NYC Tastes

We got another gift card for Bar Masa at Christmas time and decided to use it this past weekend. We showed up around 5:00 and the place was pretty much empty. From 3:00-6:00 they only serve a limited sushi/sashimi menu which was just fine with us. To start we ordered a California Roll, two pieces of beef, and a Unagi Avocado Roll. The California roll was something we had both really enjoyed last visit and this time was no exception. The roll was fantastic. The crab was succulent, sweet and extremely fresh. This has no resemblance to the crappy California Roll you get at other places- this is the real deal. The Grilled Unagi Avocado roll was pretty good. I liked the flavors together but it didn’t really blow me away. Ever since I was feed Unagi by Yasuda himself I have never had anything that comes close to as tasty. The pieces of Kyushu with salt and pepper were tasty as well but no where near worthy of their $12 a piece price tag. The spicy tuna roll was pretty large and came wit...

So Mr. T and I had some gift certificates to Bar Masa we received for Christmas. We have always wanted to try Masa proper but starting at $400 a person for dinner really isn’t in our price range! It was a Saturday and we were feeling some really good sushi in a non-rushed environment. We decided to go for a midday meal around 3:00. The minimalist décor and draped curtains completely fit our mood. There was only one other table of four when we arrived. Everything was perfect...at first. Since it was an off hour, they weren't offering any of their hot dishes- just a limited sushi and sashimi menu. I won’t go into every dish in detail, just some of the Two pieces of young Yellowtail Hamachi. We were shocked at how small the pieces of sushi were. I’m a small person and I could probably eat about 50 pieces- no exaggeration. And while it was soft and light I think I have had better at other sushi joints. Hotate which is scallop seared with salt and yuzu zest. This was exce...