Delicious
Take a trip into the world of fine dining and tantalize your taste buds with flavors
from around the world.
Imagine Greece, Japan, and France at the tips of your lips. The thought alone
may be enough to work up an appetite but fortunately there is a restaurant
waiting to fulfill your culinary fantasy. These restaurants are not only praised
for being some of the most expensive, but the menu and experience itself
personifies the term ‘culinary art’.
Masa Sushi & Grill- New York
Masa Sushi & Grill opened its doors in 2004 and since then has specialized in offering
the highest quality and freshest sushi available. Unlike most sushi bars and restaurants,
Masa incorporates traditional Japanese style with each chef, including the owner
Masahiro ‘Masa’, being from Japan. With over ten years of experience as a chef, Masa
left his previous job as a restaurant manager for a fresh start and with a new outlook
founded the restaurant on two main principles: shibui and umami. Shibui refers to
simplicity and presentation and umami, the basic flavor inherent in each ingredient.
As a former Japanese seafood distributor, his knowledge of the fish market surpasses
that of most, and to this day Masa religiously makes his daily rounds at secret seafood
suppliers. So before the fish hits your plate you become a part of a long tradition that
occurs daily in Japan. “Sub-standard dishes are unacceptable” he says, and each
patron is rewarded with not only a delicious meal, but zen-like relief.
Escaping the busy streets of New York, guests enter the twenty-six seater sushi temple
and arrive at the ‘performance stage’. The sounds of trickling water leading to a pond
and a bamboo garden soothe them as they wait for Masa to enter. After providing a tour
through the multi-course menu, diners indulge in five exquisitely composed appetizers,
followed by a sushi entrée compiled of nearly twenty types of exotic seafood flown
directly from Japan. Desert completes the dining experience that easily totals $400 per
person.
Where Masa is more of an exclusive, traditional experience that varies with the season,
Bar Masa is more interactive and contemporary with a la carte options available. Both
venues offer the same culinary prowess but different ambiences. Delight your senses in
either way but make reservations early; this historical experience is as hot and just as
cool as their sake.
Imperial Fez- Atlanta
Cultural, entertaining and enticing; Imperial Fez