Since its American debut in the 70’s, the California Roll has played a significant role in sushi’s popularity. For decades following, it inspired sushi chefs to bend traditional Asian recipes to create fusion cuisine – The Philadelphia Roll, The New York Roll, The Nixon Roll…. Modern sushi is certainly the adaptation of exotic food palatable for western taste buds.
A new generation of American food enthusiasts emerged willing to take the plunge towards the sushi trend. Celebrities like Madonna and Justin Timberlake created opportunities for restaurateurs to open posh and exclusive restaurants, where sushi is served with cocktails and rubbing elbows with someone famous is part of the enchantment. Today, a sushi connoisseur can expect dinner for one at Masa to cost $450. Add to it a carafe of Kubota Manju Sake at $86.00 and the automatic 20% tip; your bill totals $645. Bring a date, and for the cost of your dinner, you could have purchased plane tickets to Las Vegas, a Romance Package at the Bellagio and watched Cirque du Soleil.
Masa once again tops Forbes list of The Most Expensive Restaurants for the second year. The restaurant is a zen-like temple with 26 seats in the dining room and 10 seats at the sushi bar. The décor of oya stone, japanase cypress and hinoki wood are custom designed and brought in from Japan. Located at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan, Celebrity Chef Masa serves his prix-fixe menu “Omakase” style. Omakase means trust – Chef Masa will serve you whatever he likes. He can serve you fresh ahi tuna flown in from Japan daily, foie gras shabu-shabu, Kobe Beef, and white truffles - about 25 courses over the span of 3 hours.
Chef Masa’s culinary masterpieces cater to a specific clientele. Anyone with money can pay for the experience – celebrities and food enthusiasts alike. If you are lucky to get a seat at the sushi bar, you might even get the privilege of having the Chef himself serve you. LATEST DIVA ARTICLES:
