New York - February 27, 2004

Masa Appeal

Masa Restaurant and Bar Masa

Can we stop with the Time Warner Center already?

Yes, the restaurants are amazing. Yes, Whole Foods is incredible and ginormous. New York has its first slick mall. Woo-hoo.

Next stop on the hype train: Masa and Bar Masa. (Nobu who?) You’ve likely heard about the outrageous prices at the 26-seat Masa: $300 per person — before sake and tip — gets you about twelve courses of whatever chef Masa Takayama whips up, like toro tartare with osetra caviar. And you’re likely prepared to submit to their “Don’t call us. We’ll maybe call you” reservation policy. The more humanly priced Bar Masa next door seats 39 and serves dishes like barbecue unagi and scallops with uni-black-truffle ceviche.

Some final instructions: If you’re stuck sitting at the Masa counter when they open in a few weeks, take comfort in the fact that you’re leaning on a $60,000 slab of imported Japanese wood. If you’re lucky enough to snag a seat at Bar Masa during the soft opening this weekend … Well, you’ll sure have something to crow about come Monday.

Masa and Bar Masa, Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, at 60th Street, fourth floor (212-823-9800).