Burrito what now?

From the owners of Douzo, a prominent sushi restaurant in the Back Bay area, comes Basho - a Japanese Brasserie in Fenway.  This restaurant, which opened about a year ago has been on my 'trial' list.

Luckily, thanks to some pressure from a soon to expire coupon, I managed to get a group of friends together to try to the place out.

It has a typical modern interior; lots of edges and questionnable plants,a grand purple curtain separates sections of the restaurants creating the sense of grandeur.  A sushi bar is at the back and showcases the sushi chefs busy with their art - always a comforting scene!

The menu is a bit overwhelming - in a good way though. You have your typical and traditional items, sushi rolls, terriyakies and tempuras, and then you have some very interesting sounding specialty rolls like their Amaebi Mango Roll: mango, cucumber, grilled pineapple wrapped with sweet shrimp and a tangy mango sauce, or their Rock and Roll (below):  

I ordered miso soup - always a nice precursor, fairly standard and dependable. I also ordered their seaweed salad. I have always enjoyed the fresh and slightly sweet sesame flavour of this dish which contrasts well with the dash of lemon.

But what I really wanted to try was their 'Celtic Maki Burrito', which, as its name indicates, is a burrito rendition of a sushi roll.  This monster is a tuna roll, wrapped in soy paper and deep fried.  It is then topped with BBQ eel, jalapeno aioli and basil oil.  The whole things looks like a sculptured forest. It is thoroughly impressive to the eye and quite enjoyable to the palate. It is a bit of a challenge to gobble by oneself, but makes for a great center piece for sharing.

I personnaly would have preferred a bit more eel and kick from the jalapeno aioli...but on the whole, it is a dish I would recommend and order again!  As for the other rolls, my friends endorsed them all for their unique and complementing flavour combinations and fresh taste.

Basho's sushi is fresh, as are their ideas.  I was not altogether impressed with our waitress, particularly when she presented the option to switch to brown rice without mentioning the surcharge. The prices are also a little steep.  I would go back however to try out some of their signature rolls - and they had some interesting drink specials I wouldn't mind experiencing!

http://bashosushi.com/