Masa and Bar Masa

[bloviatrix]

Have you been trying to figure out where to eat this weekend? Well, this morning, I found an e-mail in my in-box alerting me to the fact that Bar Masa at Time Warner is having its soft opening this weekend.

Enjoy!

[bpearis]

Early peak at Masa from LA Times. Check out the photos: no skimping on the caviar on the toro tartare.

[jeunefilleparis]

I was working on Sunday and found myself in the area of the good old AOl Time Warner Center. I decided to check out the menu at Bar Masa and ended up having a really small meal there. THe place is really beautiful. Behind the bar is volcanic rock and then,the bar itself is gorgeous, its not $60,000 like the one in the main restaurant but apparently it came from a tree in Africa and then was dried 25 years in Japan. Masa said something like "it waited for me". I was actually one of the only diners there,( as it was Oscar Sunday and the soft opening.), and so I spoke to Masa and his wife for a little while. I had a great blood orange pomegranite martini to start that I enjoyed, probably more for the color than the drink. The menu, so far is really simple and it was just printed on good old computer paper as they continue to tweak it a bit more. There were raw oysters, 3 different types of rolls, a tofu dish etc ( my memory fails once again)

To start I had a tuna roll. It was served on a beautiful plate and you could tell that Masa and his design team really put a lot of effort to make sure that every detail was attended to. The roll was nice , each piece of roll sliced seemed to be about the size of a silver dollar which was pretty big compared to others I had seen. I really love sashimi, but there wasnt any on the menu but Masa's wife asked him if he could do a tasting and he did. Again the presentation was really beautiful. It was served on a squarish dish and there was crushed ice on the plate ( reminds me of the fromage blanc floating island at Chickalicious) and then the fish was laid carefully on top of that. I had some tuna, toro, white fish and one other that I cant remember. Again, the quality was wonderful, very fresh and delicious. I had some green tea sorbet for dessert that was refreshing and full of flavor.

All in all I had a great time, the staff is very friendly and attentive ( yes i know i was practically alone there,,,,,) Masa was so sweet and seemed really excited.

The place will do great. Will I go to the actual restaurant, not unless someone else is paying, but if it as good as the bar, it should be worth it.

[slkinsey]

Good review of Masa here by S. Irene Virbila in the LA Times food section. Scroll past the stuff on Per Se (registration required). Some interesting tidbits:

We have Keller to thank for luring one of L.A.'s two four-star chefs away to Manhattan. Masa Takayama's style is so personal that without him, Ginza Sushiko, his Beverly Hills restaurant, could never be the same. So he closed it.

Like Keller, Masa is leading with his strong suit in New York; the menu the night I ate there was made up of his greatest hits. The format is the same as at Ginza Sushiko too. It's omakase only, but here it's $300 to $500 per person, more than it was in Beverly Hills. But then again, he's not intending to have two seatings. "I thought about it," he says, "but no. People don't want to be looking at their watches. They want to feel relaxed." Part of what you're paying for at Masa is the luxury of time, along with the exclusivity.

[bpearis]

Gael Greene gives a mini-look at Masa in the new New York. Scroll down.

[SobaAddict70]

"It's one of those experiences where if you have to ask how much you probably shouldn't go," Mr. Keller said. "The food is astounding but that's only part of it. Masa brings you into his world and it's hard to put a price on something like that. You're feeling the sushi bar, almost a satiny kind of feeling, you're watching when he grills a matsutake mushroom in front of you and he puts parchment on top, the paper turns colors, he lifts it and you see a beautiful silhouette. It's almost like art. But some people will go and not be ready for it, not understand it. He's very specific. It's like going to see a great performer."

Where Perfection Reigns Supreme (Alex Wichtel) (from today's DIGEST update. You may have to scroll down for the appropriate link.)

Much has been made of Masa and the expense one must sacrifice in order to experience the sheer luxuriousness of it all. However, what's missing thus far has been an in-depth look at the man behind the mystery. The article tries to present Chef Takayama's philosophy in such a way that readers whose curiosity are piqued will want to know more -- and hopefully reserve.

Thoughts, anyone?

Soba

[bourdain]

I eat there tonight.

I quiver with anticipation.

[sml311]

I eat there tonight.

I quiver with anticipation.

But will you share the details here?

SML

[bourdain]

I have been to the mountain top.

I have seen......things.

Everything is different now.

Let me describe the scene:

You enter through a non-descript door on the 4th floor of an empty,nowheresville mall. Standard push-it-out-of-the-way hanging. A door. One long, utterly gorgeous monster beam of raw, blonde wood. The kind of wood you want to sniff for a while. You want to rub your cheek along its warm, unblemished surface..build a fucking house out of it. You never want to see another piece of wood that isn't THIS piece of wood. About 12 seats at a sushi bar type set-up. The space behind the bar is as roomy as the customer side. Green bamboo trunks floor to ceiling (this is the food prep side) LOTS of luxuriously extra space. There's nothing on the bar but chopsticks and a napkin. NOTHING. Not a glass, a condiment, nothing. No glass fish display either. 2 blocks of ice, 2 working trays of hunks of fish. which the chef grabs out of.

As your reservation was for 9:30, you and your friend are quickly the only customers. It's just you two, and Masa, directly in front of you, with an assistant on each side. And you KNOW--with absolutely Biblical certainty that at this precise moment, noone, anywhere on this planet is eating better than you.

There is NO garnish at Masa. Zero. Not the slightest attempt to pretty up, distract, improve on or embellish what is clearly--from the second you see it--or put it in your mouth, the asbolute finest raw ingredient available anywhere on earth.

If o-toro tuna so pale and beautifully rippled, so buttery and unctuous as this does not immediately make clear why you're paying big bucks , than you will never understand even the simplest movements of the universe.

Hunks of foie gras, dunked "shabu shabu" style in broth...raw tuna with dictator-sized heaps of caviar...the aforementioned tuna--alone worth dragging a rusty blade across your best friend's throat. Monkfish with black truffles...

2nd half of the meal eaten with the hands.....Sea eel. Raw, sweet sweet baby shrimp...every piece of sushi like experiencing it for the first time. Everything served on ultra rustic handmade pottery ( I believe made by the chef). It is the most puritanically ingredient-driven meal I've ever had. Ingredient ingredient ingredient. Put all thoughts of cost right out of your head, because no restaurant has ever been less concerned with justifying its prices. Res Ipsa Loquitor is their policy. The thing speaks for itself. And it does. Any price you pay for the full-on Masa experience is a STEAL . This is a once-in-a-lifetime, tell-the-kids-about-it experience. These are ingredients that may well not EXIST in a decade or two--at any price.

And I should point out that Masa had no fucking idea who I was--and couldn't have cared less in any case. If you're willing to: a)Shell out the money.. b)Smile. And c)enjoy? You'll have the same experience.

Beg, borrow, steal...max out the cards...dip into the kids' college fund..crawl naked across broken glass...stick up a liquor store...make a deal with Jeffrey Chodorow--ANYTHING to experience this.

Edited March 18, 2004 by bourdain (log)

[jogoode]

bourdain,

How long was the meal?

[bourdain]

We were there from 9:30 until midnite.

Much of that time alone at the bar--right in the cockpit--watching Masa do his thing. There were two small private rooms just off to the right, who kept getting platters of sushi sent over; but sitting at the bar is clearly the way to go.

It's a "Holy SHIT!!" meal. Actually, it's a "Hoooooooly Shiiit!" meal--almost from the first seconds. Just Masa, a knife, a few pieces of fish, a stunningly simple charcoal grill set-up. Masa works with an orange, a plane grater, a few small crocks of ingredients, a thick knob of fresh wasabi root. Other ingredients (like a fat black truffle) appear after whispered instructions to his assistants. Masa was very friendly, even talkative after the meal and is absolutely befuddled by the attention payed to the price. I can tell you that I was silently totalling up probable food cost per plate while I watched him work--and it must be astronomical. The place must be run on the thinnest of margins. Masa himself works every shift, makes every meal personally--right in front of you. Staffing is bare miminum--and includes his wife. Watching as he heaped staggering amounts of ethereal 0-toro into a single nori roll, I positively shuddered. It's a chills down the spine experience, believe me. His fish--the likes of which I have never seen--even in Tokyo-- is flown in from Tsukiji. I could sit there all night--just looking at the casually deposited slabs of fat-rippled tuna.. The seaweed, I can only imagine the cost. The single piece of wasabi he was wielding--alone--was worth nearly a hundred bucks. He's not shy with the caviar, truffles or foie. As advertised, there is minimal explanation of what you're eating--usually a one-word comment.

Question: "Unagi?"

Answer: "Anago!"

When I told the chef that I planned to return and eat some of everything in the house, that I wanted to come in some day and wipe out his entire supply he told me I had tough competition in the enthusiasm department: A customer in LA brought in his teenage son for his birthday. This thin young man proceeded to eat well OVER 80 (!!) pieces of sushi. I can well understand.

[bourdain]

And let me stress this again.

Masa is CHEAP at the price. It's a freaking DEAL. There's no gouging, no subtle add-ons (like overpriced water), no upselling, no attitude. Masa prepares sushi (and his cooked dishes) very simply--with minimal hand movements. The single finished pieces of fish he places on the unadorned stone ware actually relax onto the rice in front of your eyes--as if sighing. This is NOT a restaurant for the beautiful people--or for the very wealthy. This is a restaurant for people who really really REALLY like fish (and great ingredients) -and are willing to pay for them. You get what you pay for (more than you pay for in my opinion)--and what you get is the very best.

Even if you make 300 dollars a week as a rookie prep cook, I urge you to go. Go!Fuck Con Ed. Let em shut off the cable. Who cares if Junior needs bail money? The landlord can wait. Go. Now.

[Daniel]

Not that it sounded like it needed it, but was a dessert served.

[SobaAddict70]

At this level of quality, to paraphrase Eric Asimov, I'd prefer if the fish were the last flavor in my mouth as I departed from the restaurant.

Not that dessert is a bad thing.

Soba

[bourdain]

No dessert.

[bloviatrix]

How does it compare to eating in Japan? And what do you drink with a meal like that?

[robert40]

Oh Shit,Now I got to go back to the mall and take family photos in front of Masa's door.

[SobaAddict70]

I'm guessing that sake or green tea is probably offered.

Tony?

Soba

[newyorkomnivore]

And let me stress this again.

Masa is CHEAP at the price. It's a freaking DEAL. There's no gouging, no subtle add-ons (like overpriced water), no upselling, no attitude. Masa prepares sushi (and his cooked dishes) very simply--with minimal hand movements. The single finished pieces of fish he places on the unadorned stone ware actually relax onto the rice in front of your eyes--as if sighing. This is NOT a restaurant for the beautiful people--or for the very wealthy. This is a restaurant for people who really really REALLY like fish (and great ingredients) -and are willing to pay for them. You get what you pay for (more than you pay for in my opinion)--and what you get is the very best.

Even if you make 300 dollars a week as a rookie prep cook, I urge you to go. Go!Fuck Con Ed. Let em shut off the cable. Who cares if Junior needs bail money? The landlord can wait. Go. Now.

Okay, I'm going, I'm going. I'M GOING.

What did you drink? Does he serve sake and wines? What wines?

What did you end up spending?

[slkinsey]

This sounds really amazing. I had thought it couldn't possibly be worth it, because I was not sure I could tell the difference between a really good piece of o-toro and a ten-times-the-price best-in-the-world piece of o-toro. But, on the other hand, I'll neve know unless I try it! Sounds like an experience to remember for a lifetime, and therefore well worth the money.

[SobaAddict70]

Before you go, I might add that Masa's (the restaurant) telephone number is unlisted.

Don't worry, Alex Wichtel's article from Wednesday's NYTimes DIGEST update mentions it.

Where Perfection Reigns Supreme (Alex Wichtel) (Scroll down for the appropriate link.)

Soba

[bourdain]

One drinks sake. And nothing but.

My friend picked a good Junmai--and we stuck with it. We hit the stuff pretty hard and yet dinner for two (even with two additional plates of tuna) came to less than 900--with tip.

No dessert offered. The idea never occured to me.

Just tea.

[tanabutler]

I Googled to see what hinoki wood looks like.

Here's a cabinet made of hinoki. Beautiful. I can almost smell it.

[dr_memory]

Yow. Okay, I'm sold. Maybe not this week, maybe not this year, but before my 35th birthday, sold sold sold.

Tony -- I'd be very curious to hear your impressions of the food at Bar Masa by way of comparison. Obviously the allover experience isn't going to be even close, but realistically it's going to be what a lot more mere mortals experience.

[Mulcahy]

My husband and I ate at Bar Masa on Friday night. They are just starting to serve, but there menu is still limited, and far from set. It is currently printed on copy paper (the bartender gave me a copy which is where the prices come from). Sat at the bar, which is really beautiful, and split the following:

6 oysters (Kumimoto, I believe) ($18)

3 baked oysters with black truffle ($15)

2 pieces o-toro ($?) [i think the pieces totaled about $40, the prices were on a different menu, which I do not have]

2 pieces yellowtail ($?)

Sushi canapes which consisted of 2 each of: tuna tartar caviar, yellow tail truffle, scallops with sweet shrimp, and salmon tartar caviar ($28)

Marinated chicken with garlic ($16)

Kobe beef yaki soba ($23)

The raw oysters were delicious. The baked oysters were very good, but a little weird (the truffle was overpowering). The o-toro and yellowtail were to die for. The sushi canapes, which were served at the Time-Warner opening, were all delicious, but the scallops with sweet shrimp were a bit bland.

Surprisingly, I cannot say enough about the two cooked dishes. The marinated chicken was tiny chicken croquettes with tiny french fries. It was one of the great "fun" dishes of all time. Reminds me of some of Keller's spoofs. Basically it was chicken nuggets with fries, but it was soooooooooo good. The Kobe beef yaki soba was worth the price of admission in and of itself.

We also drank some wonderful sake (I have no idea what kind, since I know zip about sake) and had some after dinner drinks (they have a good selection of brandies/eau de vies/whiskeys).

I should add that we spent close to $300 (including tip) but we drank a lot of booze. Also, the service was very good, if not quite perfect (busboys still getting the hang of things). The bartender/server was excellent. The sushi, by the way, is not prepared behind the bar. I don't know if it will be eventually.

From our experience I had more or less determined that when we can afford it (ha) we will try to get into Masa. From Bourdain's review it becomes absolutely necessary.