Mas (farm house)

I know it sounds a bit strange for a food writer to be a picky eater but just because you love food doesn't mean you have to love all of it.  Growing up, my mother's rule was that you had to find at least one thing on a menu at any restaurant.  As long as we aren't talking vegan food, I can live by that rule.  But pre fix meals are another story.  The fish may be restricted to one of the few I don't prefer, or maybe the appetizer will be foi gras (the only duck byproduct I don't like).

Our friends picked Mas (farm house) for dinner and in typical fashion, I went straight to the menu online.  I was a bit disappointed because I didn't like any of the apps.  I figured I would solve that problem with a late lunch.  So upon arrival, I was blown away with Mas' dining options.  While Mas has a small a la carte menu, it also offers a pre fix menu and tasting menu.  But here's why Mas is one of my top NYC restaurants: Mas lets you pick any dish on either menu and create your own pre fix or tasting menu.  So I could make the scallop entree my app and still have the duck as my entree.  And if one diner wants the pre fix menu (4 courses), but the other diner wants the tasting menu (6 courses), Mas is happy to accommodate.

Our lovely server gets extra props for accommodating my aversion to most vegetables, allowing me to select only the vegetables I enjoy to accompany my dishes.

The boys ordered the tasting menu and the ladies ordered the pre fix menu so we tried most of the menu.  While the presentation was not unique, it was colorful and well executed.  More importantly though, everything we ordered, let me repeat, every single dish, was DELICIOUS. 

Also, the service was impeccable.  Despite our varied ordering, everything came out of the kitchen seamlessly.  We were allowed to leisurely dine and never felt rushed.  This restaurant would be perfect for a romantic date or entertaining parents from out of town.

What to eat:

The Roasted Sea Scallops in a Mussel Saffron Cream.  My appetizer course included one and a half jumbo scallops, the perfect appetizer size.  The butter scallops were fresh and top quality, which for scallops makes a world of a difference.  I enjoyed the lightness of the mussel saffron cream.  The scallops included mussels and a few funny looking but tasty cubes of celery root hash.










The Duck.  These medium rare slices of heaven were tender and tasty.  There's no way not to love this dish.  If you've never tried duck before, this would be a good place to start.  The duck was accompanied by sweet vidala onions, a savory parsnip puree and a few of my favorite veggies.

The Hazelnut- Milk Chocolate Mousse.  As readers know, I don't love hazelnut.  But a subtle hint is always a nice surprise.  The creamy mousse was heavy on the milk chocolate, and light on the hazelnut, so overall, incredibly satisfying.  And the salted caramel ice cream on the side was a welcomed salty/sweet improvement over most restaurants vanilla ice cream.

Need to take a date (or her parents) somewhere to impress?  I found your spot,


Your foodie friend

Insider tip: it may be hard to score a reservation at this popular restaurant on a Saturday night so try the bar area for a last minute date night.  There are a few small tables and bar counter top to dine in.  The entire restaurant, including the bar area, is lovely.