Basa Modern Vietnamese

One of my favorite places in the city.  Hardly ever look at the menu because the recited specials are fantastic.  Aloe cocktail is a must, puts my wife in a good mood every time.

My 40206 Favorite!  Vegetarian friendly and fabulous!.  Here are my 10 official tip for Basa Nirvana (will take 3-4 visits to reach the 10th level).

1.  Fried tofu, sautéed spinach, root vegetables & fried shallots: always on the menu and will convert EVERY tofu hater you know, it's that delicious!
2. Japanese eggplant with garlic chips, egg noodle,  & aromatic wild mushroom ragout (I generally dislike eggplant, but this is unbelievable.  Magical mushroom ragout kills any eggplant evil).
3. Grilled chicken with rice vermicelli, crispy roll, mixed greens, mint, peanuts, & cucumbers* (* means you can subst. TOFU)
4. Every salad is worth a try.
5. Keep it to a party of 4 or less
for your best experience.  
Volume is HIGH, but great atmosphere, service, and food!
6.  Everything they do with fish is good, if you are a a pescetarian.
7. Request the back room, if you're noise sensitive :)
8.   When they bring the appetizer chips,  let them know if you're a total vegetarian, as they do have a version without the shrimp!
9. Often difficult without a reservation...they are on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fopentable.com&s=897c359bd752b4f5407d5ea86453c82be2d1913c8d0b51b18d81fc58f52a6497" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://opentable.com</a>
10.  Come Back often.

DON"T leave without having the Bombay Heat cocktail.  If you like something sweet, try the aloe vera martini, known as the Basa Signature.

Fabulous place for date night!

We went here a few weeks ago and the atmosphere is sophisticated yet unpretentious. As illustration of that: while waiting in line for the women's bathroom the server who zipped past me 4 times while I continued standing in my never ending line of one threw out the suggestion that I'd be free to use the men's room if I was tired of waiting. Weird...but done! And while I don't usually pop into the men's restroom, this one was quite nice.

So yeah, service is on point but it's relaxed enough. It exudes warmth and intimacy and all that jazz but it's not overbearing about it. In fact, it's got a lively element as well being that it is in a relatively small space and there were about as many groups as couples. It was around Valentine's Day so I think it might have been a little busier due to Hallmark's favorite holiday.

Personally I prefer a little bit of a quieter environment for a romantic dinner and it seemed that experience was actually just around the corner from where we were seated... I think If we do date night here again, we'll request a table in this little nook-esque area that had fewer tables around and was less bustling.

Food: I ordered the duck and noodles special, expecting a dish heavy on the noodles and it turned out to be more of a soup. Well they failed to mention that detail to the right person - there's not a single dish I love more than soup. Not a one. This one was similar to Pho but with duck and more subtle in flavor. I think it was a little too subtle for my palate and honestly any complexity was lost on me but the duck was tender and lovely. I preferred the shrimp and crab soup I had to start with (before I knew my entree was a soup). Two weeks and a dozen different other soups later and that soup is still on my mind...

DRINKS: Capitalization is for yelling and I want to scream to the Yelposphere about how freaking outstanding these drinks are! I had an idea they would be though... Modern Vietnamese cuisine... Known for specialty cocktails... I had a sneaking suspicion that this is the place where I'd finally find a bar that serves up a beverage with cilantro! And magically, it was.