Masa Southwest Bar and Grill Review

Earlier this winter we visited and enjoyed the new Masa Southwest Bar and Grill in Woburn.  Somehow this review was the victim of a very busy stretch at work and remained stuck in draft format.  But I was back for lunch yesterday and that reminded me to post this!  It's a nice spot for lunch as well as dinner, in fact.  For about $7, I had a bowl of Southwest Onion Soup and a sampling of 5 tapas, a good way to get a variety of tastes.

 

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Our visit started with with the Herbed Crepes Stuffed with Fire Roasted Chicken.  This was a good introduction to the spicy and sweet taste contrasts featured prominently at Masa.  Well-spiced chicken was nestled in savory crepes, topped by a pineapple BBQ sauce.   An enjoyable start to the meal.

A basket of corn bread with three spreads to choose from arrived along with the appetizer.  The chipotle and white bean spread was definitely our favorite, with nice zest to flavor the bread.

Most of the entrees all looked pretty enticing to me, with beef, pork and fish dishes that mainstays of the menu.  I opted for the Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs, which was served with an apricot mole and warm shitaki mushroom salsa, and savory side of sweet corn truffled mashed potatoes.  The beef was fork tender and quite tasty with the rich mole sauce.  I would perhaps like to have seen the beef cooked a bit longer, in more of the sauce, for even more flavor; but that is a mild critique of a pleasing entree.

Jodi ordered the Southwestern Steak Frites, a zesty take on the French classic.  The steak was cooked nicely medium rare and just enough of that Southwestern kick was there to say Southwestern rather than French cuisine was being sampled.

The tequila list was the same length as the wine list, but I gravitated toward the latter...at least initially.  My first inclination was to order a Malbec, as they had several choices on their South American leaning list.  But I wound up going with the 2006 Clos de los Siete ($55 restaurant price) blend, which is comprised of malbec (45%), merlot (35%), cabernet sauvignon 10% and syrah (10%).  As I suspected, it provided both a bit of spice, along with some soft fruitiness which picked up the spicy and sweet elements of the cuisine pretty well.  The cab and syrah did not noticeably influence the taste, as I picked up mostly the malbec and merlot influences.  Not necessarily an impressive wine, but quite pleasant.

We also had a wonderful dessert (sorry, no notes on that) paired with a well-aged tequila...we were steered in that direction when asking about dessert wine options.

I learned after our visit that they also offer a tapas menu in the bar area, which at $1/tapas plate seems like a great way to sample some of their food for a modest price.

Steak with a Zesty Sauce & a Savory Side

I love whipping up pan sauces for steak, and this Garlic Horseradish Sauce I’ve developed is a favorite.  It is a simple preparation with butter, roasted garlic, horseradish, finished with cream.

My plan was to follow this recipe last night, but realized as I set to cooking that I’d forgotten to get the cream.  To replace the cream, I added a quarter cup of red wine and finished it with an extra 2 tbsp of butter.  I’d say I liked this version as well if not better than the original.I also came up with a side dish that was very tasty, Sauteed Mushrooms and Greens.  Here’s the recipe for that:

8 ozs mixed mushrooms, sliced-I used mostly button with a few shitakes mixed in 

for more flavor

2 tbsp butter

1 medium shallot, diced

1/2 cup orange or red bell pepper, diced

8 ozs or so mixed baby greens--I used a combo of spinach and arugala

1/4 cup red wine

1/2 tsp thyme

salt & pepper to taste

optional: a dash of truffle oil 

Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots, saute for a few minutes then add the bell pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes until the peppers have begun to soften.  Stir in the mushrooms, thyme, and add salt & pepper.  Cover, and cook over medium low for about 5 minutes.  

Stir in the red wine, and cook uncovered until the wine is mostly absorbed.  Stir in the greens, cook covered for a few minutes until they begin to wilt.  After removing from heat, stir in a few dashes of the truffle oil if using.  Ready to serve!  This side went nicely with the steak and baked potatoes.  It would also be a good side for roast chicken.

Wine Pairing:  I served this with a 2005 Clancy's ($14) from Peter Lehman vineyard in Australia Barossa region.  This was a nice, well-balanced blend of shiraz (37%), cabernet sauvignon (36%), and merlot (27%).  The shiraz gave it enough spice to match the horseradish, and the cab/merlot combination always works well with steak.

Cajun Red Beans & Rice...Notes for next time!

Tonight I made Cajun Red Beans & Rice from the latest Cooking Light.  Tasty enough to try again, but with some notes for improvement next time.  Overall, I'd say it could use a bit more kick.  I had made my own Cajun spice blend, following this recipe.  After sampling the dish, I just added a bit of extra cayenne and black pepper to the blend for next time.  I think 2 to 3 tsps is probably closer to the right amount of the Cajun blend, compared to the 1.5 called for.  That, and/or dice a jalapeno to go along with the onion/bell pepper mixture.

As to the meat, I tossed in a bit of leftover steak, which worked well.  I used garlic & herb sausage, but again something with a bit more kick could work better.

One packet of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice was just right for this dish.  I mixed it in toward the end of cooking.

A fair amount tweaks proposed by next time, but this is fairly quick, healthy and a bit different than my usual weeknight fare, so it seems worth the effort to try again!