Twombly and Toro

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Photo by Jackie Caradonio

The art and dining worlds share a glamorous new destination. Kappo Masa (kappomasanyc.com)—the creation of chef Masa Takayama and the contemporary-art titan Larry Gagosian—is set within a former bank vault beneath Gagosian’s Madison Avenue gallery in New York City. The 82-seat Japanese restaurant sets an elegant tone with mango-yellow leather banquettes and walls of textured Ōya stone from the chef’s native prefecture of Tochigi. Unlike Masa, Takayama’s Michelin three-star restaurant in the Time Warner Center, Kappo Masa features an à la carte menu highlighted by such signature dishes as toro tartare topped with a ball of caviar and uni risotto with chanterelles and white truffles. A selection of artwork from Gagosian’s gallery—including Cy Twombly’s Leaving Paphos Ringed with Waves (IV), shown above—enriches the experience further still.