Live Jazz
Life Jazz Band Every Monday Night
7PM-11PM.

Pre-Theater Menu Monday-Thursday:
$24.95 any 3 dishes on the menu
with a glass of red/white wine.
(Black Cod & Cobe Brisket not
included).

Operations
Monday-Thursday 5PM-2AM
Friday 5PM-3AM
Saturday 11AM-3AM
Sunday 11AM-2AM
Brunch 11AM-3PM Saturday-Sunday
Saturday-Sunday food not served
3PM-5PM (Bar is open, welcome).

Richard Sandoval
Chef/Owner, Modern Mexican Restaurants
And Chef/Partner, MASA 14
 

Growing up in Mexico City, Chef Sandoval and his family would gather at his grandmother’s table each Sunday for large, lively meals.  Chef Sandoval would often join his grandmother in the kitchen as she prepared authentic Mexican dishes from scratch, instilling his passion for authentic Mexican food.
 
From his grandmother, he learned all about traditional ingredients and how to create vibrant Mexican flavors.  Meanwhile, his restaurateur father, owner of Madeiras in Acapulco and Villa Fiore in Mexico City, was imparting lessons on the business side of the hospitality industry.
 
After living in California where Sandoval learned to appreciate the ingredients indigenous to the area, he enrolled at the culinary institute of America in New York.  Upon graduation, he returned to his father’s kitchens and the source of his culinary inspiration.  He immersed himself in the cuisine of his homeland, for which he was ultimately awarded the national Toque d’Oro, Chef of the Year.


The energy and challenge of New York City beckoned and Richard Sandoval made a splash – not with Mexican cuisine - but with a modern French menu at the successful Savann, followed by Savann Est. While Sandoval gained attention at both restaurants, his passion for the foods of his native Mexico took hold and in 1997 he opened Maya to widespread acclaim.  With the opening of Maya, Sandoval was able to introduce New Yorkers to the exciting, bold and flavorful foods notorious as modern Mexican cuisine. Within a short time Richard Sandoval and the restaurant became local culinary celebrities earning a rave two-star review from The New York Times.  Maya, San Francisco soon followed and earned three-stars from the ever-discerning San Francisco chronicle.


In 2001, Richard Sandoval headed west to bring his inventive style of gourmet Mexican cooking to an initially skeptical Denver, Colorado audience.  Tamayo, with its casual take on refined Mexican cuisine, captured the hearts (and palates) of food and fun-loving Denver and Richard Sandoval became a household name.  In February 2004, he opened Zengo-Denver, which received a glowing three-and-a-half-star review in The Denver Post, and highlights innovative Latin-Asian cuisine.
 
Back in New York, Sandoval partnered with famed opera star Placido Domingo to bring modern Mexican seafood to midtown with Pampano.  Specializing in the coastal cuisines of Mexico, Pampano received a brilliant two-star review from The New York Times and was voted one of “The Best New Restaurants in America” by Esquire magazine. That same year Sandoval was named one of the “Best Chefs of 2003” in New York Magazine, further solidifying his reputation as the Modern Mexican chef in America.
 
In 2004, Sandoval and Modern Mexican Group opened Isla Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, bringing the flavors and spirit of Mexico to Treasure Island in Las Vegas, NV.  In 2005, Sandoval brought Zengo to Washington, DC and launched into the international arena opening hip kitchen in Hippodromo Boutique Hotel in Mexico City and Maya in Dubai.  He opened Pampano locations in Mexico City and Acapulco in 2008 and will introduce the concept to Qatar in August 2009.  Other plans for expansion include the simultaneous openings of La Sandia and Zengo in Santa Monica, CA in the fall of 2010.

 The collection of innovative concepts at modern Mexican restaurants reflects chef Sandoval’s desire to showcase the diversity and potential of the Mexican ingredients and culinary traditions.  Each modern Mexican restaurant concept combines authentic Mexican ingredients with innovative culinary techniques from around the globe, to create unexpected new dining experiences.

Richard Sandoval has been a pioneer bringing refined Mexican food to this country.  By redefining this historic cuisine he has become a leader in the upscale Latin culinary movement.  He is a revolutionary in his own culinary way, cooking with such innovation and refinement that modern Mexican cuisine is now recognized as one of the great culinary experiences, sentiments once reserved for French, Italian or Japanese food.
 
Richard Sandoval is currently working on the menu development for his newest venture, MASA 14 in Washington, DC, which he is opening alongside longtime chef/friend Kaz Okochi of KAZ sushi bistro.  Masa 14 is scheduled to open mid-September for dinner service and Saturday and Sunday brunch at 1825 14th Street, NW offering Latin-Asian cuisine.

 

 


 

 

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