At first glance, a resounding Nope.
The next luxury item from Masaās gonna ask you to come to the restaurant to assemble your own sushi box and cut your own fish for an extra $800.
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What is a bit interesting about the Eater article is that the author never says exactly how it was other than the cavair bled together with the toro, creating a pungently fishy, sticky mess, and the resulting odor permeated to a large swath of the fish throughout the rest of the box. That certainly doesnāt sound good, but how was the rest of the fish?
I was a somewhat frequent customer of Masa when he was in L.A., but never made it to his flagship in NYC. But in L.A., the restaurant truly was all that. In NYC, I tried several times Masaās more casual sushi restaurant next door to the flagship, which allegedly shares the same kitchen, but it was shockingly mediocre. Right before the pandemic shutdown, a friend of mine dined at Masa and said it was great, but I donāt necessarily trust my friendās judgment and when you are spending that much money, I think there is a bias to think it was great, so you donāt feel snookered. But I have to say in the early days in L.A., Masa truly was all that.
Is it just me or does it look like youāre getting wasabi paste for your 800 smackeroos?
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Has anyone been to Sushi One in Koreatown? Itās not on the website, but on their Instagram. They have a deal for Custom Sushi platter, for $55, you get 30 pieces of sushi (omakase), edamame, tempura, and miso soup. Sounds like an incredible deal.
Oh yeah you are definitely getting wasabi paste LOL.
While I think Masa could still be an amazing sushi chef I do think he is a brand now and just milking it before he retires.
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I was told by my friend who dined at Masa immediately preceding the pandemic that Masa himself was behind the counter.
His other restaurants in New York suck. I gave Bar Masa a few tries and it was mediocre (and over $100 a person many years ago, which is a tad high for mediocre sushi). He opened yet a third restaurant (I think on the Upper East Side if memory serves) and that one got savaged by the critics.
Nevertheless, I would be astonished if he was serving wasabi paste for $800, but who knows.
Thereās no way thats fresh ground wasabi based on the pictures, see for yourself maybe youāll see something different from me but it looks like wasabi paste to me.
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My eyes arenāt sharp enough to see one way or the other from the picture. But that just shows how shoddy the Eater article was. Rather than just photographing the food and making snarky comments, the author should have actually critiqued how it tasted and whether or not for that money there was fresh wasabi. So the Eater article was pretty worthless, not that Iām in New York at the moment and even if I were, I doubt I would be ordering an $800 sushi plate.
If I were NewYork Iād definitely be ordering from 69 Leonard where I had my last pre-pandemic meal in what seems like another lifetime.
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I think the writer didnāt like it but didnāt have the balls to write a full on negative review.
Eater rarely publishes conventionally negative reviews. If it does, you have to read between the lines most times.
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Not real wasabi, but if so, maybe thatās why itās $800 
Also donāt think this is a review, just a puff piece/feature, so take these with a grain of salt. Their NY reviewers are Sutton and Sietsema.
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Yep, and thatās what I got. I also got that he found the $800 price tag and anyone who pays for it distasteful.
Why must these things happen when Iām committed elsewhere for takeout? 
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Who says you canāt have another dinner? #FTCmanifesto ;-D
It better be at least 10% as good as that $800 Masa NYC to-go box.
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I want that so bad sweet crab and tamago balanced out with ikura and seasoned rice.
I am not as talented as you, our esteemed @PorkyBelly, and a few others who have endless capacity and svelte figures. I donāt know how you all do it.
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I agree. I can usually do a bang, but never a bang bang.
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Iām using this joke on IG after I pick up on Saturday
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