Japanese Restaurants in New York

Masa

Bridging oceans and cultures

When the seafood Takayama ordered from Funabashi arrives at MASA, he immediately starts preparations for the sushi he will make in the evening.

Takayama doesn't rely only on ingredients from Japan. He also seeks the best available in the U.S., considering it his mission to develop Japanese cuisine in his own context. Though he serves basically omakase—the chef's selection centering on sushi—he also sets forth delectable dishes using foie gras, caviar, and truffles exquisitely arranged with a Japanese touch. Much is made of MASA's high prices, but that's not an issue we'll debate here. Indeed it's not just food but certain elements of Japanese culture that Takayama is trying to convey.

Translucent sayori (halfbeak or needlefish) is thatched with wasabi (horseradish) stems and a dusting of grated wasabi.

Owner-chef Masayoshi Takayama.

Custom-made sake bottle and cups.

An aura of refined understatement greets you at the entrance where, in the vast sleekness of Time Warner Center, the restaurant's sign is less than an inch tall. When you sit down to order sake, a green glass bottle embraced in a bed of ice will arrive with a tiny cup handmade of cypress. The cup, which holds only 60 milliliters, is so tiny that it will spill its contents unless extreme care is used when filling it. The bottle has been meticulously designed and crafted so the precise contour of the neck controls the amount that can be poured, and the cup will not overflow.

The sake cup itself was carved to less than 1 millimeter in thickness with the craftsman's most delicate touch. When lips meet the edge of the cup, the subtle aroma of cypress drifts into the nostrils, enthralling the sipper with simultaneous pleasures of touch, taste, and scent.

From the hands of the master: two nigiri-zushi—toro (choice tuna belly) and horse mackerel.

Original cocktails showcase yuzu, kumquat, and pomegranate.

Similarly, MASA's lacquerware vessels present the perfect warmth, weight, size, and feel for hands. You can appreciate the efforts of craftsman and chef to delight all five senses right from the palm of the hand. This is the ideal of Japanese cuisine: to stimulate all the senses, to inspire with beauty, and—more than merely staving off hunger—to convey meaning that deeply satisfies the spirit. Only the best chef can harmoniously achieve this without diners being conscious of his efforts.

Takayama procured much of the interior and all the small articles for the restaurant from Japan, including wood for the counter, stone for the walls, the cooking stove itself, and linen noren (short curtains). He designed all the dishware and suggested the floor plan, which was polished and finalized by architect Richard Bloch. Just as with his cuisine, Takayama does not insist on Japanese perceptions everywhere. With his thorough knowledge of Japanese traditions, MASA is the place where he can experiment with his new Japanese cuisine, expressing his own sensibility that has been nurtured by two cultures.

MASA
10 Columbus Circle, 4th Floor
Tel. 212-823-9800
Open Monday through Saturday, 12 PM to 1:30 PM, 6 PM to 10 PM (reservation only); closed Sundays Omakase lunch from $300, dinner from $500

Bar MASA
Open daily, 11:30 AM to 3 PM and 6 PM to 1 AM (weekends until 2 AM)
Lunch: $25-$40
Dinner: appetizers $6-$30, entrées $26-$45, desserts $6-$30, cocktails and sake from $15

Articles from the 2004 SUMMER issue:

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