Tradition Meets Innovation in Morris Park At La Masa
If you ever were asked to select a restaurant “Everyman,” you would be remiss if you did not pick Joshua Montalvo, owner of La Masa, the newly-expanded Colombian restaurant in Morris Park. Having learned his cooking craft prepping alongside his grandmother, mother, and aunts—Joshua combines his deep knowledge of Colombian cuisine with over twenty years of experience in the restaurant industry. “I don’t need a title,” he says with humility “I just cook.” After reading the menu and tasting the food at La Masa, you realize how much of an understatement that is.
With its soft orange walls and taupe-colored stone flooring, La Masa combines a rustic feel with a modern sensibility offering patrons a tasteful and home-like dining experience. It’s this creative pairing of the traditional with the non-traditional that establishes La Masa as a unique food stop in the Bronx.
Begin with the empanandas, the stuffed pastry found throughout the Americas and in Spain. La Masa has dozens of varieties ranging from savory to sweet. Broccoli rabe and sausage, for one, or the macaroni and cheese with bacon, for another. Too eclectic for your taste? There’s always the traditional beef, spiced to perfection. Biting into the brown, corn dough crescents entices the appetite and has you craving more. After all, who really could resist such tempting treats such as bacalao, or roasted tomatoes and ricotta, or chicken in Vodka Sauce? Oh, so many options! Yes, there’s even an apple pie and a Nutella version.
But, please, save room. In addition to soups and salads (try the mixed greens with strawberries, apples, and almonds topped with homemade vinaigrette dressings), more pleasant surprises await. How about a vegetarian Maduro Relleno? And yes, there’s a vegan offering, as well. Feeling more traditional? Why not try the pork arepas (round corn cakes baked until toasted with a pink sauce drizzled on top)?
Of course, if it’s a true, authentic Colombian dish you are after, nothing at La Masa meets that standard more than its Bandeja Paisa, a huge plate of steak, chicharron, chorizo, plantains, rice, beans, arepa, salad, and a fried egg. The egg is placed on top of the rice so the creamy yolk infuses each forkful of rice. Even with this dish, Joshua offers a slight twist by using pinto beans, rather than the more prevalent kidney beans, flavored with his homemade “guiso,” a cilantro-based seasoning that goes into many of La Masa’s plates. “Why pinto beans? Because that is what my grandmother used. It’s a different look,” Joshua says. Paired with a beer or La Masa’s own iteration of Sangria, you can easily imagine yourself an Andean indigene home after a day’s work sitting down in your warm kitchen enjoying a bellyful of love.
Taking traditional fare and creating original interpretations that thrill the palate while remaining true to his Colombian roots is Joshua Montalvo’s special gift to the Bronx. La Masa’s warm and friendly service, its menu providing something for everyone, and its new, comfortable open space, make it the restaurant you don’t simply go to on special occasions. As Joshua explains, “I have a loyal customer base. We offer consistently good food and we make a connection with our customers. I don’t want you to come here only once. I want to see you regularly.” With so much to offer, how could anyone stay away?
1000 Morris Park Avenue
