Are You Up For Southwestern?

PLANT CITY - Moe's Southwest Grill, a franchise of nearly 400 fast-food restaurants, will soon make its Plant City debut at the Walden Woods Shopping Center.

The Atlanta-based chain offers made-to-order Southwestern cuisine in a casual setting.

"We can't wait to get up in Plant City. We think going to be a great area for us," said Tony Friel, owner of the restaurant at 2304 James L. Redman Parkway. Friel also took over the Moe's that opened in late 2002 off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in New Tampa.

Although the exact date is yet to be determined, Moe's is expected to open in early August.

That opening will come on the heels of the scheduled July 31 reopening of Publix Super Market, an anchor in the Walden Woods Shopping Center owned by the Lakeland-based grocery chain. The 23-year-old Publix closed Jan. 5, was razed and is being rebuilt. Additionally, the shopping center façade and parking area are being remodeled.

According to the Atlanta-based company Web site, www.moes.com, Moe's puts a healthy twist on traditional Southwestern fare, serving food cooked daily, so the stores don't have freezers, or even a microwave.

Offerings - prepared without additional animal fat - include burritos, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas and salads with a choice of grilled tofu, chicken or steak.

Menu selections bear humorous names, "a pop-culture bonanza of Moe's favorite things," according to the company Web site.

Burritos, for example, include Joey Bag of Donuts, Triple Lindy and Art Vandalay, the latter named for the occasional alias of George Costanza, a character in the popular TV sitcom, "Seinfeld."

There's also Billy Barou nachos and the Close Talker salad.

A couple more twists: piped-in music features tunes by the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley, and employees loudly greet every arriving patron: "Welcome to Moe's."