Friends say architect of Masa at Columbus Circle smelled something fishy at Tetsu.

          Architect Richard Bloch spent a year looking at locations with Masa Takayama and sketched out ideas for the new Tetsu in the three-level space the iconic chef found at 78 Leonard Street in Tribeca. Then, according to an insider, Bloch smelled something fishy when he found a project director on the job he didn’t know. Words were exchanged and Bloch quit.

          Bloch would not discuss why he is not on the Tribeca job. “Masa has great taste,” he said. “He knows exactly what he wants.  He’s fun to work with because he has such a strong sense of self and a strong sense of exciting design.”   I asked him if Masa had urged him to stay on as a consultant to the new architect, as I had been told. “No comnent,” he said.

Masa before the community board. Image: tribecacitizen.com

          The proposed Tetsu was not to be a version of the esoteric and expensive sushi bar and small adjacent annex Bloch designed for Masa in the Time Warner Building. It was there you could drop $1000 or more for an omakase performance by Masa himself, who shared a Michelin three star rating with Per Se, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin and Daniel. Downtown the chef plans a mix of robataya and teppanyaki restaurant in the style of Benihana.

          Takayama closed his Shaboo inside Bar Masa at Aria Hotel in Las Vegas to open a Tetsu there in August, according to Eater Las Vegas. There will be two blackjack tables and two teppan grills tables where guests perch while chefs will cook and plate orders made from meat, seafood and vegetables on a produce table in the center of the room, Eater reported.

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