August 10, 2016. Lunch. Mas Dinner. Sautéed Pork Riblets, Steamed Green Beans, and German Cucumber, onion, and tomato salad

August 10, 2016. Lunch. Mas   Dinner. Sautéed Pork Riblets, Steamed Green Beans, and German Cucumber, onion, and tomato salad

I heated a slice of Suzette”s Banana Nut Bread for breakfast.

At 11:30 I went to Mas Restaurant in the old Hilton at Second and Tijeras to meet Ioana, Aaron, and David Buckholtz for lunch.  I like the atmosphere of Mas, which in my opinion, has been remodeled into a more modern etched glass, open, and well lit dining room, not unlike what we did with our kitchen.  A bright modern open space in a traditional building that otherwise holds on to its traditional feel.

We caught up on our various connections and then ordered.  Because Mas is both a Spanish restaurant and a hotel restaurant, it's menu reflects both aspects.  The starters are all Spanish tapas. Then the rest of the menu is more traditional hotel fare, such as salads, wraps, burgers and a few entrees. 

Our waiter was exceedingly professional.  I have not had a better waiter in Albuquerque that I can remember.  Ioana and I decided to share two tapas, the piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese served on a puddle of Romesco sauce and an Albacore tuna ceviche served on a puddle of White garbanzo soup.  I was impressed with both tapas, but the ceviche was the stand out, a molded round of chunks of raw fish, cucumbers, pickled red onion, red bell pepper, and orange bell pepper.  The pickled red onions were partially nice, crisp and yet with a good picked flavor.

The use of the white gazpacho as a sauce for the ceviche lightened the dish and made it even more refreshing with that strong flavor of almonds, almond milk, and grape juice.

   The tuna ceviche

   The cream of butternut squash with saffron soup

The piquillo peppers were just okay. They had a slightly over baked flavor but the Romesco sauce was lovely because the flavor of freshly roasted almonds dominated.

I ordered the other soup of the day, Cream of Butternut Squash with saffron.  I was surprised how hearty and thick the soup was and how the saffron flavor made its presence known.  Perhaps it was soaked in warm water to release its flavor and the liquid used, because I did not see any flecks of saffron.  After a while the soup became monotonous, so I spiced it up with alternating bites of the slightly piquant  piquillo pepper.

Aaron and David played it safe, ordering burgers, although Aaron ordered the gazpacho as his side and I was able to taste the white gazpacho directly.  

I am ready to return to Mas to eat the Tuna Ceviche and white gazpacho, plus lots of its other tapa offerings.

After lunch I drove to El Super to buy produce.  I bought lines at $.50/lb., broccoli crowns for $.50/lb., green beans for $.99/lb., white onions 3 lb./$.99, a pasilla chile for $.50, and Manila mangoes for $.99 for three.

We had thawed a package of pork Riblets, so we decided to make them this evening.  Suzette decided to sauté them in olive oil with oregano.

I had to go to meditate at 6:30, so I chopped 1 1/3 cucumbers, two Roma tomatoes and ½ white onion and Suzette dressed that salad with a German, white vinegar and sugar dressing, while I de- stemmed and steamed about ½ lb. of green beans.  We soon had a lovely dinner.

   The cucumber, onion, and tomato salad

After meditation I ate a toasted slice of banana nut bread smeared with peanut butter and honey with a cup of hot citrus earl grey tea.

Bon Appetit