Casa Masa’s second location opens this Friday, Jan. 10, in The Landings shopping plaza on Tamiami Trail. Owner Rob DiSilvio purchased Casa Masa's original location on Bee Ridge Road, then called Island House Taqueria, two years ago and transformed the menu by eliminating processed ingredients—including tortillas. 

To do that, DiSilvio had to learn how to nixtamalize, a process that involves soaking ground corn in an alkaline solution, so he could make his corn tortillas truly from scratch. It took him six months to get his tortilla recipe just right. To call him obsessed would not be an overstatement. 

Casa Masa’s Bee Ridge Road location presents a simple menu featuring tacos, burritos, quesadillas and tlayuditas (described as “Mexican pizza”). At The Landings, you'll find the standards you love at the Bee Ridge location, as well as dishes that further showcase DiSilvio's culinary imagination. For example, a scallop crudo tostada features thin slices of raw scallops that rest atop an herbal sauce akin to pesto. It's topped with microgreens and served on Casa Masa's signature blue corn tortilla. The whole thing is light and fresh, but the density of the tortilla adds bulk.

Enmoladas de huitlacoche showcase the tortilla in a different manner. Here, it’s rolled and stuffed with corn, squash blossoms and huitlacoche (a corn fungus otherwise known as Oaxacan truffle), then topped with mole blanco and pomegranate seeds. There’s a lot going on, but everything marries together for a rich, savory, sweet and acidic bite covering all the flavor bases.

In addition to its expanded food menu, Casa Masa in The Landings also offers a full bar complete with craft cocktails designed by Brad Coburn (former owner of downtown Sarasota's Pangea Alchemy Lab). His playful take on cocktails results in a drink menu that is as strong as the food.

“I tried to stick with Rob’s concept and lean into a lot of corn-based spirits,” Coburn says. “That laid a solid foundation and allowed us to add out-of-the-box ingredients while still keeping the drinks approachable.”

The “Corn Hub” cocktail lives up to that philosophy. With a Tito’s vodka base with lemon and soda water, it’s crazy drinkable, but Coburn added a surprise ingredient: popcorn simple syrup. Each sip is like a tangy lemonade with a burst of popcorn at the front of the palate. It might sound weird, but it is unexpectedly awesome.

When it opens on Jan. 10, Casa Masa will serve lunch and dinner, opening from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. most nights, increasing weekend hours to 1 a.m. in the near future. DiSilvio is planning a grand opening, too, but is still deciding on an exact date.

Casa Masa will open Jan. 10 in The Landings shopping plaza at 4862 Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For more information, call (941) 921-0578 or click here.