While the original article next door is one of New York's best culinary landmarks, the more lively Bar Masa makes its big brother look like a museum exhibit by comparison. There are no reservations here, and the price points won't give you sticker shock as a side dish for your sushi. Like the flagship Masa, Chef Takayama brings a seasonal selection of Japanese dishes to Bar Masa's menu, albeit to a more plebeian and far-ranging extent. Cold and warm salads, soups, noodle dishes, rolls, and even braised and grilled options, like the hibachi-grilled Scottish langoustines (that is to say, lobsters), sizzling chicken liver, ohmi beef tacos, Peking duck with foie gras, and so on.

The menu reflects Takayama's long career in Japanese cuisine, starting with a childhood that laid the foundations and set the course for the rest of his career. The son of honest-to-goodness fishmongers, seafood and sushi are actually in Takayama's DNA, and his early years after high school, when he worked at Tokyo's renowned Ginza Sushi-ko, honed the artistry that would eventually earn Masa a four-star review from the New York Times and a coveted triplet of Michelin stars.

With Masa cutting the monolithic, imposing swath that it does, Bar Masa lets patrons test-drive Takayama's talents without dropping a grand on dinner for two, although a taste might just make diners froth at the mouth for more.