t really see around the corner to the left, and it kind of makes you feel like you aren’t in the correct lot. After driving around a little bit, we realized that you have to keep going to the left, and then you will see the valet stand. We asked the valet guy if a lot of people get confused. He laughed, said yes all the time, and said he has seen people park across the street and walk over to the hotel because they didn’t know where to park.
The Artisan Hotel itself is crammed full of stuff. Paintings, chairs, statues, fountains– there’s a lot to look at. It’s like walking into an old haunted mansion. It’s entertaining. But because it is so busy, it does make it confusing to figure out where the restaurant actually is. Once we were pointed in the right direction, there was again some confusion. There is a sign that says «Restaurant» over Mood, but the doors open directly into the dining room. Don’t wait for a hostess to usher you in, there is no hostess. Just go in, and stand somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the dining room, until someone tells you where to sit.
I think the thing that really made the difference in our dining experience is we went on a Sunday night, and there was only one other table in the restaurant. The restaurant is one tiny room, and there was only one server (who was fantastic). But I got the distinct feeling that there is only one server all of the time. We did wait a long time for our food, particularly long considering nobody else was in the restaurant. But the food was really good– we got the fennel sausage and basil flat bread, pork tenderloin, scallops, the macaroni, and the Brussels Sprouts. Everything was excellent, though I can’t say that the Doritos on top of the macaroni add anything to the dish. Again, our food was awesome, and our service was spot on (I can’t blame our server for the slow food), but it the restaurant were busier, I can imagine how things might break down rather quickly.
Our server did mention that the past chef used to be very into farm to table and used to make a point out of buying local produce and using local vendors. It seems that in the past few years the hotel has had some financial trouble and after looking on line it doesn’t seem like they do that as much anymore.
Overall, the quirkiness and overall weirdness of the hotel and dining experience made for a really memorable evening. It does sort of sound like the hotel is having some financial troubles and that there is a good chance that the food quality may deteriorate as a result. I would recommend checking Mood out on a week night or Sunday night to reduce your waiting time, and hurry while its still possible to get a good meal, and to enjoy The Artisan experience while you can.

3.5 Stars
Beautiful place! This place is so pretty. But it is so my style too. Some may find it too «grandma.» I love the décor.
I went here for dinner at the restaurant, Mood.
The food was good. I had the filet, which was cooked as requested, not too under or overcooked. Someone in my party had the scallops, which was also cooked just right. Sides ordered were the mushrooms, which was my favorite dish, very tasty. We also got the brussel sprouts, mac and cheese, and the French fries. All were ok. Not incredibly impressive. We got the crab cakes, bruschetta and Margarita flatbread for appetizers. All good. The bruschetta would have been better if the bread wasn’t hard. I prefer it when it is a little softer. For dessert we got the Italian coconut layer cake. It was ok, not great.
I guess the place is an after hours spot too, but we didn’t stay. All in all, it was a good experience.

I didn’t like much about this place. The service was poor and the food wasn’t good at all. The staff was not polite. I can’t even say anything else but don’t go there.

We come here every other week for the Mood Comedy show. They have some great comedians so if you are ever in the area you should find out if there is a show! We eat dinner each time we attend the show. I think over the past month or so there has been a change to the chef and I’ve noticed a change in the staff as well. The menu has changed and the food hasn’t been as consistent as it used to be, which is a bit disappointing as the food before was great! We had ordered ribs one week and there were six ribs, the next time it was four ribs. Now the rib it is a boneless braised rib w/​ravioli. We used to get the chicken wings tossed in BBQ sauce, one week the BBQ sauce was served on the side but now we are told that we cannot get them with BBQ sauce. The margarita flat bread was always cooked perfectly the last few times it has been more on the well done side but not too overdone.
I’m hoping that the change in staff will result in a better menu and consistency in the end but I wish they would hurry it up otherwise we may just order drinks instead and skip the food.

I had heard of Dark Dining and really wanted to give it a try. When I saw the Living Social deal for it, I immediately purchased it. I knew one of my friends would want to be my date!
My friend Holly and I went together and it was a very interesting experience. It was at Mood Restaurant at the Artisan. I love the Artisan! It’s such an awesome place. I had been to the hotel and lounge several times, but never to Mood. I was excited!
So, Dining in the Dark is dining with a blindfold on. It’s quite an experience, to say the least. I didn’t know what to expect, since I’ve never done anything like this before. We put our blindfolds on and I felt claustrophobic for the first 10 minutes. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it through the whole meal. We had two great ladies sit with us, so we had a great conversation with them through the whole meal. That helped ease my nerves. As time went on and courses came out, I got more comfortable and really enjoyed the experience.
I found that using utensils while eating blindfolded, was very difficult. I hate to admit this, but I used my hands for most of the courses. Classy, I know. Luckily most of the items weren’t too messy. I would review each item, but honestly, I wouldn’t want to ruin the experience for anyone else who might want to try this amazing dinner. The whole point is you should guess what you’re eating, without being able to look at the item. That was definitely the best part of the whole experience. Also, there’s unlimited wine included!
Every course of this meal was delicious. I highly recommend this and I would definitely consider doing it again. The only negative was that everyone gets VERY loud during the meal. Something about you not being able to gauge how far people are from you. I don’t know, but all in all, it was fun!

We and some friends decided to finally try the Mood Restaurant and were a little skeptical given a recent bad review in the local news. We were pleasantly surprised and had a great time.
The restaurant is small, so you better make reservations or you may not get in. They also reserve the place for special occasions so you have to check with them or it may be closed for an event. That being said, we were the only folks in there at the time and it was kind of cool to have the room to ourselves. Our server, Wesley, was great, always checking on us and making sure everything was tasting well.
We tried the Calamari which was pretty good but a little heavy on the breading. The Tator Tots were nothing crazy but the Onion Soup was good. The Mushroom Risotto was awesome.
The ladies had Rack of Lamb and guys had Chilean Sea Bass. The food tasted awesome and the portions were actually larger than we anticipated. The ladies also had the Chocolate Lava Cake which must have been good because it disappeared quickly.
I will admit the wine prices are a little bit steep for the labels on the menu. I’m used to bottles being marked up but was a little shocked here. Still, it didn’t stop us from getting a couple of bottles and we all had a great time. We look forward to visiting them again in the future.

Boy oh boy oh boy… We were staying in the hotel for a friends party and the obvious choice for food is Mood. We arrive to be greated by 2 pretty good servers the one and only reason I am giving 2 stars instead of 1. We had a party of 8 which can be daunting for some inexperienced servers but we had our drinks and water filled as necessary and the order went smooth however this is when all the smoothness ended.
Like I said we were there for a party but the 8 of us who stayed there were eating a nice meal (we thought) before the party started. We gave ourselves 2 hours to dine before the other guests started to arrive thinking it would be more then enough time boy were we wrong. It took 1 hour from ordering our food for it to start to come to the table. It took 2 hours and 20 min to get our checks and pay. Quite a few party goers were waiting for us to finish by this time.
Our table ordered a few appetizers and my boyfriend and I ordered a caesar salad which was fine but really who can mess something like that up? The seared ahi was not seared it was cooked.
On to dinner I had the shrimp pasta the flavor was good but the noodles were under cooked and slightly hard. Had a bite of a friends seared scallops and risotto which was also good but certainly not great. A friend ordered a medium rare steak which came out cool and well done another friend ordered a medium steak, also came out cool and well done. The rest of the food was not worth commenting on.
So in a larger party you can usually expect to pay an auto grad, I don’t mind that but 20% seams a little high for waiting 1 ½ hours for cool over and under cooked food come on guys. But I totally understand why it was cool/​cold and over cooked after sitting in the window for 30 minutes until it was brought out to us will do that to food! However why the noodles were still undercooked after that long I will never know…

Mood Restaurant is located in the boutique hotel, The Artisan. The Artisan itself is a beautiful older hotel located off the Strip. FYI – it is a valet only lot. When walking inside be careful because it is very dark inside, almost medieval. The bar and its ambiance are absolutely beautiful! Bartenders were a little disorganized but nice.
We came here for birthday drinks and a birthday dinner. Our food server was fun and attentive. From my point-​of-​view, our food was good but nothing memorable. I think Todd enjoyed his diver scallops over risotto much more than I. Of course, I ordered filet but, it was quite bland. Luckily, it had a port wine reduction to give the meat some more flavor.
Mood has an cute outdoor patio. However, I’m not sure if you are allowed to dine out there or, if it is for drinks only?
Overall, Mood is a beautiful restaurant inside of a beautiful hotel. Not sure if I’ll come back for dinner but, will come back for happy hour specials.

My mood at Mood was MOODY!
I’m a vegetarian, and when we first arrived at Mood, I was super happy to see that there were several animal-​friendly items on their menu. However, my hopes and dreams were quickly crushed when I learned that a) the server had given me the WRONG menu [no idea HOW old my menu was, or WHERE the heck it even came from], and b) on the new menu, the only meat-​free item was out of stock.
The waiter said the chefs could make something upon my request. Thrilled, I asked for pasta with veggies and a LOT of cheese. The server told me that wouldn’t be a problem. Anxiously, we waited… and waited… and waited. Finally, after about 45 minutes, our entrees arrived. Things got worse from there.
My dish did not have pasta, veggies, OR cheese on it. Instead, I received a plate of salty cous cous, with a miniscule amount of garlic and green onion. My friend joked that it looked like something from an Uncle Ben’s commerical. I’d equate it to t.v. dinner quality. I hardly ate the thing! I have to admit, I was dismayed and immediately let the server know how I felt. I must confess, he deserves a raise for putting up with me, because I was not a very gracious customer. He wound up comping the entrée, but I still left the restaurant hungry and irritable!
Out of the other 3 people at our table, only one person enjoyed their dinner, and he is quite possibly a human garbage disposal. My boyfriend was pleased with his steak, but then again, he’ll eat anything! When our friend sampled a bit of the steak, she made the worst facial expression I have ever seen. As a non-​meat eater, I can’t comment on it, but I will say this: for $ 29, it looked awfully small. My friend found her lobster mac and cheese to be too salty. Another buddy had a scallop and rice dish that was reportedly rather bland. He, too, complained about the size of the portions.
I don’t plan on ever returning to Mood (which I’m sure will please my poor server, bless his heart). I found the wait times to be unacceptable, especially for a non-​busy night. The prices were too high, and the portions too small. Had the food been better quality, I would have been more forgiving. To be completely honest, after we left Mood, we went to Inn N Out! I’ll stick with my Grilled Cheese (animal style) and extra crispy fries, thank you very much.

As with all things Artisan, it’s a great place, but there’s always something missing.
The hotel is fabulous, BUT, the freeway noise is a sleep killer.
The bar is fabulous, BUT, their beer/​liquor selection is paltry.
This restaurant is fabulous, but the slow service and terrible music really bring the experience down.
Wes was our server and while he’s so pleasant and well versed in all good things Mood, he can be inattentive and forgetful at times. It isn’t a big deal for me usually if I see a place full, but when there’s only us in the restaurant not having excellent service is a little unacceptable.
Now for the food.
It was good. It was a really nice presentation and it was ALMOST fabulous.
My date and I had a starter of coriander crusted ahi tuna. The sauce on the side was a little hot and reminded me of sriracha, which doesn’t actually go well with the tuna. The tuna was also a little dry, but it wasn’t my choice. I enjoyed my chef’s signature house salad, but it was devoid of most vegetables and I didn’t get a lot of taste from the dressing. I just love salad, but if you’re picky, don’t do this one.
We then moved onto a main course, which we shared. The chilean sea bass was amazing! It was tender and flaky with just the right amount of seasoning. It really was delicious. We also had a side of asparagus and the wild mushroom risotto. Hmmmm. The asparagus was just asparagus, but the risotto was overdone and very sticky. The wild mushroom taste was heavenly, though. I just wish it had been cooked better.
So, I suppose this, like everything else at the Artisan, it’s almost great, but not quite. I have hopes it will improve because I really love this hotel.

First off, this place doesn’t even deserve 1 star. Worst service I’ve ever had.
It was my friends birthday, and his girlfriend planned everything. There was 14 of us, and she made reservations. Everyone was so upset over the awful service and food, I felt bad. It wasn’t her fault it was so horrible. Most people at the table complained. I didn’t want to add to that and make her feel worse, so I promised I would write about it on Unilocal.
The waiters were awful. Horrible attitude, didn’t refill drinks, pretty much demanded we hand them things instead of getting it themselves.
The portions were small, and not worth the price. Everyone but one person was missing a dish/​drink or more. When people politely asked about their dishes/​drinks, the waiters said, «Oh.». Not, «I’m sorry» «I will check on that»… Nothing. It seemed like we were inconveniencing them.
The food was missing things, not cooked properly or enough and very small. The crab cake appetizer was small, and not flavored well at all. The lamb dinner was not good either… we asked for medium. It was barely pan seared, and it was practically pink on the outside. It didn’t even come with the green sauce promised. The lobster Mac and cheese — the waiter, «It’s amazing, I highly recommend it, we’re known for it.» It was extremely salty and tasted like boxed Mac and powdery cheese with two small pieces of lobster.
Cesar salad — don’t know. We never got it and were never asked if we still wanted it.
They charged us $ 140 for 3 drinks, lobster Mac and cheese, small lamb chops and two crab cakes. They charged everyone 20% gratuity. It’s usually 18%, but the waiter didn’t even deserve that. He didn’t even care to serve us much less care if we were even there.
Do not eat here. Save your money and eat somewhere else before going to the Artisan. The hotel itself is awesome for the ambiance. But the restaurant… I promise, you are missing nothing.

I walked over to the Artisan because its right down the street from where I work, and I figured I would have a nice lunch with my friend who was meeting me there. When I got there, I asked the waitress to bring a side salad out first because I was starving, but I was waiting for my friend. She said, «It’s $ 3.» I said, «I know» because it was written on the menu. At the time I was sitting inside, but I informed her that once my friend arrived, we would be moving out to the patio. My friend came and we moved. 20 minutes later, we still hadn’t seen her so I went back inside to try to find her. I didn’t feel comfortable walking into the kitchen so I went to the front desk and asked if they could send her out to the patio. There were about 4 older ladies out there playing cards. It didn’t seem as if they had ordered anything so I figured that’s why the waitress didn’t think to check on us out there. She finally came out… with no menus in hand. I had already had time to look at it so I knew what I wanted, but my friend didn’t so she had to go back inside for it. This took her about another 10 minutes. Before she could run away, the other women on the patio flagged her down so they could order. I told my friend to quickly look at the menu so we could order before she left. We ordered, but she had to come back out and ask my friend how he wanted his steak cooked. We ordered Mimosas while we were waiting. Has anyone else ever had a mimosa with not only ice, but pulp in it? Finally our food came out. Fortunately, she also brought cutlery as none were set on the table. Not to mention we didn’t get any salt or pepper. My hamburger was hard and so was the bun. He said his steak was good, but it came with some really unappealing potatoes. HALF AN HOUR LATER she came back and asked if we wanted anything else. We said no but I wanted a box for my half eaten burger. She came back with THE WRONG BILL and no box. Then she brought out the right bill, but I was charged $ 10 for the $ 3 side salad. So we had to follow her back inside to get that sorted out and carried in my own plate because I really couldn’t wait for her anymore. I was late back to work because she took so long with everything.
I understand that our entire lunch was basically ruined because of this waitress, and if I had gone at any other time, it might not have been so bad, but clearly they didn’t train her well enough to be handling TWO whole tables on her own. This was possibly the worst service I have ever experienced. It is a direct reflection on the restaurant as a whole, and I won’t be eating there again. Mood put me in a BAD mood.

I love the ambiance of this place. In fact, I love the entire Artisan. The restaurant is quite small, with a stage with a piano, lots of paintings, etc. It’s a great little spot. And it is open 24 hours. I’ve only had the late night menu here, but I was pleased. The food itself is probably actually about 3 stars, but the ambiance bumps it up. Unfortunately, the server we had was brand new, so he didn’t know much about the menu, was unable to locate a drink /​wine list, etc. But he was attentive and everything else.
For food, we opted for the nachos and wings. Neither was quite what I was expecting, but, again, I was pleased. The cheese on the nachos was unique in that it was mostly asiago, which gave it an interesting twist. The wings were teriyaki. Not at all spicy, but a good balance of savory and sweet. No dipping sauce comes with it, but we asked for a side of ranch, which was pretty good.
Overall, I would give this place 4 stars and would definitely come back.

Having been to the very cool bar for a Unilocal Elite event a few months ago, we wanted to come back and try the restaurant. It wasn’t a good beginning, and that was before we even got inside. There is no handicapped parking. Valet parking, though free, is mandatory. I wonder who got paid off to have the Artisan Hotel be the only commercial spot in the entire United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam to get away with this? I hate valet parking. First, they always turn off my automatic headlights, so I end up on I-​15 with no lights on. And, even if they drive two feet, they adjust the seat. Sorry, but I don’t drive a Lexus so I can just push a button and, abracadabra, the seat returns to my setting. My husband and I came in separate cars, so after parking in East Bumblefuck, he had to go back there to park my car. Word to management: Piss me off, and it’s on the internet.
We were with another couple, and we entered the restaurant and waited. And waited some more. No one was there to greet us or seat us. Finally, we picked up menus and seated ourselves.
We didn’t wait too long before a waitress came over. I ordered a glass of J. Lohr Riesling, and it tasted like the world’s worst Chardonnay. A manager changed it for one that presumably was from a fresher bottle, and it was passable, though still not very good.
The restaurant door faces the bar. The door was open and the music was ear-​shattering. Our server complied when we asked if the door could be kept closed, since we had to shout to be heard and couldn’t have a conversation. It was better, but still way too loud. In fact, there was a second’s worth of silence and we realized that they were actually playing music inside the restaurant — much softer music that no one could possibly listen to!
Things really improved with the food, though. My husband ordered the bowtie pasta, which was supposed to be prepared in an Alfredo sauce. It wasn’t a problem to have it made with olive oil and garlic instead. I ordered the chicken sandwich, but didn’t want it on the sourdough bread it was supposed to be served on. Again, no problem, and it was made on a pretzel roll. It was a terrific sandwich, with grilled chicken, pepperjack, avocado, and tomato, and I was able to have salad instead of the fries. My friend had a dinner salad with salmon and loved it, and her husband had the bowtie pasta also, but with the Alfredo. He enjoyed his, too.
The service was very good, the atmosphere is fascinating, creepy, interesting, and definitely one you’d want to take an out-​of-​town visitor to. And the doorman, Billy, was very friendly. But if we come back, it definitely will never be on a Friday night. Unless they start playing club music instead of the alternative noise they were blasting, so at least I can seat-​dance while I’m eating.

I’ve been going to try Mood for months, but I always just went by. Last night, that changed. I went to Mood for an early dinner before a show, and I’m so glad I tried it out.
I had the Rack of Lamb with mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, and chef’s vegetables. I ordered the lamb rare, and that’s the way it was cooked. The vegetables were red pepper, cherry tomatoes, and sliced carrots. There was a sauce with the mushrooms that was incredibly good. They served a coarse textured bread with onion and the butter pats were in this nifty dish covered by a small dome.
Of course, one can’t leave without dessert, so I had the Chocolate Thunder described on the menu as «…layers of fudge, cake, and chocolate chips.» It was a great finish to this fine meal.
My server was Todd. He was attentive and came by and asked about a refill for my iced tea. Everything about the dinner was great. Because preparation took some time, he came and notified me that the dinner would be ready shortly.
Mood is in the Artisan Hotel along the 15, and the atmosphere is worth a trip here. The room is dark as is the entrance from the valet area. I took some time after I left Mood to walk around and see some of the art on the walls in the hotel and lounge area.
This was a great meal and I’ll be back.

Okay so I’m not really sure why so many reviewers are semi-​positive about this place. I can’t say I’d ever go back. One positive is the lobby of the Artisan is really cool. Great attention to detail.
We didn’t know where «Mood» was so we asked the front desk guy, who, rather coldly, just pointed in its direction. We then arrived to what we assumed was the restaurant (A giant menu poster gave it away, so we thought).
We then stood in front of this menu poster for 10 minutes waiting for some sign of life to greet us. We then decided to venture to the bar to try and get some understanding how the seating works in this place we nicknamed «The Twilight Zone». The bartender told us to just sit anywhere. From that moment on the meal and the overall experience was a real snooze. The server had no personality and the food was okay and definitely not worth the prices.

Chef Eric has a fun reputation when it comes to teasing his food over the Internet via Twitter by Tweeting lots of pics. These aren’t just normal food pics, but pics that make your mouth water like Pavlov’s dog. I had to make time and try out his restaurant inside of the quirky Artisan Hotel. Having been in the hotel only once before, I wasn’t too sure what I was getting myself into. But I literally wear the scent of Adventure, so I decided to throw caution to a Vegas strong Winter wind and trek across town.
If you’ve never been to the Artisan, it is a veritable hipster paradise or a First Friday art exhibit that never closes. With mostly valet parking, except for a few sports round back, it gives you an upper crust boutique hotel feel right as you arrive. Stepping inside and trying to process the décor is fun. It looks like a tornado hit an art gallery and placed pieces everywhere, including the ceiling at weird angles. All of this is to tell you that they don’t take themselves too seriously and you’re there to have fun and try something completely different. The hotel itself is close enough to the Las Vegas Strip without all of the usual hustle and bustle.
Then you arrive in the back of the hotel where the lounge and restaurant is located. At first, I was confused at what to do sans any greet staff. It took me a solid minute to ask a waiter if anyone was going to seat me. He promptly replied that I take any seat I wish. So I sat at a four top. We in the food biz call a table for four a four top.
My waiter presented himself a few minutes later asking if I’d like a glass of wine or alcoholic beverage. I ordered a soft drink so as to not disrupt my tasting abilities. I was there to enjoy a chef’s tasting menu.
The first course included watercress salad with truffle sauce, a fried calamari with a cherry pepper compote that was unusually delicious. The pepper worked well to balance the sweet of the cherry, a nice idea that taste good.
The second course was a larger spoon that included a tasty farm raised striped bass with cous cous and truffled watercress. I haven’t had a fish with it’s skin still on in a while, but was easy to remove and presented well. The cous cous was cooked properly and was a nice balance to the bass, since the fish is usually so rich.
The final course was the entrée. It included a braised short rib (veal demi-​glaze) that was cooking for five hours in a port wine reduction. It was served with baby carrots and roasted potatoes. The entire veal demi-​glaze was so tender I easily pulled it off of the bone with my fork. The sauce was just enough and not over powering. Even as a smaller tasting size, it was quite filling. Thanks to chef Eric and Mood Restaurant for the fun taste test.