Mars Restaurant & Bar
1610 San Antonio, 472-3901
Sun & Mon, 5:30-10pm; Tue-Thu, 5:30-10:30pm; Fri & Sat,
5:30-11:00pm
 photograph by John Anderson |
trendy little mid-town eatery and setting off on a round-the-world adventure, I
was concerned that perhaps one of my favorite restaurants would undergo
unfortunate changes. I need not have worried. With very few exceptions, the
things I appreciated about Mars remain intact under the stewardship of the new
owner, longtime manager Lori Simon and her new chef, James Fischer. The
uniquely incendiary decor, innovative bar, and understated, professional
service are as appealing as ever. And the highly regarded appetizer selection
has a few intriguing new stars. Though the entr�e menu is missing a
particular favorite lamb dish, there are some interesting new choices based on
chef Fischer’s North African travels. Asian, Indian and Mediterranean
influences still predominate, but the chef plans to incorporate some Caribbean
Island flavors in off-menu specials in the coming months.
On a recent winter evening, a large group of women joined me for a dinner
outing at Mars. Because of the size of the group, we ordered just about
everything on the appetizer menu and had a jolly time, sending the lovely
plates of tasty tidbits around the table. Stars among equals were the
justifiably famous pot stickers ($5.50), the new salmon-wrapped asparagus
($7.95) and the daily special, tuna bites pan-saut�ed in crispy bread
crumbs ($7.95). Mars all but built a reputation on its pot stickers, dainty
pillows of Asian pastry dough filled with a spicy mixture of ground chicken,
serrano peppers, mushrooms, and cilantro accompanied by a wonderfully tangy soy
and rice wine vinegar sauce for dipping. The asparagus dish was the perfect
example of divinely labor-intensive finger foods that are the bane of a chef’s
existence: Peeled and blanched tender asparagus spears are wrapped in slivers
of hardwood smoked salmon, rolled in Japanese bread crumbs and pan
saut�ed. The elegant little packages are nestled among baby lettuces and
spritzed with a delightfully astringent lemon saki aioli. On my subsequent
visit, I opted to order a serving of this asparagus that didn’t have to be
shared.
Encouraged by the appetizer feast, we eagerly awaited our entr�es,
munching herb-crusted Naan bread and sipping a good BV Carneros Pinot Noir.
What happened next was one of the oddest experiences I’ve ever had in reviewing
restaurants. It was as if the talented kitchen staff that had just impressed us
with their appetizer expertise were spirited out of the kitchen by aliens and
an entirely different group of people prepared our entr�es. Of the eight
dishes, two were plainly inedible, four were disappointing and the remaining
two were merely acceptable. Our collective hearts sank and it wasn’t long
before the waitress noticed that we weren’t attacking our entr�es with
the same gusto with which we’d devoured the melange of appetizers. She
correctly assessed the situation and set about to make amends. Unacceptable
dishes were replaced with new entr�es or dessert at no charge. She later
came back to the table to assure us that when the kitchen saw two plates of the
same dish come back uneaten, they sampled it themselves and took it off the
menu for the evening.
Contrary to popular belief, restaurant reviewers don’t go out gleefully
looking for a bad meal just to have the opportunity of slamming a restaurant in
print. No one hates a miserable dining experience more than I, but the aplomb
with which the Mars staff handled the unfortunate happening led me to believe
that the inconsistent quality of the food was an anomaly. Much to my relief, a
recent return visit proved that to be the case. Once again, the appetizers were
of stellar quality and this time, I shared as few of the asparagus spears as
possible. Of particular note on this visit were the Mars baby back ribs
($5.50), a small rack of tender succulent pork ribs in a tangy-sweet Asian
barbecue sauce perched atop a serving of the homey garlic mashed potatoes.
Gladly, the entr�es on our second visit were equal to the spread that
preceded them. One of chef Fischer’s menu additions is a North African dish
called kafta ($10.50), ground lamb seasoned with cilantro, sweet onions,
and toasted cumin. The meat is formed into elliptical nuggets and grilled.
Kafta is served on a bed of couscous with a Middle Eastern, green bean
ragout called fasoulakia, a cucumber yogurt sauce and tarragon tahini
aioli. This was a new and challenging mix of flavors for our group but we found
it enjoyable. Because my longtime favorite lamb loin with garlic mashed
potatoes and eggplant salad is no longer offered at Mars, I chose an off-menu
special, lamb in a red wine reduction sauce ($13.95) and it erased all memories
of the former fave from my mind. Lean, tender lamb was braised in an intensely
flavored red wine reduction sauce with onions and mushrooms and served atop a
steaming serving of pearl-sized Israeli couscous with roasted carrots, squash
spears and fennel. Also appreciated that evening were the ricepaper fish
($13.95 market price for mahi-mahi) and shrimp in green curry ($11.95). The
quality of all our entr�es on the second visit confirmed my decision to
give Mars another chance.
Mars has long had a reputation for serving creative, eclectic desserts. Small
wonder considering that both Lisa Fox and Tina Haverty are former pastry chefs
of the restaurant. Longtime Mars cook Joe Apa prepares many of the Mars
desserts these days, especially the ice creams, and the reputation for
innovation is safe in his hands. Sample the Planet Eclair ($4.50) some evening
and you’ll understand. The Mars version of a banana split features sliced
bananas sauced with caramel beside a large eclair filled with two flavors of
ice cream. One evening, the flavors were banana rum and a fascinating chocolate
chili with cinnamon. The other time, we found scoops of banana rum and
chocolate mint. It’s a good dessert to share.
Mars remains one of my favorite restaurants, one disaster notwithstanding.
Restaurants that succeed ultimately do so because of their consistency and
their determination to assure the satisfaction of their patrons. Soliciting
customer feedback and heeding it is very good business. At Mars, bank on
extraordinary appetizers, exemplary waitservice, and a commitment to the
loyalty of their clientele.
This article appears in February 7 • 1997 and February 7 • 1997 (Cover).