Mas

Date
November 7, 2008

Location
Belmont, right by the Local and Belmont BBQ
501 Monticello Road

What I ate
Tortilla espanola, warm goat cheese and artichoke hearts spread, roasted pumpkin with sugar and lavender honey, Babaganoush, yellowfin tuna - grilled rare - with tomato aioli, cannelloni with chicken and roasted peppers

Who went
Matt, my mom and sister

Website
http://www.mastapas.com/

Thoughts
I've been here before, and the food is tasty, but I'm not sure I was really in the mood for tapas; I think that really shaped my perception of how good this meal was. The food was still tasty (with a few notable exceptions, see below) and I felt full, but I was mentally prepared for dinner and focusing on one large dish. I just wasn't thinking about working to take a bite of this, a sampling of that. If you're looking for tapas, this is a great place. If you're not actively seeking small portions of a variety of dishes and lots of conversation for dinner, you might want to steer clear.

First, the good. The tuna was delicious. I would've been very happy to get a big plate of this, concentrate on the tuna and just sample a few other things to supplement. It was well cooked with a great texture in the middle and somewhat crispy edges. The tomato aioli didn't have much flavor, but was a good complement. The goat cheese was very tasty and the Babaganoush was awesome. I don't generally like eggplant, but the seasoning was just right and it even had a little bit of a kick. I would be very content to just have these three dishes.

Now, the not-so-good. The tortilla espanola and cannelloni were just a little boring. They tasted alright, but they were a little bland. The cannelloni just needed a more spices but I'm not convinced the tortilla espanola can stand on its own like that. It'd be great under something or maybe with vegetables (peppers? onions? broccoli?) mixed into it. I don't want to mess with the dish, but to make it a bit more quiche like could be a good thing (tm). That leaves us with the pumpkin. It was just overdone. The skin stayed moist and helped the texture a little bit, but the meat was just mush that stayed in the oven a little too long. The sweet butter came through, but I don't think it is supposed to carry the dish; it didn't, but there was still something missing. The lavender honey could have saved this, but was barely noticeable. The squash part of this dish rotates with the seasons, so I'm not giving up on the idea, but I think the pumpkin, especially roasted for so long, is one to avoid.

Everything was good as far as non-food issues go. Our waiter was very nice and patient, answering any questions we had about specific dishes or about the tapas experience in general. We made it down to ice a few times in our glasses, but he returned with the pitcher of water shortly thereafter. The food arrived in spurts which a) was not told to us, b) probably depended on when certain dishes were finished cooking, and c) may have helped because I'm not sure we would've known what to do with 7 dishes in front of us. Yes, I only list 6, but there was a dish Matt had - I'll let him post his thoughts in the comments section if he so chooses. Given the quality of the ingredients and the thoughtfulness of the menu (it's fun to just read the menu and think about certain dishes) it's not that expensive. It's not cheap, but you can definitely get a good sampling of things and feel sated for around $20 after tax and tip.

Again, I really like the menu and enjoyed rereading it a few minutes ago when I double-checked what I ate. It's a little ham-heavy (in Spanish cooking? No me digas!) but there is plenty on there for vegetarians and even celiacs. I especially like the emphasis on integrating local ingredients when possible.

Recap
Pros - tasty food, good portions, excellent tapas experience overall, patient wait staff
Cons - some flavors were surprisingly bland
Overall - If you're in the mood for tapas, it's awesome. The food is tasty and the portions are appropriate. It's not cheap, but not overpriced, and the experience is just great. If you're not in the mood for tapas, you're probably going to leave a little disappointed, while still enjoying the food. I'm sure I'll be back, but I just have to make sure I'm in the right mindset for tapas. This place won Best of Cville for a reason.