Fiesta brunch @ Masa

I am, by definition, an awful person... I can't believe I've neglected to update for more than a month! To help make up for it, I want to share a gem of a brunch experience. This morning, my roommates and I woke up early for brunch in the adorable south end neighborhood at Masa. I'd been there before, but not for fiesta brunch: you get an appetizer, an entree, and coffee/tea - all for $7.95. Um, I haven't seen prices like that since 1995.

The atmosphere is warm, modern, and there is definitely a southwestern feel.

We were greeted with a basket of blue and regular cornbread.

It came with a flight of spreads - apricot, maple butter, and sweet chipotle. We loved it all. The chipotle spread had a nice little kick, the apricot spread tasted light and fresh, and the maple butter, well, you can't really go wrong there. The bread itself had a nice moist texture, and was generally pretty good. If it had been served warm, it would have been outta this world.

I went with the caramelized plantain empanada as my appetizer. It tasted exactly as it sounds - heavenly!

It was served warm, on top of a generous dollop of cinnamon cream cheese. Everything about this was perfect - the plantain was outstanding, dense but not too sweet. The pairing with the cinnamon cream cheese was genius. I want more already.

Samiksha and I both ordered the huevos rancheros for our entree.

We didn't really know what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised by how pretty it looked. It was a cheese quesadilla over a black bean puree, topped with two over-easy eggs, cotija cheese, sour cream, and a circle of salsa ranchero. We were so excited to dig in, and our excitement only increased as we took in each bite. Soooo delicious. I'm not usually a fan of black beans, but the combination with the quesadilla and eggs... just wonderful.

Ritu and Sophia ordered the Santa Fe style eggs benedict. (I know, my roommates are all super gorgeous!)

They confirmed that their bennys were quite tasty. Also, you can see that our coffees were served in glass mugs. Awesome. I don't know why beverages taste better in glass mugs, but they certainly do.

And finally, as Samiksa ate her way through her plate, she stopped and said, "Hey look, guys, it's mitosis."

Sigh. These are the sort of things you hear when you live/brunch with three engineers. <3

The best part of the meal came with our bill -- the knowledge that, including tax and tip, it came out to $10 each. Literally. Cue the gospel music. Too good to be true, right? Nope, we pinched ourselves, and left Masa only $10 lighter. So if you're looking for a fancy brunch on a not-so-fancy budget, look no further than Masa! You'll love it as much as we did.

Masa
439 Tremont St.
Boston, MA
617.338.8884