Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
Farm-inspired Napa Valley style comes to the Susquehanna Valley.
Mainline native Leeann Mason and her husband Taylor Mason from Silver Spring, Maryland, are bringing new life to the space that housed a former local favorite BYOB, which was called Effie Ophelia. Their new eatery, dubbed an urban cookery, Ma(i)son [pronounced May-sahn], opened in July.
“I think we found [Lancaster] at a really cool time where it is continuing to grow and expand. The city has all of the tangibles of a really interesting, funky-hip small city and we are really excited to be a part of the community here. That is specifically one of the things we have come to like most about the city in our short [time] living here—the sense of community,” says Taylor.
The couple moved from the Napa Valley in California, where Taylor studied at the Culinary Institute of America’s campus there; Taylor worked for
Michael Chiarello while he was opening his restaurant Bottega. He then went on to work as a private chef for clients from Audi and American Express to vineyards, wine proprietors and celebrities. “Napa Valley and its Mediterranean state of mind, with everything from the weather to the wine and food, has really had the most profound impact on my cooking and my approach to life and food,” he adds.
“The concept [of the restaurant here] is very simple and straightforward,” adds Taylor. “A dining experience at Ma(i)son can be a formal and fine dining night out, while it can also be a casual meal—those are our favorite types of restaurants to eat at.”
The vibe at Ma(i)son is fresh. Urban casual meets rustic Provencal. Simple French peasant style fare features local, seasonal, sustainable ingredients from resources like Buck Hill Farm, Farm Fromage, Lime Valley Mills, Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, MiLi’s Bakery, Susquehanna Permaculture and Square One Coffee.
Reclaimed white-washed barn wood and crisp white walls replace the former dark decor with a clean palate, while very “now” accoutrements accent the walls–think white porcelain wild game trophy mounts and a funky rococo orange mirror.
French style cushions on a banquette-lined wall with Boos butcher block tables seat 2, 4 or 6. The best seat in the house, says Taylor, would of course be the chef’s table: 2 bar seats facing the kitchen where guests can watch him work. Or right in the middle of the 28-seat dining room, amidst all the action, he says. The restaurant is still BYO, and water glasses made from recycled wine bottles add to the eco-conscious decisions the couple made about the approach. Checks are presented in vintage wallets while menus come on recycled clipboards and feature an old library style date stamp at the top as if to enhance the freshness factor.
“Our approach to the design of the space as well as the menu is the juxtaposition (and somewhat contradictory term) of a sense of ‘refined rusticity,’” says Taylor.
The vibe at Ma(i)son is fresh. Urban casual meets rustic Provencal.
The music, too, is hip with sounds of Mumford and Sons, Ben Folds and Florence and the Machine. Leeann and Taylor are a young couple, enthusiastic about the Lancaster food scene and excited to “carve out their own niche” here.
“We often hear [guests] say that they felt like they were at a very intimate dinner party or even in a big city with the ambiance and food. That was one of our main goals when opening: to provide a place for our neighbors, family and friends to
come and be able to escape the rigors of daily life,” Taylor says.
“For the menu, we take our inspiration from the country cooking of Italy and France. We are in love with both of these countries, have some lineage ties to them and really enjoy their native cuisines. We fell in love with the simplest of meals prepared from very fresh, local ingredients. Our approach is the exact same: Take what is fresh and local, treat it very simply to allow the ingredients to shine. So combining the rusticity of these cuisines with a slight modern sensibility is how we arrive at our menu,” explains Taylor.
Chef Mason’s Burrata (freshly made mozzarella cheese) with braised artichokes and grilled bread to start is melt-in-your-mouth delicious, soft and salty and likely to become a staple on the menu based on rave reviews buzzing about.
Entrees like monkfish (known as “poor man’s lobster”) served with an earthy fava bean puree, baby turnips and cippolini onions in a brown butter sauce are very simple, yet flavorful. Techniques like smoking hanger steak over hay and familiar favorites with twists such as herb spaetzle add interest to the experience as well.
Choices of homemade desserts range from warm cookies (lavender sugar, brown butter poppyseed and chocolate hazelnut) with milk to lemon verbena custard with interesting raspberry varieties. Sweet finishes to what is fast becoming a new (old) favorite dining destination.
MA(i)son 230 North Prince Street, Lancaster 717-293-5060 www.maisonlancaster.com Hours: Tues-Sat 5pm-11pm
