Masa (restaurant)

Coordinates: 40°46′05″N 73°58′55″W / 40.76806°N 73.98194°W

Masa
Restaurant information
Established 2004
Current owner(s) Masa Takayama
Chef Masa Takayama
Food type Japanese and sushi
Rating 3 Michelin stars (Michelin Guide)
Street address The fourth floor of the Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle (at West 60th Street and Broadway) in Manhattan
City New York City
State New York
Postal code/ZIP 10019
Country United States
Coordinates 40°46′06″N 73°58′56″W / 40.768236°N 73.982344°W
Other information prix fixes start at $450
Website masanyc.com

Masa (雅) is a Japanese and sushi restaurant located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle (at West 60th Street and Broadway) in Manhattan in New York City.[1]

The restaurant was opened by Chef Masa Takayama in 2004 and is considered one of the most expensive restaurants in the world, as well as the most expensive restaurant in New York City. Located next door to the restaurant is Bar Masa, a more accessible dining experience offering an à la carte menu. In 2009, a second Bar Masa opened inside Aria in Las Vegas.

Menu

The menu is Omakase only, costing $450 per person, not including tip, tax or drinks.[2][3] The sushi bar itself is a $60,000 piece of rare hinoki wood from Japan. Reservations for the 26 available seats are taken three weeks in advance.[4] Chef Masa prepares the menu himself, often including seasonal ingredients. He uses many exotic ingredients, such as truffles and Kobe beef. Most of the fish is flown in from Japan. Chef Masa can be seen working behind the bar and will sometimes serve the food as well.[5] While there is no menu to order from, Chef Masa does keep a record of what he has served to his customers and what their reactions were.

Recognition

Masa garnered the Michelin Guide's highest rating starting with the 2009 guide and was the first Japanese restaurant in the U.S. to do so.[6][7] It received three out of four stars by The New York Times.[8] It has also received five out of five stars in the Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as the Mobil Guide).[9] It has been named as one of New York's Top 50 by Travel + Leisure.[10] Forbes named Masa as the Most Expensive Restaurant In The U.S. for 2005 through 2009[11] as well as The World's Most Expensive Sushi in 2007 through 2009.

Chef

Main article: Masa Takayama
Chef Masa Takayama

Masa Takayama was born and raised in Japan. After high school, he worked at Tokyo's famous Sushiko in Ginza. In 1980, he moved to Los Angeles, where he would eventually open his own Ginza Sushiko. After almost 20 years, and after having established Ginza Sushiko as one of the most expensive restaurants in Los Angeles at an average meal price of $105 per person,[12] he sold his restaurant to his sous-chef and moved to New York to open Masa and later Bar Masa in both New York and Las Vegas.[13] He would continue further to open his second restaurant in Las Vegas in 2009.

In popular culture

References

  1. ↑ Michelin rolls out 2011 NYC restaurant guide, CNN, October 6, 2010, Accessed November 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Masa Menu – Upper West Side – New York Magazine Restaurant Guide". Nymag.com. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  3. ↑ Schultz, Patricia: 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Workman Publishing Inc., 2007, p. 179
  4. ↑ Alex Witchel, Food From a Perfectionist Does Not Come Cheap, or Easy, New York Times, March 17, 2004
  5. ↑ Adam Platt, Holy Mackerel, New York Magazine, April 26, 2004
  6. ↑ Masa and Mas Win in New Food Guides, The New York Times, October 8, 2008, Accessed November 8, 2010.
  7. ↑ Ryan Sutton, Masa's $1,000 Meals Earn 3 Michelin Stars; Ko Gets 2, Bloomberg.com, October 6, 2008, Accessed November 8, 2010.
  8. ↑ Masa Review, The New York Times, June, 2011.
  9. ↑ Masa, Forbes Travel Guide, Accessed November 9, 2010.
  10. ↑ New York's Top 50, Travel + Leisure
  11. ↑ Sophia Banay,Most Expensive Restaurants In The U.S. 2006, Forbes, Oct 19, 2006
  12. ↑ Christina Valhouli, The Most Expensive U.S. Restaurants, Forbes, October 14, 2004
  13. ↑ "''Masa''". Masanyc.com. Retrieved September 21, 2010.

External links