Sushi Basho

2700 West Bowles Avenue

Littleton, CO

(303) 730-9999

There is a wonderful sushi place right near Main Street in downtown Littleton.  It’s called Sushi Basho.  I’d driven past it many times and wondered what it was like.  I was told that the name translates to “Sushi Place.”  I had to try it for the name alone.  It looks very tiny from the outside.  It has a very small parking lot in front of it that it shares with the breakfast restaurant Toast.  You don’t know what to expect when going in.

Once you enter, you’re welcomed by a glowing aquarium.  It separates the fish eaters from the wimps right off the bat.  The dining area is small but bigger than it appears from the outside.  The tables have white table cloths on them at dinner and there are a few modern Japanese style art pieces on the white walls.  It's very well lit during lunch and can be a bit dim at dinner.

My friend Crystal and I tried this restaurant before and fell in love with one of the items on their menu.  This time, when we returned, I was in need of some comforting so I ordered it.  It was the Inari Soup.  It’s a soy sauce based broth with inari strips (fried tofu strips usually served sweetened and with rice like a piece of sushi).  It also has fish cake strips in it.  I was wary of the fish cakes the first time I tried it because I didn’t want a fishy taste.  These are amazing though.  The whole fish cake is a round circle that is white on the inside and pink on the outside.  It doesn’t have much flavor on its own so it soaks up the flavors of the rich broth.  It’s delicious.  The flavor of the soup varies on the day.  Sometimes it’s rich and salty.  This last time I had it it was a little less so.

I also ordered a hot large sake since it was starting to feel cool outside.  Nothing warms me up faster than some hot sake.  I wanted some sushi too.  I ordered the Queen Roll.  This has smoked salmon and avocado on the inside with salmon on top.  The avocado made it creamy and delicious.  I also ordered 2 salmon nigiri and one piece of salmon sashimi.  The nigiri is the little piece with rice on the bottom and fish on top.  Sashimi is a piece of plain fish usually served with some daikon or some other pickled vegetable.  I’ve found that I’m a salmon addict.  I often satisfy my salmon cravings with salmon sushi.

Crystal ordered the Yaki Udon.  This is another dish that we’ve become addicted to.  It has the thick udon noodles in a clear but flavorful sauce.  We usually get it with chicken and it also comes with cabbage pieces, fish cakes and mushrooms.  Crystal and I often fight over the mushrooms.  All of the ingredients have amazing flavor on their own.  They combine into an even better dish.  I really, really, really recommend ordering this dish.  Crystal and I will usually order Inari soup, the yaki udon and a couple of pieces of sushi to share.

Crystal also ordered an appetizer of gyoza for herself.  I didn’t try them but they looked really good.  She also got a piece of unagi nigiri (eel) and a Spider Roll.  The Spider Rolll also has unagi in it.

The meal was very comforting and very filling.  We kind of over ordered.  That just meant we had some leftovers.  The prices are a little steep but not outrageous.  The bill adds up if you order a lot of different things.  But usually, when Crystal and I share our regular order, it’s not too bad.