Many Charlottesville spots tout themselves as tapas restaurants, but none are as worthy of the claim as Mas. Serving authentic Spanish fare and sangria in a modern industrial space, Mas attracts a varied -- but always large -- crowd. I'd been to Mas before, but only late at night when food was not necessarily my priority, so this time, I wanted to sample some tapas and decide what all the hype is about.
Mas has a great reputation among locals and the more in-the-know college students. It's no wonder, either; the restaurant is one of the most memorable in Charlottesville. Set in a historic building in Belmont, Mas has kept some of its original elements, like the exposed ceiling and brick walls, but added more modern touches like hanging cylindrical lights and low tables with upholstered bench seats. The small room downstairs is perfect for special events, and an expansive outdoor patio provides additional seating in warm weather. You should expect to wait for a table -- especially outside seating on nice nights -- because Mas is crowded on weekends and weeknights alike.
I couldn't help but order some of the sangria that Mas is known for. Sangria, which comes from the Spanish word for "blood," is a refreshing mix of red wine, fruit and sugar. Mas's version is not overly sweet, so it goes perfectly with the smoky, savory tapas; the fruit slices served with it taste like they've been swimming in red wine for a month -- not necessarily a bad thing.
Traditionally, tapas are small, simple dishes that are passed around the table and shared with friends. The word tapas comes from the Spanish "covered" or "lid," as they were originally offered for free with a drink and served on a dish that was balanced on, or covering, the glass. While they aren't served this way at Mas, the cuisine does remain true to its Spanish roots.
As soon as we were seated, our server brought us a dish of olives as well as several copies of the extensive menu. Prices vary from $3 for warm bread or fresh grapes to $16 for a fruit-and-cheese plate, but most of the tapas are in the $4-$8 range. Choices include many seafood options, a couple salads, several vegetarian sides and a large assortment of meat and cheese dishes. You can order as much or as little as you like, depending on how hungry or adventurous you're feeling. Once we made our selection, servers started bringing out plate after plate as soon as each was ready. The food is meant to be shared, so everyone at the table gets a taste of many different dishes.
I started with a spinach salad topped with pine nuts, apricots and a mango vinaigrette. The dressing was thick and sweet, almost a mango purée, and the Manchego cheese grated over the salad added a nice salty bite. Next came the plato de lomo -- cured pork tenderloin sliced thin and served with more Manchego. The pork was bland but, again, that cheese can make anything taste good.
Another characteristic of tapas is the simple, home-style presentations. The tortilla espanola, essentially a frittata or oven-baked omelet with potato and onion, was served in a black earthenware dish straight from the fire. This dish, too, was tasteless and dry; we were fighting for the crispy edges. A little salt would have done wonders for this dish and many others, but (maybe in an effort to be truly authentic) there were no salt shakers.
The queso cocido con alcachofa, artichoke and goat cheese spread, was better than the three previous dishes. Incredibly rich and substantial, this was served with big hunks of crusty, oven-warmed bread. Several of the dishes were accompanied with this bread, which was perfect with the olive oil served on every table.
I was really looking forward to the brochetta d'atun, a seared tuna steak over smoked tomato aioli, but I was disappointed. The tuna was entirely flavorless, and the equally bland sauce made it even worse. The other seafood I chose was gambas a la parilla, or Catalan-style shrimp, which was thankfully an excellent dish. The shrimp were thrown on the grill with the shells still on, imparting a rich smoky flavor throughout, and then topped with -- finally -- rocky gray sea salt.
I wanted to love the food at Mas; it's such a delightful restaurant, and the countless menu options all look so delicious. With all the fuss about Mas, though, I was underwhelmed with almost every plate I ordered. It's not that anything was bad, and the food was definitely of a high quality, but most of the dishes seemed to be missing something. Unlike the fantastic drinks, attentive wait staff, and unusual décor, the food didn't really meet my expectations.
Don't get me wrong, though -- Mas is definitely worth the trek to Belmont, if for nothing more than drinking sangria on the patio under the stars. There's something about the communal act of sharing food that livens people up and brings a certain closeness and intimacy to the table. It doesn't even matter that the food isn't perfect. You'll be having too much fun to care.
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