Mas

1670 W. Division
Chicago, Illinois
773.276.8700
Latin
www.masrestaurant.com/masrestaurant/


"Mas," in spanish means "more," so you would think that a restaurant by that name would have one wanting more. I don't know if that is the case with me. My meal was a decent one, but I wouldn't classify it as exceptional...I think I was expecting more...

I absolutely had to start out with a mojito. And that was well worth it...not too strong and not too sweet. Then they brought out a starter...instead of the standard chips and salsa, they served a small loaf of bread with a chipotle spread that was really good.

For an appetizer we ordered the tuna tacos. Now, you are probably thinking "why get tacos at a nice restaurant?" But these were not regular tacos. They had tender, fully-cooked ahi tuna (sometimes I find cooked tuna to be tough, but this wasn't at all.) with papaya, rosemary and salsa. The dish had a very pleasant flavor and the tacos were HUGE! They came out open-faced, 2 on a plate, with the filling overflowing and practically taking up the whole plate. All that for only $9!

I probably went a step too far in ordering the seared rare yellowfin tuna with chimichurri (like a cilantro pesto) and yuca frites. I think it was "tuna overdose"... because I just wasn't that into the entree. The tuna was really fresh, premium-grade ahi, but the flavor with the chimichurri just didn't do it for me. However, the frites were really good...crispy and salted just right.

I also had to try another one of their drinks, so I ordered the prickly pear margarita. It was a little too sweet for my taste buds, but I am glad that I tried it since I had never had prickly pear juice before. For dessert, we ordered the flan. The flan had a good flavor but the consistency was a little stiffer/creamier than I like. It came garnished with cinnamon pecans, which were really good with the flan, but they were literally just crumbs.

The atmosphere of Mas was dim, but lively. It has a really good "date" feel to it. Overall, I was satisfied with my meal, but not impressed with it...not for the price, at least. It is a nice, trendy restaurant and I definitely think it is worth trying, but not necessarily worth going back for "mas".