Saturday, May 2, 2009

mask fit. or: if the mask fits, share it



mask fit opened monday of this past week. 1311 o st. kurdish and mexican food. i'm not sure why the kurdish and the mexican together, but the eventual review in the journal star should clear that up.

they have tacos, burritos and quesadillas; and tamales which are excellent-- a picture of the pork tamale here--and i was wrong about the price there, because tamales are $2 even.

on the kurdish side of the menu, you've got gyro plates headlining. i ate one and i liked it, the meat was excellent... but there are already two places within half a block where you can get a gyro plate. anyway. rounding this out are beef rolls, which i'll try next time; and beef kuba, which i've also seen spelled kibbeh. that's a small fried dumpling filled with minced meat, rice and herbs. i am a fan of savory pastry snacks, and i'll be buying the kuba again. that's it up top.

mask fit also sells cookies, which are labeled "kurdish cookies" and cost $2 for the container you see above-- though i ate a couple before i took the picture. these would be great to take to some sort of office potluck situation if you work downtown. they're light but moist and lemony, with coconut in a supporting role, which is where coconut really shines. i'll buy these again too.

i hope mask fit makes a go of it in this spot which, as mentioned on the ljs blog, seems pretty much cursed. the $2 tamales could really be a hit on that block, which is 90% bar. i also hope they expand the kurdish food offerings. i have a feeling that's in the works.

5 comments:

Mr. T said...

I checked it out over the weekend and had the three tacos ($4). The tacos were tasty, but not too different from any you might get anywhere else in town. I thought the price point was definitely fair, but three of those tacos isn't enough to fill one up.

I was going to try the kuba, but if I recall the price point was way off (IMHO) with 3 for $4 or $5 and they were pretty small.

I'll be rooting for this place, but unfortunately I predict it won't be around come fall, especially since students are leaving now.

gmille said...

I've had the Kuba, the beef rolls and the cookies. I like the Kuba over the beef rolls, but both are good. The pastry is chewey and crisp. People seem a bit timid to check it out. Three people came in and walked out after looking at the menu, as I sat eating my lunch today. They have some startup operational issues to work out, but I like this place for its simplicity of menu and food quality.

gmille said...

I've had the Kuba, the beef rolls and the cookies. I like the Kuba over the beef rolls, but both are good. The pastry is chewey and crisp. People seem a bit timid to check it out. Three people came in and walked out after looking at the menu, as I sat eating my lunch today. They have some startup operational issues to work out, but I like this place for its simplicity of menu and food quality.

David Morris said...

I'm just finishing up a lunch of Kuba and Kurdish rice right now - delicious! and with a cost of just over $5 I think it's a good value. Mr. T - those 3 kuba for $4 are very filling and worth the cost.

Anonymous said...

Finally got the chance to go down to Mask-Fit but it looks like I've missed the Kurdish bus. It's Mexican food only now. Too bad...