Detroit: Downtown’s Basan
Ooops they did it again! The Four Man Ladder group, John Vermiglio, Josef Giacomino, Will Lee and Michael Gray, the talented crew behind Grey Ghost and Second Best in Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood, have recently opened their 3rd restaurant…Basan! For those of you who follow us regularly you may remember us mentioning Basan in the past. It was featured in November of 2021 as their Halloween themed dinner, when they announced it to the world. Basan, which is named after a mythological fire-breathing rooster, opened its doors on November 15th of this year, and of course we had to get in as quickly as we could get a reservation. It is located at 2703 Park Ave on the corner of Park and Sproat, in the entry level foyer of the Eddystone Apartments, right outside the NW corner of Little Caesars Arena.
Basan’s menu is inspired by Asian street food and the Izakaya-style Japanese restaurants, which are known as being casual places to eat and drink. The word Izakya is made up from 3 kanji (居 酒 屋) which translates to “stay-drink-place”. . . a spot to grab a drink, settle in and get comfortable which is a perfect way to describe Basan. The kitchen is centered around an open flamed Robata grill, giving the allusion of the “fire-breathing rooster” to their cooking. Unlike Grey Ghost, the bar area and dining area are separate. When you walk into the building, the bar is to the right and dining room is to the left, with a large foyer area and plenty of comfortable seating for if you arrive early, as well as bar seating. You can sit in the bar and enjoy the same menu as the dining room. There is also a large waiting area in the Eddystone lobby to sit while waiting for your table.
The food menu is broken down into 5 categories:
Skewers - 2 skewers per order ranging from King Trumpet Mushrooms or Meatballs to Japanese A5 Wagyu vs. American Wagyu beef. We had the Octopus Skewers prepared with gochujang and fried garlic.
Buns - I am a big fan of bao buns. If you have never had one, you need to try them. When done right, they are delicious! Here they offer a Brussels Sprout bun, a Lobster Bun and everything in between including a Bologna Bun. Of course these guys, who took bologna to the next level at Grey Ghost, could not resist putting it on the menu here as well. We had 3 of their buns, The Brussels Sprout, Chicken Katsu and of course the Bologna which was served with spicy mayo, onion jam, nori and puffed rice. I know it’s bologna . . . . but believe me when I say you have to try it!
Small Plates - featuring items like Pickles, which I love the description of “things that are pickled”. Not just pickles but a variety of pickled items, Shishito Peppers, Chicken Liver Mousse and Goyza, Japanese potstickers, made with lamb merguez and server with sweet potato and coconut which is what we had. The people who sat next to us said it was their favorite thing, of all the thing they ordered.
Large Plates - featuring dishes like Okonomiyaki which is a Japanese pancake made with a wheat flour batter and other ingredients. In this case pork belly, cabbage and spaghetti squash, Udon Noodles, Whole Red Snapper and Kalbi Short Ribs. We had the Short Ribs which came with a unagi glaze and served with turnips and shiso pesto and Rainbow Trout with wasabi potato, hollandaise and smoked trout roe (fish eggs – don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it).
Sweets - Simple and sweet featuring 3 items: Tofu Donuts with black sesame and crème anglaise, Opera Cake which layers of almond sponge cake, traditionally soaked in coffee syrup, but here they used Matcha, layered with buttercream and topped with a chocolate glaze and pistachios. Lastly, Chocolate Soft Serve Ice Cream with gochujang and pomegranate. We had the Tofu Donuts which were delicious. Right out of the fryer and served with the crème anglaise. It was the perfect way to end the evening.
Like their other ventures, they are not just known for their food here. They also have a great bar menu, featuring signature cocktails created by Beverage Director Will Lee and Beverage Manager Alex Kirles. We had the Basa Basa Old Fashioned and the Night City, which is a bourbon cocktail with sherry, Campari, maple and allspice. They also have a nice selection of Sake, beers and wines. The one we wanted to try, but didn’t get to, was the Ube-B which looked like a nice after dinner drink made with vodka, pasubio, blueberry, ube milk, black sesame, lemon-hawthorne bitters and garnished with a butterfly shaped sponge cake and Pocky stick. It is worth ordering, just because it’s so pretty. While I would like to say that we’ve had everything on their menu, it is not the case since they have only been open for a short period of time. We will go back and we will eventually try something different every time. Everything is fabulous and we recommend trying something off each portion of the menu. Unlike a lot of dining establishments in the city, Basan (like Grey Ghost) is open 7 days a week. They are open for dinner Sunday-Thursday from 4-11PM and Friday and Saturday from 4-Midnight.
Until next week, eat well, live well and enjoy life!
- Keith & Teresa Becker