Restaurateur Richard Sandoval is jumping into the tasting menu game at his 14th Street Latin-Asian spot, Masa 14. New chef Ryan Ratino will helm a 12-seat counter facing the kitchen, Thursday through Saturday, and conduct a 13-course meal of dishes exclusive to the prix-fixe.
Though Masa is known for its party scene during bottomless brunch and weekend DJ sets, Ratino wants to bring his fine dining background to the mix, and add another dining element to the seven year-old restaurant. Most recently he served as the executive chef at L’Auberge Provencale, and before worked as the lead sous-chef at the Michelin-starred Caviar Russe in New York. Diners can expect dishes built around a single ingredient—whether Japanese scallops or local lamb—and more experimental fusion than one finds in the main dining room, such as foie gras macarons with koji berry, or lobster risotto capped off with bone marrow.
The tasting menu is priced at $80 per person, or $125 with five beverage pairings that could range from a white Bordeaux to sake. Two reserved seatings are available per night, at 6:30 and 9 pm.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
