Last night we went to Mas Farmhouse in the Village, located at 39 Downing Street very close to Bedford. When we got out of our cab on Seventh Avenue, we walked along Downing street and I must say it is one of the coolest blocks in the city and it boasts some other yummy restaurants including, Blue Ribbon Bakery, Ditch Plains and Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar. It is a long way from the Upper West side, almost a different continent.

Mas FarmHouse front door-

I can remember many nights at the former Isla that Mas Farmhouse inhabits.

At Isla we would have a drink called a Luna Rosa- It was a delicious tequila drink and instead of the rim being coated in just salt, they coated it in salt and cayenne pepper.

One of our fondest memories of Downing street is that when we were selling an apartment at 32 Downing and Mrs. Z had a private showing to a guy named Nate. Nate walks in and Carolyn knows him from somewhere. She shows him the apartment and then asks if he grew up in Astoria and did they go to St. Johns Prep.

He smiled gracefully and said, “ No dear, I am Nate Berkus. Carolyn almost died. It turned out that he bought the apartment and then did a big piece on Oprah turning the tiny studio into a fabulous living space.

Mas Farmhouse is a lovely little restaurant with a fantastic décor and a well-trained formal staff. There are many ways you can eat at Mas- a la carte, or a 4 or 6 course Chefs menu.

We opted for the 4-course menu and essentially we could choose anything on the menu in any order and the chef would pair down the sizes and make a fantastic meal.  I ordered the homemade sausage to start, the ravioli second and then the Halibut third. Our waitress Daine  (sp) was a bit of a control freak and suggested I finish with the sausage and start with the pasta dish. I appreciated her dominance, but decided to have it my way. Other peeps at the table had caviar, raw tuna with micro herbs and nettle soup.

The food is divine, the service was spot on, just a touch too formal for me and the conversation was great!

We would certainly go back!

Mas FarmHouse dining room~