{"id":79897,"date":"2025-12-11T22:44:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T22:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/79897\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T22:44:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T22:44:23","slug":"restaurant-review-maass-chefs-counter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/79897\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: MAASS Chef’s Counter"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the prestigious Michelin Guide arrived in Florida in 2022, South Florida foodies toasted to the news with much merriment. When it announced this year that it would expand into Fort Lauderdale for the first time, the city\u2019s culinary scene held its breath\u2014would it finally have a chance to join the culinary elite?<\/p>\n

Chef Ryan Ratino opened MAASS at the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in late 2023. A lauded young chef (he\u2019s 35!) who already helmed two starred restaurants in Washington, D.C., his arrival was a win for the city\u2019s culinary scene. And then, MAASS was the only Fort Lauderdale restaurant awarded a star. I must note, while I have dined at the restaurant and enjoyed its a la carte menu, this review is solely focused on the Michelin-starred Chef\u2019s Counter, with its 14 seats.<\/p>\n

\"\"Salmon faroe from MAASS, photo by Carina Mask<\/p>\n

\"\"Yellowtail hamachi from MAASS, photo by Carina Mask<\/p>\n

The restaurant, located beachside on the hotel\u2019s ground floor, is named in honor of the late local architect Gustav Maass, who infused his Mediterranean Revival designs into homes during the early 20th century. The space appears to glow from within, featuring warm woods, cozy banquettes and golden lighting. In contrast, The Chef\u2019s Counter is brightly lit with front-row views of the stainless-steel kitchen illuminated by fire.<\/p>\n

The evening I dined, Executive Chef David Brito, in his white Birkenstock kitchen clogs and laser-focused gaze, conducted his silent symphony. While the menu isn\u2019t known to change, there may be subtle differences from the dishes I ate, so I won\u2019t go into too much dish detail in this review. Plus, I don\u2019t want to deprive you of the joy you\u2019ll feel when each beautiful dish, shrouded in a bit of mystery, is placed in front of you.<\/p>\n

\"\"Chawanmushi from MAASS, photo by Carina Mask<\/p>\n

We arrived to our reservation late and exasperated after hitting every red light. After confessing this to our waiter, without another word, he arrived with two glasses of Champagne. What a simple but thoughtful gesture. While Debbie Deb played in the background, we were treated to four amuse-bouches. Each is its own marvel, but to me, the elevated foie gras petit four bite, inspired by two nostalgic treats\u2014the Nabisco Nutter Butter cookie and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich\u2014was the star.<\/p>\n

As the music moved into the early aughts, we savored three distinct seafood courses: a yellowtail hamachi with crisp Italian melon, a warm custard with Dungeness crab and sweet corn, and a scallop with trout roe. I know it might seem like a lot, but don\u2019t fret; each course is manageable. Plus, you must make sure to save room for my favorite course\u2014rice topped with an airy yet indulgent Comt\u00e9 cheese foam that precedes the beef filet and several desserts that complete the meal.<\/p>\n

\"\"Beef filet from MAASS, photo by Carina Mask<\/p>\n

The Chef\u2019s Counter offers two prix fixe Japanese-inspired menus that differ in price and duration. The Excursion ($195) is a two-hour, seven-course experience, while The Voyage ($375) is an indulgent three-hour, 10-course dinner with succulent additions like Kaluga caviar and A5 bavette.<\/p>\n

So, the question on your mind now must be: \u2018OK, but is it worth it?\u2019 Overall, going into any Michelin-starred dinner, expectations are that the entire experience will be unique, enticing, awe-inspiring and memorable. With that in mind, it\u2019s absolutely worth it.<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO<\/p>\n

525 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954\/256-0000<\/p>\n

PARKING: Valet
HOURS: Monday \u2013 Sunday 5 \u2013 10 p.m.
PRICES: $195 or $375 (prix fixe menus)
WEBSITE: maassftl.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hungry for more food news? Visit our\u00a0food page<\/a>, and\u00a0subscribe to the magazine<\/a>\u00a0for the most delicious coverage of Boca and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the prestigious Michelin Guide arrived in Florida in 2022, South Florida foodies toasted to the news with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250],"class_list":["post-79897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}