Masa

Sorry for my absence...I haven't been goin to restaurants, and I've been too drunk to remember any of the bars. But it's time to come back with a fury.

For the record, this is my 5th time to Masa. I am somewhat of a Masa snob; any trip that isn't in the late winter period when the Fugu is in season is just not quite as up to snuff. For those of you for whom Masa would be a new experience, it is omikase style japanese, with most of the stuff there being otherwise unavailable outside of Japan. It is also prohibitively expensive.

The meal this time was, as always, beyond compare. There was a lot of tilefish on the menu, including a tilefish skin appetiser, and tilefish sushi. As always, toro/caviar made a showing, as did the toro roll and several types of mackeral. We also had shabu shabu, with the others getting scallops, while I preferred to go for yet another course of toro. The best shabu shabu in the city is still the no-longer-existant hot stone version at tao (damn fire inspectors!), but this is a very close second, with the post-course drinking of the remaining broth being as excellent as the meat.

However, I felt as though the creativity was simply one notch below what I'd seen in the past. Has Masa passed it's nadir? Or is it zenith?...which one means highest point, I always mix them up...I'm not one to complain, but for the type (read:price) of meal we're talking about in the Time Warner Center, I expect to be completely blown away not just with the food but with food i've never before seen. I guess I'll have to go back a few more times to ensure that this was an aberration.

Food: 9 out of 10
Drink: 8/10. when i'm there i always wish i knew anything about sake
Service: 10/10. some people might say that a restroom escort is unnecessary...i am not one of those people
Atmosphere: 7...we had the early table, was kind of weird being the only ones in the restaurant for an hour. plus i've still never sat at the bar
Will I be back: Why, you buyin?