Masa — Restaurant in New York

What we have is an interesting conundrum where there is spectacular artistry and tastes, but recommending it is extremely difficult as it appeals to a minute demographic.

To begin, MASA is somewhat of an American mecca for Japanese gourmets. But I have to emphasize that it is a place for the gourmets among gourmets. It will simply go over the heads among foodies who are just touring Michelin stars or want to throw out names.

So how is it different? Let's start with the crab and uni aioli. It's served in an upside down in the crab shell. Most foodies should know that the brain of the crab is high in fat and chock full of umami. MASA opted out of the brain (though maybe it was used in the base of the dish) and prepared the uni as an aioli to substitute, if not improve upon the standard method of eating crab head.

Then there's kabocha, which is central in many Japanese comfort meals. What I thought was pumpkin was actually toasted papaya with uni custard. Again, re-introducing core dishes with a twist. Think about it, uni custard and toasted papaya? Where else but MASA?

Of course, during the nigiri course, you are served masses of uni again, and maybe now, you're thinking, "Oh he just stuffs you with Hokkaido uni as an easy way to bump up the price." Wrong, absolutely wrong. What's he done is prepare uni in multiple ways that continue to give you the strongest umami without boring your taste buds.

Honorable mention is the caviar and toro tartare. It's so simple, but the Osetra they chose wasn't nearly as salty as it normally is and perfectly salted the toro. Literally an adult's savory parfait.

Some small feedback: The pacing was about 15 - 20 seconds too fast. It would've been perfect had I been a patron who did not order alcohol. I was easily rushed through the omakase portion and outpaced even the couple next to me that were seated and started eating 5 minutes prior to me.

During the tiger shrimp nigiri, the towel they use for wiping the board landed on the shrimp and dragged against it. This towel has been wiping the vinegar rice off plates and the board all meal.

Overall, small bumps in an otherwise perfect meal. Definitely someplace I'd visit again, though I'd pick my...

You're not allowed to take photos except when invited to. We were allowed a few for my husband's birthday, and I also snapped one of the parting gifts (two menus and the paper one of our meals was prepared on) once back outside.

The restaurant entry is hidden behind a banner hanging at its front. I thought it was simply decorative marketing until my husband ducked behind it and waved me over.

The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and polite. To quote a server I spoke with, "Chef Masa is perfect; therefore, he expects nothing less." And the dinner really lives up to that. I didn't dislike anything we ate, and surprisingly, we were stuffed by the end of our 2 hours there. I say "surprisingly" because each item you eat is what I call a "petite serving." Basically, everything fits in your mouth in one bite, and you're done. No redos or seconds. So you must savor the flavors. Every plate is timed so you fall into a rhythm set by the chef and his staff. You even receive specific instructions on not using your tiny serving of soy sauce until you're told you may, and that's important because every detectable bite already has everything you need built into its creation.

Then there's the dinnerware! It's so pretty and unique. Every piece is specially designed by Chef Masa to complement his sushi creations and then manufactured for the restaurant.

We didn't sit at the sushi bar where Chef Masa and his staff were most active, but we did have the best view of their process as our table was diagonal to the right of the bar (as you look at it from the front) so we could see every roll made, every bit of sashimi sliced, etc.

Dining at Masa is an experience, and although I'm not rich enough yet to go on a regular basis (our dinner, additional appetizer, and 4 alcoholic beverages were almost $2k), it...

Bar Masa is the casual offshoot of 3 Michelin star Masa, next door, often described as the most expensive restaurant in the US. So, we were ready to pocket out "beaucoup d'argent" for our lunch there on a quiet July Thursday (only one other couple was present during the lunch). However, the lunch itself and a few questionable practices on the part of Masa felt like a major disappointment, if not a turndown. First, the restaurant's website advertises "Omakase tasting served with miso soup and kale salad", with seasonal nigiri sushi selection priced at $56 and seasonal sashimi selection at $76. Nonexistent. Instead they got sushi or sashimi tasting, with neither miso nor kale salad. The prices are equally higher, in reality vs website. The sushi tasting small is $60-plus and the "large" version is $115 or so. So, we ordered 2 large sushi tasting. Wasn't an omakase, but rather a shmomokase, just a plate featuring 2 kinds of rolls (6 pcs) and 13 pcs of sushi (nigiri). Wait! How 13 nigiris can be divided by 2, to constitute 1 portion? Each person gets, what, 6.5 pieces of sushi? To add insult on injury, the server inquired if we wanted a freshly grated wasabi. Sure enough, it resulted in extra $20 on the bill. Should have been disclosed, and then we still would have ordered 1 freshly grated and 1 regular to compare the experiences. Michelin Guide habitually deducts stars from restaurants deemed overpriced. Masa is an epitome of this shameful practice. A Chef Tasting Menu is Per Se next door is priced at $355 pp for a truly unforgettable gastro journey. $405 for a few pcs of sushi is as bad as it gets. Was the quality of the product served better than a sushi lunch served everywhere in NYC for $30? It was, somewhat. Wasn't better that much. Spend your money elsewhere for a...