Masa 14: A first look

November 9, 11:08 AMDC Restaurant ExaminerLisa Shapiro

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Masa 14's new Handrolls - Photo by Lisa Shapiro

The new Masa 14, the joint concept of Chef Richard Sandoval, who brought us his marriage of Latin-Asian flavors, Zengo and Chef Kazuhiro "Kaz" Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro opened on Monday, October 12, 2009. After several months of anticipation, with the combined talents of Sandoval and Okochi, it's no surprise that just three weeks after opening that Masa 14 has been so successful. In addition, to offering the latest trend - small plates, the location is prime time. U Street has been revitalized and the recent opening of new restaurants, bars and shopping has made this district neighborhood vibrant again and the newest and hottest place in town.

This new 5,000 square foot restaurant just north of Logan Circle offers a versatile menu including seafood dishes, meat and poultry, noodles and rice, to tacos to wood-oven flatbread pizzas ranging in price from $6 to $14. Antonio Burrell will serve as the Chef de Cuisine, formerly of the CommonWealth Gastro Pub in Columbia Heights. Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a media dinner at the newly opened Masa 14. I tried several items on each portion of the menu. Of the 'Cold' offerings on the menu, I tried the Crunchy shrimp / wasabi sauce / lettuce / crunchy rice Temaki Handrolls  (see photo above) served in Chef Kaz's creative presentation of using ice cream cone holders. I thought this was pretty inventive. They were indeed quite crunchy. For texture, there were green like “roe” but made of wasabi. The handrolls were much larger than traditional sushi rolls, evidently are quite popular in Brazil. I found the handrolls very difficult to bite into. I also didn't care for the bitter black seaweed wraps. Kaz said that he prepares the handrolls pretty much the same way as sushi rolls, but uses different vinegar.

Tuna Ceviche - Photo by Lisa Shapiro

The Tuna Ceviche / coconut / pineapple / pico de gallo was delicious. The ceviche had blended flavors of coconut and pineapple with bursts of new sweet flavors in every bite. The combination of the red onion, fresh tomato and cilantro in the pico de gallo made this dish the perfect ceviche. Well, almost; as the dish is very similar to Kaz’s scallops Ceviche that he offers at Kaz Sushi Bistro. He said that he didn’t want to do the same thing and wanted to try something different so decided to use Tuna. The ceviche was one of my favorite dishes. When I return to Masa 14, I will definitely order the ceviche. 

Of the cold dishes, the Hijiki seaweed–jicama salad / sesame / chayote / daikon sprouts was probably my favorite or at least tied with the ceviche. I loved the seasonings, smokey sesame flavor, and the crunchy texture. Once I was home I researched some of the ingredients, which were new to me.

Hijiki Seaweed - jicama salad- Photo by Lisa Shapiro

In my research, I discovered that Hijiki is the most versatile kind of seaweed and also extremely high in fiber. Jicama belongs to the legume or bean family (who knew?). It is a popular dietary staple in Latin America and widely grown in Mexico and Central America. Jicama looks similar to a turnip or a large radish, can be used as an alternative to the water chestnut yet tastes similar to a pear or apple. When jicama is used in cooking it tends to take on the flavors of the ingredients that it is being combined with; therefore, jicama is a nice complement to various stir-fry dishes because it blends well with many vegetables and seasonings. Jicama is a very versatile vegetable that contains a high amount of vitamin C, is low in sodium, and has no fat and great for menus, as it is available year round.

My notes on the  'Hot' dishes offered on the menu, such as the beef tenderloin with chimichurri, fingerling potatoes, and mushroom escabeche and flatbreads ...coming soon ... stay tuned...