Just Touching Base …

Mars

Friday-Saturday 5:30-11pm

When Mars opened in Austin in 1992, it was at the vanguard of worldly new restaurants to hit a town starving for a more sophisticated dining scene. Since then, it has undergone a change of ownership and several different chefs. However, in spite of the revolving door, the restaurant has deviated little from its original concept. Exotic and otherworldly, Mars cultivates an environment where the familiar seems strange and the strange seems familiar. Little details — the confetti-tiled bathrooms, stenciled stars on the ceiling, dramatic spotlighting over dark-colored tables — create a stunning visual effect. Remarkably, the blood-hued walls, colorful mosaics, and sidereal light fixtures still seem as fashionable now as they were when the restaurant opened. It’s perhaps due to this originality that Mars has managed to remain a consistent favorite among Austin’s thinking diners.

The menu at Mars has a decidedly global influence. Grilled spiced lamb kefta, served with minted marinated green bean fasoulakia, over a pile of fluffy couscous ($11.95) tastes like it stepped out of the pages of National Geographic. A rice paper-wrapped halibut draws its inspiration from Asia, with subtle echoes of ginger, scallions, and spicy peppers ($17.95). A longtime favorite among Mars regulars, the homemade chicken potsticker appetizer ($6.95) is as winning with today’s hip professionals as it was with those a decade ago. Filled fat with minced chicken, mushrooms, garlic, and scallions, each bite sets off a miniature explosion on the tastebuds. Vegetarian potstickers ($6.95) are equally impressive, with a piquant, firecracker quality that makes you salivate for more. This esoteric assortment of standards has anchored the restaurant since its inception.

In the past three years, however, newcomer chef John Bullington has begun making small inroads on the old menu. He has added some scrumptious new regular items and features innovative nightly specials that reflect his own style, yet that still manage to harmonize with the restaurant’s original intent. An egg roll appetizer filled with five-spiced duck confit, shiitake mushrooms, and shallots ($8.95) twinkles as it dances upon the palate. His Malanga Napoleon ($8.95) successfully integrates a classic Provençal-style dish of summer vegetables and goat cheese with exotic accents, while the pork loin stuffed with red onion, fennel, chiles, and shiitake mushrooms ($16.95) rolls up the complex tastes of the Far East with staples of the Mediterranean. Daily dessert specials are all made in-house and can reach celestial heights. The kitchen’s gooey chocolate-walnut torte filled with caramel and berry purée ($6.50) is a sublime half-cooked brownie dessert that makes the lips smack with sugary satisfaction.

Like so many of Austin’s fine dining establishments though, Mars suffers from a frustrating lack of consistency. It’s possible to order badly at Mars. Some of the newer appetizers, such as the smoked-salmon-wrapped asparagus, rolled in panko and deep fried ($9.95), don’t quite achieve the desired liftoff. On paper this dish looks cosmic; in fact, the rather bland breading obscures the taste of the other constituent parts. A very enticing-sounding stir-fry special of spiced pork, beef, vegetables, and cellophane noodles ($14.95) was so overburdened with vinegar and sugar it was almost inedible. On the same occasion, the Thai bouillabaisse (an exotic concoction of fish and shellfish served in a lime- and galangal-scented coconut soup, $10.95/$13.95) came out of the kitchen tasting flat, disappointingly compromised by shriveled, overcooked mussels.

Nevertheless, it is clear that whatever fixable flaws the restaurant might have in the kitchen, it compensates for with effective management on the floor. The enthusiastic waitstaff are always professional, efficient, and friendly. Most are very knowledgeable about both food and wine. And it seems quite obvious that the staff regularly dine there. Mars deserves credit not only for its exceptional service, but also its continuing creativity and flair. With the right combination of choices, a meal at Mars can be out of this world.

This article appears in July 12 • 2002.