Masa

Masa 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.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.MenuThe offerings are Omakase (no menu) only, with chef-selected meals costing 595 per person, not including tax or drinks, though gratuity is included. The sushi bar itself is a 260,000 piece of rare hinoki wood from Japan; Masa is one of only two sushi restaurants in North America to have a hinoki wood sushi bar. Reservations for the 26 available seats are taken three weeks in advance. Chef Masa Takayama 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. 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 so he can cater to them on their next visit.