The Waiting Game

So it's Friday night, and Tai and I are off to meet with Alex and Joyce at Basho in Fenway. Located on Boylston street, which has seen a re-emergence of sorts, Basho is a pretty spacious place with subtle but modern decor. They also validate parking in adjacent garage for $4.

Here's a rundown of what happens (times are estimated):
7:32pm Tai and I arrive first and are seated promptly
7:48pm Our waiter finally decides to grace us with his presence and asks for our drink order. I ask what flavors of soju they have - he doesn't know but will check. I also ask for water.
7:53pm He comes back with the list of flavors, no waters. I order a strawberry soju.
8:05pm The bar is behind, he says. And they are washing glasses for water. Never mind that a few tables near us have waters and drinks (and had arrived after we did).
8:12pm Water arrives. Hallelujah!

Never is it acceptable to make your diners wait 40 minutes for water, especially if they have no other beverages. Awful awful awful.

Alex also arrived over 40 minutes late, but that's another story.

Now for the food:

Strawberry soju - clearly not served with soju glasses. The soju was okay, not as flavorful as I like. We also hand the mango soju after, which was also not bad. Tai preferred the mango.

Spicy seafood salad - I liked this. But I couldn't tell you much more because I was so hungry at this point, I would have been happy with almost any food.

Fried chicken wings - not as crispy as I wanted, but definitely spicy. Really good flavor.

Bao with braised pork belly - also really good. With pork that just melts in your mouth.

Soft shell crab tempura - superb crab; it was meaty and the tempura (and I guess the shell too) was perfectly crunchy.

Rainbow roll on the left; yuzu yellowtail roll on the right

 Basho boat

Close up of the sushi on the boat



















The sushi was really really good. The rice was perfect. The rolls were well made and did not fall apart. The fish was flavorful and firm. The spicy rolls were decently spicy. Overall, everything was delicious.

Which only makes the bad service that much worse. I want to come back, Basho. But for the prices you charge, I expect my water within 20 minutes (and let's not get into the waits for the food to arrive, or for the waiter to appear throughout the night, or for water refills). I get it, it's a busy Friday evening. But that's just not okay.