Masa
439 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-338-8884
You won’t find cacti in the corner or sombreros adorning the walls at Masa. It’s not that kind of place. Chef/owner Philip Aviles has given Boston a sophisticated and elegant take on Latin American-inspired cuisine. The natural tones and Spanish-influenced mahogany accents in Masa’s dining room are lit with hand made light fixtures and beaded sconces.
Masa’s menu joins Southwestern flavor and style with fresh New England ingredients in a way Boston has never seen before. The menu, combined with the carefully selected wine list and award-winning cocktails (try the margaritas) make for a memorable evening that feels like a quick jaunt to Santa Fe.
A Memorial Day Reminder
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Cinco de Masa
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the South End as Masa puts its south-of-the-border spin to good use.
Dinnerfest 2013
Get a heaping helping of do-gooding on a Sunday afternoon at Victory Programs’ Dinnerfest 2013.
Philip Aviles
Chef at Masa
Chef-Owner Philip Aviles brings more than a little southwestern flavor to the South End at Masa; he brings an incomparable resume and a whole new take on fine dining in Boston. The Culinary Institute of America graduate honed his skills as Chef Tournant at the three-star Peacock Alley at the Waldorf Astoria and as Sous Chef at the three-star Polo Club at the Westbury Hotel in New York. During his tenure as Executive Chef at American Bounty, on Nantucket, the restaurant was awarded a coveted Three-Diamond rating from Triple AAA Restaurant Guide.
Relocating to Manhattan, Aviles was appointed Executive Chef at Stingy Lulu's, the popular East Village fifties-style eatery. He then moved on to Jensen Beach, Florida where, acting as Executive Chef and consultant, he opened Rotties Fine Dining one of the area's premier fine dining destinations.
Masa's menu pairs flavors and cooking styles of the southwestern kitchen with fresh, local New England ingredients. "It's the perfect marriage," says Aviles who developed Masa's concept because "there was a lack of elegant, yet subtle southwestern cuisine in Boston. Flavor always comes first for me, and then the balance of heat, textures, and plate presentations."
Since Masa has been open, Aviles has received praise from both press and patrons alike. In a town where most of the Latin American-influenced cuisines come wrapped in tinfoil and cost around five dollars, Aviles' vast culinary experience and formidable talent have given Boston diners a whole new perspective.
- Aïoli
- 1. noun A blend of ail (garlic) and oli (oil) in the parlance of the Provence region of southern France. Around here, we'd call it a garlic mayonnaise.
- Carpaccio
- 1. noun Wafer-thin slices of raw beef served cold; named after the Renaissance Venetian painter.
- Celeriac
- 1. noun More commonly known here as celery root.
- Chorizo
- 1. noun Crumbly, spiced pork sausage.
- Crostini
- 1. noun The Italian word for "little toasts" (referring to bread, not grappa).
- Deglaze
- 1. noun To dissolve the remaining bits of sautéed or roasted food in (a pan or pot) by adding a liquid and heating. The resultant mixture often becomes a base for a sauce to accompany the food cooked in the pan.
- Foie gras
- 1. noun Expensive, silk-textured goose or duck liver that has been enlarged by a process you don't want to read about if you're going to eat this dish.
- Gratin
- 1. noun Any dish covered with cheese or buttered breadcrumbs and baked or broiled.
- Guajillo
- 1. noun A shiny red, very hot chile.
- Jus
- 1. noun French for juice, jus also refers to the unthickened juices from a piece of roasted meat.
- Meunière
- 1. noun Literally "miller's wife" in French, this cooking technique (used primarily for fish) involves a light coating of flour before sauteing in butter or oil.
- Polenta
- 1. noun A slow-cooked cornmeal porridge popular in northern Italy; can be served soupy or firm, sometimes fried.
- Quesadilla
- 1. noun A flour tortilla filled, folded and then either toasted or fried. The filling usually consists of cheese, salsa, meat and refried beans.
- Quinoa
- 1. noun These small, round, pale-brown grains look similar to millet and have a mild taste and a firm texture. Quinoa is considered a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids.
- Sambal
- 1. noun A condiment made of chiles, brown sugar, salt and other ingredients.
- Shank
- 1. noun The front leg of beef, pork, veal or lamb. Often a very tough cut of meat, the shank requires slow-cooking methods like braising.
- Tamale
- 1. noun An envelope of masa with a savory or sweet filling, wrapped in a corn husk and steamed.
- Tamarind
- 1. noun A bittersweet spice made by drying and pressing the pulp from the fruit of the tamarind tree native to Asia and northern Africa.
- Tapas
- 1. noun Appetizers in Spain; trendy nibbles in the U.S.A.
- Tartare
- 1. noun Ground or finely chopped, seasoned raw meat (traditionally beef). May or may not come mounded, and with a raw egg.
- Terrine
- 1. noun An earthenware container, or the dish cooked therein.
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