Mas por favor

I renewed my commitment and then dropped the ball.  Hmm…did I mention that we moved?!

One of the meals that I promised to write about was my birthday dinner at Mas (farmhouse).  We closed on our new apartment on my birthday so to celebrate this big step as well as my day, my husband treated us to dinner at Mas.  And what a treat it was.

We debated whether or not to spring for the $68 prix fixe or go a la carte – we were sold on the prix fixe once we learned that you can swap in any menu item in place of the offerings on the prix fixe menu (plus, the a la carte items are not exactly inexpensive and what’s another few bucks after a down payment on an apartment…).  We were very happy with our decision as Mas served one of the finest meals that we’ve had in New York.  You read that correctly.  

Mas is somewhat under the radar screen – it’s not new and trendy and it doesn’t get a lot of buzz – but everyone I spoke with who has been to Mas raves about the restaurant (add my husband and me to that list).  The meal itself is a bit of a blur (that whole day is a bit of a blur) but I do know that I enjoyed my meal tremendously and was delighted with each course.  I also recall referring to the salted caramel ice cream as quite possibly the best ice cream I’ve ever had (even if the milk chocolate mousse was a tad sweet for my tastes).  The menu we enjoyed is provided after the jump – just thinking about this meal puts a smile on my face. 

My dinner:

• White Asparagus Soup, Wild Morels and Sorrel
• Roasted Halibut Wrapped in Leeks, Red Onion Puree, Haricots Verts and Wild Nettle Spätzle
• Roasted Catskills Farm Chicken Breast Stuffed with Lemon, Caper and Thyme, Wild Rice, Green Asparagus and Glazed Baby Carrots
• Hazelnut-Milk Chocolate Mousse over Chocolate Crumble, Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Chocolate Ganache

My husband’s dinner:

• White Asparagus Soup, Wild Morels and Sorrel
• Roasted Monkfish Stuffed with Asparagus, Ragout of Fava Beans, Escargot, Hon Shemiji Mushrooms and Braised Spring Onions
• House-Made Pork and Plum Sausages, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Baby Spinach and Red Wine Onions
• Wild Huckleberry-Almond Tart, Huckleberry Ice Cream and Meyer Lemon Curd