Spicy Basil Asian Grill is one of the best restaurants in a neighborhood full of new restaurants.
From its prime location smack on 1 Broadway, Spicy Basil Asian Grill cooks up a fusion of Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. The portions are big, the food is good, and you can enjoy your meal in the sleek, modern dining room or on the patio looking out over the busy scene of South Broadway's revival as a neighborhood full of new shops and restaurants.
You could start with the Spinach Cheese Wontons, for $4.95, or the Vietnamese Eggrolls for the same price. Edamame — a fancy name for steamed soybeans — is becoming more and more popular everywhere, and Spicy Basil serves this "snack in a pod" for $3.95.
The vegetable entrees are each priced at $8.50. Meat dishes, such as Kung Pao Chicken and the Whiskey Beef, can be had for less than a buck more. The Spicy Basil Duck is a good deal at $12.95: you'll get lots of strips of grilled breast meat piled up on a big bed of vegetables. Unless you have a big appetite to go with it, it will probably be more than you can eat.
The seafood entrees range from the crispy soft shell crab wrapped in rice paper, for $9.95, to the $13.95 Thai Basil Tuna, seared with basil, celery, onion and asparagus. Don't be confused at seeing Lamb Wraps listed right underneath: those are actually grilled jumbo shrimp wrapped with lamb slices, and they cost $12.95.
All the entrees, curries and tempura can also be ordered for lunch, for a few dollars less that at dinner, on the average. They come with fried rice and a spring roll, and are served until 3 p.m. The popular Pad Thai, with veggies, tofu, chicken or beef, is priced at $5.95 for lunch and only $6.95 for dinner.
If you choose to enjoy your meal out on the patio, it can get a little noisy with the cars cruising by four lanes across on Broadway. You probably won't mind too much, however, because you'll have a great view of the great Art Deco Mayan Theatre — along with lots of very attractively presented and flavorful food.
- by David Zindell, Denver Reporter for HelloMetro
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