Bushi-Tei Bistro
1581 Webster St
Cuisines: Asian, Japanese, French
About
When a high-class man craves a respite from the refined glamour of his life, he's entitled to take it however he sees fit, e.g., Bruce Wayne humbly dining in the kitchen, or Prince Charles humbly banging well mingin' slappers in hotel rooms. When vaunted Chef Seiji Wakabayashi needs a break, he cooks for you, at Bushi-Tei Bistro. The casual offshoot of up-the-street, same-chef'd Bushi-Tei, BTB's a casual French-Japanese-and-beyond fusion joint that serves up way-affordable plates of once-Mich-starred exec chef Seiji Wakabayashi's grub; 140 seats're spread throughout intimate wood-framed nooks, an amber-lit banquet room, and a slick little wine bar backed by a weirdly cool display of LED dots (constantly flashing Morse for "keep drinking"). Most small plates incorporate influences from all over, e.g., the champagne-poached, wasabi-lime-sauce-drizzled rock shrimp; the pan-fried veggie gyoza w/ tomatillo; and the Serrano ham-wrapped asparagus spears over smoked mozzarella -- which're about as Japanese as Mr. Baseball. Mains're on the same global tip, from sauteed hotate scallops in kiwi vinaigrette, to deep fried pork tenderloin katsu don, to the squid-ink spaghetti with shrimp, enoki mushrooms, paprika, and shiso, which is all about Italian as Mr. Baseball. The only catch: BTB's a week or so out from serving booze, which'll include Japanese brew like Kirin and Asahi, plus 45 bottles of vino from 'round the globe. 'Til then, you'll have to brown-bag it, an act that'll be conversely classy for you, considering you're now doing it inside.
