Mago - Oakland - Mark Lieberman (of AQ)

Former Cybelle’s space on Piedmont. “… if all goes well, the restaurant may open as soon as winter 2019.”

From an email I got on Wednesday:

… we are almost done with construction and we have begun the cleaning process and final touches. Plateware and glassware have arrived, shipment of almond wood came in today and the music system is all ready to go! We’re all very excited with the progress each day! Thanks to everyone who has emailed in with interest on our opening - we’ll confirm an opening date as soon as possible, but we are shooting for next week.

This article says Tuesday.


Finally got to Mago last night. Definitely reminiscent of AQ, especially in its early days.

I got a bottle of the Mencia. Lighter than most, went with everything.

Cucumbers were a nice, light starter. Sauce was very spicy.

Ratatouille toast was very good. Soft whole-wheat? bread I presume was house-made.

Brodo was fantastic, deep, rich flavor. Looks creamy but that was just some foam on top, it was more like a consomme. I skipped the truffle supplement since I don’t much care for raw black truffles.

Charred cabbage was very nice with the anchovy & tahini dressing you can’t see in this photo.

That was really enough food but I love rabbit and rarely see it on menus. Very good though the caramel was a little sweet for my taste (generally not a fan of anything sweet with meat). There was shiso among the greens, that was brilliant. Took maybe half home.

House “Chartreuse” and amaro were nice. I ordered them but they comped me. Amaro was very nice.

Great meal and very friendly staff. I’ll be back for sure.

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This downloaded menu wasn’t exactly the same as what we got.

Delicious Cab Franc.

Had the ratatouille toast again. It’s some sort of house-made squash bread that’s somehow very light. Impressive given that they have only a wood oven.

Also had the truffle & mushroom brodo again. Insanely good. Worth a special visit just for that dish.

I was imagining figs wrapped with bacon and grilled, but the bacon was just a hint in the sauce. Couldn’t really taste the lychee in the goat cheese, either.

Beans with chanterelles & ham, excellent.

Chicken was good but seemed like they took off most of the skin, which is the best part. Grilled Tokyo turnips were really nice.

Didn’t get a photo of the cheese plate. Nice cheeses and housemade crackers (again impressive given the wood oven).

Nice crisp funnel cake with toasted rice ice cream. Couldn’t really taste the whiskey but the dish didn’t need it.

That was a good amount of food for two hungry people, no leftovers. Once again excellent and friendly service. Great addition to the local scene.

Seems like the restaurant’s changed substantially with its move to a tasting menu format (and seemingly stronger Colombian influence, though I’m less sure here).

Menu


Oysters, Strawberry & Hibiscus

Churro, Chicken Liver
One of the highlights of the night.

Arepa, Little Gem, Caesar

Halibut, Green Strawberry Aguachile, Potato
Potato was unusual but I can’t say it didn’t work.

Asparagus, Pipian Verde, Seaweed
Good by itself, but also stood out for being unusually successful with the drink pairing (this was paired with the Rooibos Tea & Bourbon cocktail).

Yellowtail, Fava Beans, Rhubarb, Shellfish Jus

Plantain, Masa broth, Tamarind, Sorrel
Excellent, easily the best dish of the night. Came with crunchy fried corn(?) kernels. There was also something moderately spicy in the broth. Great play of flavors & textures.

Spring Lamb, Collards, Ramps, Majado de Yuca

Lamb Birria, Flor de Mayo Beans, Mint
Also came with some unusual and delicious cornbread, which honestly I enjoyed more than the lamb. Cornbread was on the sweeter & moister side.


Passionfruit, Coconut Lime Tapioca
Great, but I’m a sucker for passionfruit.

Natilla, Cinnamon, Rum Soaked Raisins

Milk Chocolate Whiskey Truffle
Truffle on the right. (Fig w/pepitas on the left, for my dining companion, who had some dietary restrictions.)

Drinks, right to left (oops).
I very rarely order beverage pairings; I’m not into wine. But the cocktails sounded good and I do like rum. Both cocktails were indeed good, and the though I liked the mezcal-based one better as a standalone drink, the bourbon-based one was actually a successful pairing (by my standards, where it both positively influenced the taste of the food, and itself was likewise influenced).


Overall… I don’t know, I had a good time, but it mostly wasn’t the food. The pacing & service were excellent. The food was uniformly well-executed, but outside of those dishes on which I had notes above, didn’t capture my attention very much.