The development of lower E Burnside –loE-bu?– has been interesting to watch. You have destination restaurants aplenty, but there are still day laborers hanging out on 6th and Ankeny and the homeless contingent forced across the river occupies the doorways of light industry after nightfall. This dangerous combination has led to horrified suburbanites combing the backstreets trying to plot a path from SUV to restaurant that will keep them clean of the reality that surrounds these new utopia of gustatory excess. Off the top of my head: L’Astra, Farm Cafe, Le Pigeon, Rocket, Simpatica, Biwa as well as bars both high (Chesterfield, Rontoms) and low brow (all hail the B Side) are between MLK and 12th, within 2 Blocks of Burnside.
After my last visit to Biwa with MC Dizzy, I dragged Billy’s dad, the Diz and the Latin Expert on a recent weeknight to check out the damage after the recent deluge of good press. There are no discernible changes to the space or the menu from my first visit, save the addition of a beer or two. we jumped in with skewers a plenty, chijimi, cold tofu, shishito, asparagus and some other things. They were all delicious. I stuck with the small plates, but the Latin Expert and Billy’s Dad had noodle bowls. Billy’s dad really dug his ramen, but the Latin expert was not so fond of her Kitsune Udon:
“This tastes like something I’d want to eat if I had the stomach flu. It’s good, but not $9 good, and everything else on the table is much better.”
the underwhelming Kitsune Udon not withstanding, Biwa is consistent food and service in an attractive package. It is more universally appealing than other chef-driven restaurants in the neighborhood; that is to say both the washed and the unwashed masses were on hand. My only gripe is that their water glasses are much too small, which makes you notice how often the waitstaff comes by–which is often, but not often enough.
