Do you need a recommendation for a fun dinner place in DC? If you do, this post is for you.
Recently I was invited to dine at Masa 14 and took my friend Evi along for the ride. Just to be clear, the dinner was on the house and we just left a tip. I'm not saying you will get the exact same amazing service with the chef and the managers coming over to say hello and to make sure everything is top notch, but I'm pretty sure you will have a lovely time and enjoy the food.
Ok, now that I got that out of the way, let's chat about Masa 14. I've been to Masa 14 a few times for happy hour and loved their wings and mojitos, but this was my first time dining there. A few notes on the restaurant:
"Masa 14 features a menu of Latin-Asian small plates, designed for sharing and sampling by acclaimed Chefs Richard Sandoval and Kaz Okochi.
Pair your plates with selections from Masa’s signature handcrafted cocktails, wines & beers. Salud!"
The restaurant has recently welcomed Eric McKamey who brings 13 years of experience including well known restaurants such as The Oval Room, Proof, Central Michel Richard, CityZen, Palena and 2941.
Evi and I ordered a bunch of dishes to share from the menu that covers temaki & chirashi, flatbreads, wok dishes, dishes from the grill, salads and ceviche, dim sum, and vegetables.
Below are some of my favorites from the night.
I started with a mojito (Salud!) and a spicy tuna temaki while Evi chose a yuzu shrimp temaki. Temaki are basically sushi rolls made into cones. The portions were large enough to share, but we stuck to our own, because how do you divide up a cone? With the first bite, my seafood craving was satisfied.
The seafood theme continued with the chimichurri grilled baby octopus (photo below), crunchy shrimp and wok-fried calamari. All of the dishes had strong flavors, but did not weigh us down. They were perfectly portioned to share for 2-3 people and left you wanting to come back.
One of my favorite dishes of the night was definitely a Thai pumpkin soup with lobster, achiote butter, coconut milk and pepitas. In fact, I might just contact the chef and ask for a recipe! The soup had a great sour note and was beautiful and warm: great for a winter night.
Then it was time for another cocktail: I decided to try the strawberry lemonade recommended to me and was not disappointed: Masa 14 makes their own lemonade and strawberry puree, which makes the drink fresh and scream SUMMER!
We also liked the pork belly steamed buns with achiote, piinapple sambal, cilantro and Serrano chili, but unfortunately they did not photograph well.
I wasn't in love with my dulce de leche dessert, which was just as well: otherwise I might have not been able to go salsa dancing afterwards. Evi, however, loved her choice of blueberry poppy seed cake with green tea ice cream and pineapple confit.
I can't wait to go back and try Masa 14's all you can eat and drink brunch next!!!
Happy weekend everyone.
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