Masa's Now Offers More Affordable Tasting Menus

It's breakthrough time, gang. Well, sort of. At 26-year-old Masa's, chef Gregory Short has presided over expensive multi-course tasting menus since he came on at the restaurant in 2004. Most recently, $105 five-course and $175 nine-course degustation menus were in place; but the restaurant has now changed their prices to unprecedented lows. As of last week, an $89 four-course menu and a $140 seven-course menu has been in place. The price shift and last year's addition of hand-crafted cocktails certainly reflects the restaurant's desire to meet the changing demands out there, but this particular style of pricey prix fixe still exudes exclusivity.

Interestingly the $55 three-course menu option that was added in April has been bumped up to $65. Regardless, the four-hour, 9-course Masa's dinner is a thing of the past. Considering low-commitment concepts like food trucks and pizzerias are generating a lot of buzz these days, the changes might help.

· EaterWire: Masa's Extends Deal [~ ESF ~]
· Chairman Bao's Buns Now Served with Side of Controversy [~ ESF ~]