Mas Farmhouse

Mas Farmhouse is definitely a special place.  Once you open the door and walk in, you know you have entered somewhere special.  Warm colors, low ceiling, lots of brick and wood.  Similar to a country house in the South of France which is exactly the concept behind the restaurant.  The menu changes regularly as everything on the menu is seasonal.   

The service is attentive and high end by the way each course is laid in front of you.  Everything is put down at the same time among you and your dinner partner or partners.  Quite elegant.  The table is set for a intimate dinner party.  Multiple forks, spoons and knives.  Sophisticated china.  You can actually buy this china at Barneys.  It isn't from your run of the mill restaurant supply store. 

I've been there about 4 times now.   Some of the courses were fantastic others were just good.  In many ways, I like the restaurant more than the food.  There is something soothing and inviting that has been created at Mas that I have yet to find in any other restaurant in NYC.

We decided to go with the self made tasting menu.  This is a great idea.  You pick any appetizer and two main courses.  You are served half of each main courses.  In essence, you get to try more than one without having many small tastings.  I really like this concept.  I am not a big fan of tasting menus.  Two many tastes. 

We began with the heirloom tomato Parmesan tart and the poached tuna.  What is fun here is what you expect to get is not what ends up on your plate.  I expected a tart.  Not.  There was a small piece of a tart formed into the same shape as the sliced tomatoes that were spread across the middle section of the plate.  I could actually smell the cheese when they sat down the plate.  Simple and tasty.  The tuna was really interesting too.   Small pieces of tuna sitting in a sauce, served cold but the tuna had been lightly poached so although it appeared to be done it was completely raw inside.  Really interesting.

For dinner, I went with the Wild Striped Bass that had been served with a variety of seasonal vegetables and warmed in a tomato based sauce.  Quite good. Fred went with the vegetable entree where the main part was the stuffed zucchini blossoms.  Nothing like either of us had before.  The blossoms were stuffed with a dark sauce that had a Mexican spice to it.  Very good.  Fred went with the halibut for his second half entree which again was served with seasonal ingredients.  As you can see, I forgot to bring home the menu.  My second half was fantastic.  Pork.  One piece was smoked, the other roasted.  Served on a whipped bean concoction that had been seasoned with truffles.  Also, large white beans served on top.  Absolutely delicious. 

For dessert was split two things.  A brown butter cake that was rich and tasty served with caramelized apples.  We also did a raspberry tart that was square and served with whipped cream.  Each were beautifully prepared and delicious.

We had a Rhone white wine that was the perfect match.  We liked it so much that we are going to buy some. 

Mas Farmhouse is a place to go for a special occasion.  A real gem.