MAASS, the new waterfront fine dining experience at Fort Lauderdale’s Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, complements and enhances the hotel’s legendary allure. Led by Michelin-starred Chef Ryan Ratino, the restaurant fuses European and Japanese influences. It also plays up its overwhelmingly beautiful location.
“MAASS is 40 yards from the ocean. The view and setting are truly amazing. The space is comfortable, with the wood-fired kitchen in the background,” says Chef Ratino.
The chef and his team at MAASS combine their backgrounds from two-Michelin-starred Jont and one-Michelin-starred Bresca, both located in Washington, D.C.
The culinary team’s main goal is to provide memorable visits for their guests. “[We are] creating magic to change the perspective of just going out to eat,” Chef Ratino says. “We want to have fun with our guests but still provide an experience at the caliber people will expect.”
Not only does MAASS serve top-quality food, but they also put on a show for you. One of their most popular dishes, whole turbot, is presented tableside. Chef Ratino describes the production: “We break the turbot down and grill the main loins in a buttermilk emulsion with herb oils. Then we proceed to brine and fry the Engawa (“wings” of the fish) and serve that with a malt vinegar and beer sauce, a play on fish and chips with the best part of the turbot. Along with the fish, the guest will get a donabe of seaweed rice that we cook over the wood fire,” says the chef. “It’s a style of rice very traditional in Japan that we have been working on at Jont for a while now.”
At MAASS, you can tailor your selection a la carte. “The menu is formatted so guests can build a customized four-course experience,” says Chef Ratino. Snacks start the evening, rolling into plated starters, main courses and desserts. “The culinary team will also sprinkle in some love (unique, special touches) along the way.” Other must-tries are the dry-aged duck and opening bites like the stuffed chicken wing, foie gras macaron and prawn toast.
“To tie in with the ‘Venice of America’ spirit of Fort Lauderdale, our cocktail menu is inspired by famous boats and yachts in pop culture. Each cocktail is named after a boat and ties back into pop-culture inspiration,” says Chef Ratino. Their most popular drink is The Wanderer, a fun and refreshing tiki-style cocktail inspired by the 1992 Kurt Russell comedy, Captain Ron. “It features Mount Gay Black Barrel, a freshly made pineapple syrup, amaro, lime and port,” he adds.
For Succession fans, the Solange is a popular option named for the infamous super-yacht from the hit TV show. “This cocktail evokes the pisco sour by combining strawberry-infused Belvedere vodka, Barsol pisco, a Provincial Rosé Cordial and a coffee-infused egg,” says the chef.
“We want the restaurant to be an extension of a guest’s lifestyle rather than just a dinner,” Chef Ratino notes. “We want to get to know everyone who walks through our doors personally.”
The Dish: Spanish Turbot
Ingredients:
For Tempura Dredge:
- 150g cornstarch (5.29 oz)
- 11g baking powder (0.39 oz)
- 15g salt (baleine) (0.53 oz)
For Tempura Batter:
- 150g cornstarch (5.29 oz)
- 100g Cup for Cup (3.53 oz)
- 11g baking powder (0.39 oz)
- 15g salt (baleine) (0.53 oz)
- 250g cold water (8.82 oz)
- 250g vodka (8.82 oz)
For Rice:
- 150g Koshiibuki rice (5.29 oz)
- 3g salt (0.11 oz)
- 80g roasted maitake (2.82 oz)
- 1.5g chopped thyme (0.05 oz)
- 25g butter (0.88 oz)
- 255g soft water (8.99 oz)
For Herb Oils:
- 400g herb(s) of choice (14.11 oz)
- 400g neutral oil (14.11 oz)
For Beer Emulsion:
- 6 egg yolks
- 4 whole eggs
- 80g beer vinegar (2.82 oz)
- 8g salt (0.28 oz)
- 80g water (2.82 oz)
- 1000g canola (35.27 oz)
For Malt Vinegar Seasoning Mix:
- 50g sea salt (1.76 oz)
- 21g white sugar (0.74 oz)
- 15g malt vinegar powder (0.53 oz)
For Buttermilk Vin:
- 4L buttermilk
- 100g lemon juice (3.53 oz)
- 100g lemon zest (3.53 oz)
- 15g black pepper, ground (0.53 oz)
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder
- 50g distilled vinegar (1.76 oz)
- 20g onion powder (0.71 oz)
- 10g garlic powder (0.35 oz)
- 15g garlic microplane (0.53 oz)
- 100g sugar (3.53 oz)
- 50g salt (1.76 oz)
- Salt to taste
Method:
For Turbot:
Break down turbot by removing fins and innards. Filet off the wing and reserve for tempura. Lightly steam turbot for 5 minutes to set the flesh; brush with clarified butter and transfer to a fish rack. Grill over open fire until flesh is flaky and able to be removed from the bone. Dust the turbot wings in the tempura dredge, then transfer to tempura batter and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and dust with malt vinegar seasoning. Serve with beer vinegar emulsion.
For rice:
Combine all ingredients into a donabe pot; place directly on an open flame burner and cover with lid. Cook until steam leaves the lid in a steady stream. Remove from the fire, and let rest, covered, for 15 minutes. When ready, remove the lid, lightly stir with a wooden spoon and shave truffles over top.
For Beer emulsion:
Combine all ingredients except canola oil into a food processor. Turn on and allow to blend completely. Stream in oil slowly while it is spinning until everything is emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.
For Tempura Batter:
Whisk together dry ingredients and whisk together water and vodka separately. Combine water/vodka mix into dry by whisking until well combined. Keep the batter cold until ready to use.
