Food For Thought

For those of you who have never had a monkfish liver, I’m about to take you on a wild ride. PREFACE: I ate at Basho, and then at Douzo the next day. These are not the same restaurant, just two semi-fancy Japanese restaurants who share an owner (or something like that. In actuality their “Apply to work with us!” forms feature both restaurants’ logos at the top and have very similar vibes so I decided to review both in one post) They hid the TVs!!! Atmosphere: With ceilings chilling at a calm ~14 feet, this place is made for giants. That space is also empty in Douzo, which lets you know the restaurant is kinda expensive (Emptiness is expensive, after all). The same overhead space in Basho had weird barrel frames surrounding lightbulbs. Both restaurants had muted lighting, and allowed in a minimal influx of sunlight from their glass front doors. This place did a lot of things right that most restaurants don’t. Though they had TVs, they were small, and perfectly angled behind ...

Shrimp Tempura Roll Tempura shrimp, cucumbers, and avocado, topped with eel sauce Seating: Standard black booths not secured to the ground. Had a bar and elevated tables in the middle of the room. Lighting was dim and would probably have looked cooler in the night. In the daylight one side of the room is dark and the windows leading outside are blinding so for lunch eating it was less than ideal. The dark lighting didn't do well with all the open space, and made the whole place seem tighter than it actually was. Decor: Posters of rock stars and guitars hanging on walls, this place gives a true rock and roll vibe. With menus literally pasted inside of record jackets and an entire half of the menu devoted to rock and roll figures (KISS roll, AC/DC roll, Elvis Roll), it has a theme that fans will like and make non-fans feel like they've stepped in on a whole new culture. Past the decor, there is limited additional rock and roll content. No dressed up waiters or a presenter...