Even though Masa 14 plays more to the strengths of Richard Sandoval (Zengo, La Sandia) than Kaz Okochi (Kaz Sushi Bistro)— really, would it kill someone to put nigiri sushi on the menu?—the collaboration has proved beneficial for both chefs. It’s spread Sandoval’s influence beyond his two clownish local milieus (Chinatown/Tysons Corner Center) and dragged Okochi from his power corridor in downtown D.C. Their place along the trendy 14th Street NW corridor has made both men seem, I don’t know, cooler. Their pork-belly steam bun is certainly the coolest taco I’ve eaten in recent memory. The meat rests atop a sweet, slightly deflated Chinese bun, which stands in for a corn tortilla; the bite is garnished with mouthwatering complementary flavors: tart pineapple, sour pickled onion, cool cilantro. I imagine that after Sandoval and Okochi conceived the snack, they tasted it, bumped fists, and thought, ‘Yeah, we’re bad motherfuckers.’ I’d like to see more sublime plates like that on their menu (which, incidentally, is executed by former CommonWealth Gastropub chef de cuisine Antonio Burrell). But maybe that’s asking too much. Genius shows up only every once in awhile.

1825 14th St. NW (202) 328-1414

Photo courtesy of Masa 14

Why? Because neither Okochi (Kaz Sushi Bistro) nor Sandoval (Zengo and too many other places to name) are handling the daily kitchen chores at Masa. They've left that to former CommonWealth chef de cuisine, Antonio Burrell.

So where does that leave CommonWealth, Jamie Leeds'Columbia Heights gastropub that was a top 50 performer in this year's Young & Hungry Dining Guide? It leaves the place looking toward Europe.

Leeds and her new chef de cuisine, Abigail Fellows, the former executive sous at CommonWealth, have revamped the menu, adding more sandwiches and salads and even a turkey burger. They've cooked up an "Uncommon" burger, too, which is a lamb patty served with mint relish. Other items that you might see, either on the menu or the specials list, include duck confit risotto, kabocha squash ravioli, and chicken and dumplings.

"We lightened it up a lot," Leeds tells Y&H.

I asked Leeds if this signaled a shift away from the gastropub concept, with its emphasis on chef-driven takes of classic British dishes. Sort of, the owner says.

"We're changing to just slightly more traditional European [food]," Leeds says. "Just because I think it's more accessible to people."

Looks like Y&H needs to check out this makeover soon.

Photo courtesy of CommonWealth