Basta Pasta's Tobiki and Shiso Spaghetti

Basta Pasta is a very interesting restaurant in that it is a Japanese restaurant that specializes in Italian cuisine. When you walk in you pass the open kitchen where you see all Japanese cooks. Some of their dishes are more traditional Italian, like the fettuccine in a Bolognese sauce or spaghetti with proscuitto and parmesan, which are all very tasty, but their outstanding dishes are the ones that integrate Japanese flavors and flair with old Italian recipes. My favorites are the spaghetti with tobiko and shiso, the linguine with uni and basil in pink sauce, and the spaghetti with shitake mushrooms, basil, mozzarella cheese, and fresh tomato sauce. Another exceptional dish is the bow tie pasta with salmon, sugarsnap peas in tomato and tarragon grain mustard cream sauce. I like that you can order a half portion of pasta to accompany your entree but I can finish an appetizer and a full serving of pasta plus an entree. But that's me, I'm a pig. If you haven't been to Basta Pasta you have to go. The Japanese style of cooking, attention to detail, and code of honor (if they make a bad pasta dish I think the head chef has to drown himself in the pasta water) make for a yummy Italian experience.

Basta Pasta's Spaghetti with Shiso and Tobiko
My rendition of course!

16 fl oz. of clam juice
2 garlic cloves, sliced
Thin spaghetti, enough for two
15 leaves of shiso, chiffonade
6 big spoonfuls of tobiko
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Boil pasta in heavily salted water *thats the trick to tasty pasta.
2. Boil clam juice with garlic slices. Add olive oil to the water. When pasta is half way cooked, remove and boil in clam juice until al dente.
3. Remove pasta and toss with tobiko and shiso chiffonade. Add a little bit of clam juice broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve while hot.

Basta Pasta
37 W. 17th street
New York, NY 10011
(212)366-0888