MAS
(three stars)
39 DOWNING ST. (AT BEDFORD ST. ) (212) 255-1790
HERE’S a handy tip for dining at Mas, the best new Village restaurant since Babbo:
The ideal place to give your girl friend a leg massage is the round table in the back corner at the win dow. It provides enough elbow room so that if she goes, “Oooo,” as our pampered neighbor did one night, only those nearest will hear.
But for the equally sensuous thrill of great season- and market-driven modern-American cooking, any seat at Mas will do – even those at a gracious communal table of 1800s oak.
“Mas” supposedly means a Provencal farmhouse. But even though the restaurant was assembled from century-old beams and exposed stone, its mood is more plush than rustic, with a low ceiling, cozy banquettes and strip mirrors. And the clientele is better-dressed than you find uptown these days.
Few new places win the instantaneous love of fanatical foodies and ordinary diners that Mas has since it opened last spring, and no wonder. The wine list is exceptional. You can freely mix and match items from the prix-fixe and à la carte menus.
Waiters cheerfully brought the guy next to us what seemed unlimited seconds of wild rice. That fellow was full of chatter about every chef at the Time Warner Center, but Mas’ own Galen Zamarra, 28, is the man of the hour on Downing Street.
He worked in France and at Bouley Bakery, but his style is thoroughly modern-American, in the spirit of Oceana’s Cornelius Gallagher and 11 Madison Park’s Kerry Heffernan.
Zamarra embraces bold, sometimes audacious flavor combinations. Sweet corn soup with butter-poached Maine lobster, tarragon ($18) and a hint of clam juice is a green sea of summertime pleasure. Rounds of rainbow trout ($12) are stuffed with smoked trout and watercress that moderates the double-barreled richness of the fish.
Not every starter works as well. The sizzle of brown butter reached only half of bluefin tuna “flashed beurre noisette” ($14), leaving half the tuna naked.
But entrees hold the high ground. Zamorra weds the seasonal bounty to better seafood than you’ll find in the French countryside. Wild striped sea bass ($32), sautéed to a glistening turn, stands up to the challenge of bacon cream sauce fortified with sherry wine and chanterelles.
Halibut is so mild-flavored a creature that many chefs simply use it as a platform for seasonings and sauces. A crust of scallops sliced paper-thin ($36) looks gimmicky. But the scallops’ mineral essence lends the halibut sex appeal, and the point-counterpoint of zucchini-mint purée and mussel-paprika sauce adds a vivid backbeat.
“Clay pigeons” ($34) announces squab baked in a clay pot, its fragments proudly presented on the plate. The breast meat emerges velvety, moist and imbued with the mild gamy taste that sets it apart. A duck “tart” on the side sensuously enfolds duck mousse, truffles and mushrooms in a pastry crust.
There are fussy touches, like asparagus spears thrust through monkfish medallions ($32), and occasional lapses in execution. But they’re mostly forgotten with desserts ($9) like warm vanilla hazelnut cake with white chocolate, peach compote and Tahitian vanilla ice that takes 15 minutes and is worth the wait.
On Friday night of Labor Day weekend, people were still arriving after 10 p.m.
Will Mas beat the jinx of promising Village newcomers like Washington Park that flame out early? You can bet the farmhouse on it.
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