The Pfister Hotel’s Celia restaurant was named after the mother of hotel owner Steve Marcus. The restaurant was like a memory. Sweet in its own way, but placid and staid.
Celia’s successor, Mason Street Grill, has paved a more current path. For starters, the hotel powers-that-be finally got the notion of a basement-level restaurant out of their system. The grill is on the corner of Mason and Jefferson, with two entrances – one, importantly, a street passage.
General manager Peter Donahue, who spent eight years with Bartolotta Restaurant Group, came to the Pfister because of Mark Weber, the hotel’s food and beverage director. (They worked together at Lake Park Bistro, where Weber was executive chef.) The menu at Mason Street is “very Weber-like,” Donahue says. I’m thinking the same as I pop a fried surf clam into my mouth. It’s déjà vu of Weber’s former Watermark Restaurant, where the fried surf clams were a standout among the appetizers.
On this menu, there’s also seafood and corn chowder, Maryland crab cakes and grilled swordfish with tomatoes and rosemary – all reminiscent of Watermark. Beyond that, steaks, chops, chicken and fish entrées for people who want a meal.For less of a production, there are entrée-size salads, sandwiches like the Monte Cristo and prime rib melt, as well as braised short ribs, veal stroganoff and others.
Months before Mason Street Grill opened, Weber said it would lure suits looking to drop a few hundred bucks, andthe pre-theater and Bradley Center crowds. This in mind, I wore jeans one night and felt… too casual. It was a dress-pants, if not suits, crowd, which fit the somewhat standard steakhouse interior (the ever-popular use of wood and leather). Weber’s trademark is the open kitchen and it’s here, paired with a 17-seat marble-top counter, giving diners a front-row view of the action.
You find you’re part of a community. Strangers seated side by side might talk steaks or chocolate mousse. Servers, chefs, bussers and managers do their dance along with a multitude of props – food, dishes and the stainless steel tools around them. The pace is swift; the tension thick. It’s a voyeur’s paradise.
At the counter, it’s also easier to avoid the weak service. I failed to find anyone who seemed at ease in that single-breasted white jacket. But the plates came with the confidence the servers lacked. The food borders on very good.
From my seat at the counter, I watch a cook stretch and roll out dough to make flatbread. These light, crisp breads come as appetizers, too, wispy 9-inch rounds, baked with different toppings – smoked bacon, prosciutto, provolone, arugula, caramelized onion ($7.75-$8.95). Lighter than a pizza, they’re just enough to trick the appetite into craving the next course.
I’m less sold on the skewers (wood-grilled meat and veggies), mostly because pulling food off of a skewer is a hassle. It’s better to simply sit back and lift a forkful of thick, meaty Maryland crab cake ($10.75) or the butter-like tuna tartare with avocado and ginger mayonnaise ($11.75). And those irresistible surf clams, dipped in buttermilk batter and fried, are served with matchstick-thin frites ($8.75).
On my first visit, entrées came with a house salad prepared (somewhat nervously) by a server. Since then, the salad has been simplified to a kitchen-prepared chopped toss of greens, bacon, tomato and hard-boiled egg in a sharp mustard-seed dressing. I had the same chopped base for a salad topped with tender grilled filet mignon ($18.50).
Most entrées come with one side dish from the roster of spaghetti squash, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, etc. Nowhere do they take more of a backseat than with the 21-day dry-aged New York strip ($48.50), a beautiful cut of juicy, marbled beef. The blue cheese sauce (one of four choices) lent a wickedly pungent finish. The ravioli also left an indelible, savory impression, but for different reasons. The al dente pillows stuffed with herb goat cheese were topped with fresh mint and shaved Parmesan ($15.50). Underneath was a chunky fresh tomato sauce that reminded me of summer.
When I order the chicken saltimbocca, I wonder if I’m reliving a salt-lick veal saltimbocca experience at a different restaurant. Far from it. Bland and a trifle dry, though the skin’s intact, it had very little prosciutto and fresh sage (and hence, flavor), which are the benchmarks of this sautéed Italian dish ($25.50). The bit of Marsala-mushroom sauce spooned over it was a short-lived diversion.
What I like about the wood-grilled ahi tuna is that it’s not another tuna au poivre. The firm filet with a bright-pink center, comes with a creamy, mildly anise-ish sauce of wasabi, avocado and fennel ($32.50). Another fish entirely, the George’s Bank haddock is regal and hedonistic, served with a lobster cream sauce ($33). Some side dishes sink further into debauchery – the Delmonico potatoes (similar to au gratin) and creamed spinach with water chestnuts.
The twin cutlets in the veal Oscar vary in texture. One is tender; one is unpleasantly tough. They’re brought together by some small, tender sections of king crab and a decent béarnaise sauce, but I’m disappointed by this $38.50 entrée.
My new goal is to go a week without crème brûlée (which is becoming cliché). Good alternatives here are the feathery light cheesecake sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs; dense, dark chocolate mousse encased in ganache; and heavy, coconut-filled carrot cake topped with luscious cream cheese frosting ($6 each).
The Pfister replaced placid and staid with vibrant and energetic. The service at Mason Street isn’t there yet, and I have quibbles about the food, but they’re relatively minor. A lot rides on the success of a restaurantinside the city’s premier hotel. The pressure will never really be off.
Mason Street Grill,(Pfister Hotel) 425 E. Mason St., 298-3131.
Hours: L Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. D Mon-Sat 5-10 p.m.; Sun 5-9 p.m.
Prices: appetizers $7.50-$11.75; soups, salads $6-$7.75; grilled items, entrées $9.75-$48.50; desserts $6.
Service: needs experience and poise.
Dress: better casual or dressy.
Handicap access: yes.
Credit cards: M V A DS D.
Nonsmoking dining room.
Reservations: recommended.
