Arts & Entertainment

Up the ladder to the roof

New Masa 14 space shows off chef’s bold creations

Published

13 years ago

October 4, 2012

Jonathan Howard

Chef Adam Goldman’s new fall menu makes for great patio dining on the Masa rooftop. (Photo courtesy Masa 14)

Change abounds at Masa 14 (1825 14th Street NW) where a new-ish (it opened in May) patio features an updated menu and a new executive chef is on board.

At a rooftop reception on Sept. 17, restaurant partners Richard Sandoval, Kaz Okochi and Ivan Iricanin introduced Adam Goldman who’s at the helm of this popular Latin-Asian-inspired restaurant that’s been a 14th Street mainstay since it opened in the fall of 2009.

Goldman graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Norfolk, Va., in 2003, but Goldman has always been interested in the culinary arts.

“I grew up cooking with my mom and grandma,” says Goldman, “but I started really cooking about 13 years ago at Boy Scout camp when the cook at camp refused to make meals for vegetarian campers.”

After graduating Goldman started working in Rockville, Md., where he served in numerous positions at Addie’s Restaurant. Goldman says he has experience with all types of cuisine since starting his career, “from barbecue to fine Italian.” He joined the Masa 14 team two years ago and served as sous chef under former executive chef Antonio Burrell.

Goldman believes that the new rooftop at Masa 14 will bring a different clientele and a different flair to the restaurant. It offers a different type of menu as well — it’s designed so patrons enjoy bites that can be eaten with one hand while enjoying a beverage with the other.

The new rooftop is impeccably done and on a warm autumn evening a couple dozen people, including a guest and myself, kept the patio buzzing with activity. We were served tasting portions of five of the six new dishes that were recently added to the downstairs dinner menu prepared by Goldman. We were also handed two delicious new fall-inspired drinks. The Masa Smoked Cider made with Mezcal, cinnamon-infused whiskey and mulled cider and the Autumn on 14th, which is bourbon, balsamic syrup (yes like balsamic vinaigrette in a drink) brown sugar and ginger beer. Just to make sure that I liked them both, I consumed two of each over the course of the evening. These drinks were rich and warm, perfect for the fall and they paired very well with the spicy flavors of the bites that were served.

Goldman says he loves the Thai flavor profile, “sweet, spicy and salty hitting all the right taste buds, without one being overwhelming.” Goldman wants to keep with the Latin Asian theme of Masa 14, but also introduce different styles of cuisine with this theme. The new flavors can be tasted in the new items we dined on. The cream of corn soup with sweet corn tomato relish, scallion lump crab and cayenne chili oil is a tasty example of the Thai flavor profile, this was also my favorite dish at the reception.

Other great new dishes include the roasted beet salad with curried goat cheese, the wok stir fried mussels with aji Amarillo cream sauce and crumbled chorizo, and cornmeal-crusted oysters with green papaya slaw and pickled Fresno chilies. Finally, there was the perfectly balanced salmon tartar with roasted red pepper, green mango chimichurri and togarashi-toasted wonton crisps. Both my guest and I had a couple servings of the salmon.

Goldman’s favorite new item on the menu however, is none of the items we tried at the reception — the brussels sprouts. He came up with the recipe just a couple days before the new menu was premiered.

“If you want to try them you will have to come back,” says Goldman. There seem to be plenty of reasons to go back to Masa 14. They have new drinks, new food, a new patio, and of course a new executive chef. Goldman brings his unexpected and spicy flavors to this Latin-Asian fusion restaurant that brings fine dining in a laid back atmosphere to 14th Street.

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Calendar: Oct. 5

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Calendar

Calendar: March 27-April 2

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

19 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, March 27

Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.

Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].

Saturday, March 28

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.

Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. For more details, email [email protected].

Monday, March 30

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).

“Tea Time! A Local DC Drag Comedy Show” will be at 3 p.m. at Spark Social. This is a live drag comedy show where drag legends TrevHER & Tiara Missou Sidora host spill all the tea in the DMV. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Tuesday, March 31

Visibili-TEA Party will be at 6 p.m. at Restoration Station. Guests are encouraged to come sip, celebrate, and shine together. This event is a Trans Day of Visibility celebration and a special collaboration between Auntie’s Home and Damien Ministries. This is a boozy tea party with intention and the dress code reflects the vibe. More details are available on Eventbrite.

Wednesday, March 1

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Thursday, April 2

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.

Out & About

Celebrate cherry blossoms the drag way

Unconventional Diner hosts bingo party

Published

20 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

The cherry blossoms are here. Celebrate at a unique event hosted by Unconventional Diner. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Unconventional Diner will host “Cherry Blossom Drag Bingo Party” on Friday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.

Guests will be treated to an unforgettable night of drag performances, bingo, food and drink and prizes. Highlights of the evening include themed cocktails, drag performances and bingo prizes.

Tickets can be secured via Resy.

Sports

New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics

New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles

Published

2 days ago

March 26, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

(Photo by Greg Martin; courtesy IOC)

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.

“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.

The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”

“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”

The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”

The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”

“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”

(Video courtesy of the IOC)

Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.

Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.

“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.

An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.