Mixx Restaurant in Villanova Gets New Concept
Villanova’s Mixx, part of the WIN Signature Restaurant group and located in the downstairs portion of everyone’s favorite recent restaurant disaster Maia, is getting a new concept (“global small plates”), chef (Aniwat “Chay” Vadhanacha) and menu (menu available here).
For more details, check out The Latest Dish (WIN’s PR firm), Main Line Today or Philly.com.
February 4, 2010 @ 9:51 am
Good Food – Reasonably priced
The most important thing about a restaurant in my mind is good food, a close second is value and Mixx succeeds in providing both. I was there last night (wednesday) around 9:30, there was a light crowd in the bar and no one at tables. Apps were chili cheese fries and chicken soup – the fries were cooked to perfection, cripsy enough to hold up to the cheese and chili but not burnt and portions on the chili and cheese were appropriate. The soup was flavorful, with large pieces of chicken but too few noodles. I had the Brioche Burger with swiss which was cooked to a perfect medium-rare as ordered and was delicious but was overshadowed by a side of cheese garlic mashed potatos which would be reason enough to return. My girlfriend had the Angus filet burger which was good, but the meat seemed lost among the bread.
As for atmosphere, the bar area is cosy in spite of the clubby music being played, however the rest of the space seems too large and disjointed. My only concerns for Mixx is the lack of foot traffic and that they rented more space then they can fill.
In summary they really provide good comfort food at a reasonable price, my meal listed above was a little over $50 including 2 glasses of wine. I’ll probably be here once/week and look forward to trying the rest of their menu.
February 4, 2010 @ 5:59 pm
Went there with two friends, one a foodie, last night.
I agree with Michael, the fries and the cheese garlic mashed potatoes are the reason to go there at least once a week.
Also agree, good value. We had three entrees/apps. Two were good. The fried chicken was burnt beyond recognition, but the server was very apologetic.
Will be back and hoping the chicken is not burnt.
The area needs exactly a spot like this.
I hope they do it right.
Give them a try.
February 20, 2010 @ 7:07 am
Enjoyed the food. Service was off.
Went to MIXX for the first time on Valentine’s Day. Big space, nice atmosphere. Food was very good – especially the chili fries, wonderful! However, our server seemed inexperienced and made continuous mistakes that affected our enjoyment. (Salad & entrees arrived together, request for lemon cocktail required several reminders, a menu item was explained incorrectly and I thus ordered a side dish that was redundant.) I will definitely go back to MIXX to enjoy the food, but I hope they work out the service. I really want them to do well and stick around!
March 19, 2010 @ 6:18 am
Mixx seems to be living up to its name with a comfort food menu that offers across-the-board items.
And, yes! Those garlic/cheesy mashed potatoes are alone worth a visit.
I had an excellent salmon filet, a good crab cake (a bit too drenched in remoulade) and several nibbles from the bar menu.
Happy Hours is a steal –
$5 bites and cheap beers (three bucks for a Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA – score!)
I agree with Michael: The bar is cozy but the spaces are stretched out and disjointed; a hard site to fill.
I wish Win Restaurant Group well.
I’ll go back and mix it up again at Mixx.
March 22, 2010 @ 4:54 am
Our first trip to Mixx. The burger was overcooked and dry, the brisket sandwich not bad at best. Great wings and fries, though.
But the noise. It’s a bar; I expect noise. But half way through dinner they turned up the basketball game on the TV to an extreme, mind-thumping volume. Note to manager: while your patrons may want to watch the game, no one actually listens. In fact, look at your patrons as I did. Almost none were paying attention to the game. The vast majority were trying to have conversations, and were forced to talk even louder to overcome the rumble of the TVs. My wife and I got tired of yelling to each other and left without even considering desert.
C’mon guys, use your common sense. It ain’t no party, it ain’t no disco. It’s a bar at happy hour where people want to have a drink and some conversation. The game should be an option; at Mixx, it was bashed through your skull whether you wanted it or not.