4.0 star rating
85 reviews Rating Details
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Time Warner Ctr
10 Columbus Cir
Ste 4F
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West
(212) 823-9800
www.masanyc.com
1. Masa is a meal that is pretty unforgettable, wait let me rephrase - completely unforgettable.
Definitely ask to sit at the bar when they confirm your reservation, so you can watch te masters prepare your food!
From the blowfish, to the very creative shabu shabu, to the sushi - everything is perfectly delicious.
I would highly suggest not getting any wine/sake, and just enjoy the meal with water and the tea that they will serve you.
Oh P.S. i have never had such delicious strawberries which are apparently fresh from Japan.
2. I must admit I've been on a sushi kick for the last week or so. I've been reading, possibly obsessing over the most authentic ways to prepare sushi. When I love a restaurant, or a specific dish, I tend to gather various recipes in hopes of recreating a lovely dinner for myself. So yes, I've been eating at New York's best Japanese restaurants this past week, attempting to understand the secret behind the perfect piece of sushi. To a fault, I've always assumed Sushi was an easy thing to recreate... Buy a slab of fish, cut it, lay it over a mound of rice, and you're done. But I was mistaken, especially upon walking into Masa. Yes, the reviews below me speak the truth: It's best to eat here with a completely clean and clear palette. Why? Because you're eating some of the most incredible, delectable, mouthwatering, luscious (shall I continue?) food you may ever put into your mouth.
While I didn't learn much about the secrets behind the preparation of the perfect piece of Sushi, I did come to understand that freshness is essential. However, this is why my rating dips a bit lower than the others. Masa has their fresh fish delivered to NYC from Japan daily. Yes, so that 20% service charge is not for their employees, it's to have their fish flown to New York. Not only does that leave a huge carbon footprint, it's also appalling that beyond the exorbitant prices you're already paying, the included service charge is NOT the tip. If Masa wasn't so tasty, my rating would've dipped much lower than three stars for this reason. Hmph.
3. How much does it cost to eat like royalty in New York City? In the case of Masa, about $400 per person, plus beverages (in our case booze), tip, and sales tax. You do the math. If this sounds enticing, then you must come to Masa.
I've been dying to try Masa, but knew I could never afford it on my own merit. When my boss told me to pick one of New York's finest restaurants to host our visiting London partners, I knew Masa was the place.
Masa seems simple, but the simplicity makes it beautiful. The wood from the counter is made from hinoki and was specially brought in from Japan, who knew would could be so pretty?
The menu changes daily, so each experience is truly unique and your own. Of all the items on the menu we tried, none were short of spectacular.
Fish is flown in daily from Japan and from certain parts of the US, so you'll never have to worry if you are eating yesterday's fish because you can simply taste freshness in every course.
The toro tartare with caviar is TO DIE FOR. The Unagi (eel) was prepared behind the sushi chef where there was a little grill; a sous chef helped grill the eel and presented it to the chef with such concentration that it felt like they were performing open heart surgery on it. The preparation hyped our anticipation and rightfully so. It was perfect.
The servers bring by bowls of warm lemon water so you can clean your hands because the chef wants you to eat the sushi with your fingers. An experience in itself.
Masa is like an outer body experience. You quickly forget you are in the midst of the busy Time Warner Center and apart of something you'd never imagine you'd ever know.
Once all the amazing courses are finished, after the warm towels are delivered to clean your hands- you're brought down to earth when you get a glimpse of the bill. 3 hours of amazing food ended up being half as much as my rent on my UWS apartment.
Luckily, this life changing food experience was on company's dime. Although my boss told me I'm never allowed to pick where we eat for work dinners again, Masa was definitely worth it.
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