Skip to main contentIt sure beats us why some of the folks in the endless line at Ken's Artisan Pizza don't walk next door to Masu East. For the same 13 bucks that buys them Ken's (admittedly tasty) crust and cheese, they could bite into an impressive burger—a juicy disc of Kobe beef, topped with a thick slice of tomato and fontina cheese on a buttery, made-there brioche bun. (If the tempura onion rings had any flavor at all—at least they're crisp—this would be one of the best combos in town.) Opened late last year, Masu East is as different in mood from its downtown sister restaurant, Masu, as a Zen garden is from Hooters. There's plenty of great sushi on offer in this classy space designed around the recurring motif of the masu , the square wooden box in which sake is served. But the short menu's focus is on edgy, Japanese-inspired dishes like pork osso buco with ramen and tempura-fried egg yolk, or a changing "land, sea and air" combination starter. (HY)
Signature dish: The "Ring of Fire" sushi roll combines yellowtail and fried oysters with jalapeño marmalade.
Standouts: Usuzukuri, thinly sliced whitefish in a puddle of hot-sour-sweet-salty sauce, the suave fish contrasting with the crunch of orange and black fish roe; outstanding selection of artisan sakes.
Regrets: Vibrantly flavored dishes alternate with virtually tasteless ones—does the kitchen have a split personality?
WWeek 2015