Masa (restaurant)

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Masa is a high-end sushi restaurant with just 26 seats, located in the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle, Manhattan, New York. According to a 2004 review in New York Magazine, "you will pay $300 each for the chef's omakase lunch or dinner, provided you've made a reservation for one of the 26 seats weeks in advance".^[1] Patrons are admitted to the restaurant only once each evening, and stay as long as they wish.^[2] In 2004, meals ranged from $300 to $500 with a "$100 per person kill-fee if you cancel your reservation."^[3]

The restaurant is named after its chef, Masa Takayama, and it does not have any menus since the "chef adjusts his meals according to the availability of ingredients (white-truffle tempura is a specialty in the fall) and his diners' whims".^[1]

In December 2006, Travel + Leisure named it one of New York's Top 50 restaurants.^[4]

1 Trivia
2 Chef Takayama
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Trivia

In the January 4, 2007, episode of the U.S. TV series Ugly Betty, Masa was mentioned several times. In the episode, Daniel wants to clinch a deal with an important Japanese designer, and part of his plan is to take the designer to Masa for dinner at the Chef's Table.

[edit] Chef Takayama

Chef Takayama has been in the restaurant business all his life, first in Japan, and then in California, after immigrating in 1980.^[2] Before opening Masa, he owned Ginza Sushiko in Los Angeles, which was one of that city's most expensive restaurants at an average of $300 per person, but considerably less expensive than Masa.^[5]

Chef Takayama orders the majority of his fish from Japan. Because there is no menu, Chef Takayama essentially cooks what he wants, but he does keep a book in which he records each customer's reaction and what he or she ate.^[2]

In his free time, Chef Takayama runs marathons (best time 4 hours 50 minutes) and makes pottery.^[2]