Basil Bistro

Owners of Escargot, a popular Marlborough restaurant, take their Thai to Hudson

by Margaret LeRoux

Basil Bistro 158 Main Street, Hudson (978) 562-4828 Lunch Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner Mon.-Fri. 5-10 p.m., Sat. 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sun. 5-9 p.m. Major credit cards BYOB Handicap accessible

The lucky residents of Hudson now have access to some of the best Thai food in the area with the recent opening of Basil Bistro. Housed in a former bar just blocks off the Route 85 rotary, Basil Bistro's charm, plus the culinary skills of its chef-owners promise to overcome the seedy remnants of the building's previous life. The bar's dark wood paneling is lightened by statues and posters from Thailand; a couple of fish tanks add interest. And on one side, booths have been replaced with a long banquette. Cloth napkins, fresh flowers, and candles indicate that Basil Bistro aims for a more upscale customer.

The restaurant is owned by Nick and Perada Khante, who owned Escargot, a popular Thai and French food restaurant in downtown Marlborough. The pair sold Escargot to concentrate on Basil Bistro, which will soon have an expanded menu that will include French food, as soon as a liquor license is granted.

For the time being, diners can bring their own liquor, and they can enjoy a preview of French cooking offered in several daily specials.

A companion and I dined on a Saturday night when Basil Bistro was doing a fairly brisk business -- certainly enough to keep the two-person wait staff hustling. We waited only a few moments before being shown to a table.

The current menu offers a variety of Thai appetizers most priced at $4.95. They include Thai rolls, vegetable roll, chicken or beef sate, vegetable tempura, and steamed dumpling. We shared the appetizer sampler for two ($6.95), a combination including a Thai roll -- similar to a Chinese egg roll, only with a thinner, crispy crust -- a vegetable roll, same as Thai roll, only without ground chicken and shrimp; Siam Shrimp, a large deep fried shrimp; and Thai bank bag, filled with finely chopped chicken, onion, celery potatoes, flavored with curry, and tied in a winsome bow.

Next time, we'll try the tempting soups: mixed seafood with shrimp, scallops, and squid ($4.95); spinach soup with chicken and glass noodles ($2.95); and tomka, chicken coconut soup ($2.95). The salads also look excellent. There are yum goong, which is fresh shrimp and clear noodles mixed with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, lemon grass, lime juice, Thai spices, and chopped peanuts ($9.95) and yum plamerk, which is broiled squid and noodles with the same vegetable and spice mixture ($9.95).

The extensive entree list includes curries (from hot to mild and served with your choice of meat) and charmingly named dishes like "Chicken in the garden," white meat served on a bed of vegetables with peanut sauce ($8.95); "lover scampi," shrimp sautéed with mushrooms, pineapple, chick peas, and celery ($10.95); and "Mount Everest," sautéed shrimp, squid, scallops, and assorted vegetables ($14.95).

Basil Bistro also offers several vegetarian dishes including vegetables and tofu in red curry sauce ($8.95), vegetarian spicy noodles, vegetarian pad Thai, and vegetarian fried rice, all at $6.95.

My companion chose duck basil ($14.95) from a list of specialties that has a few French-influenced items including pan fried trout ($10.95) and steamed salmon in a light cream sauce ($13.95). There are also fried whole red snapper with Thai chili sauce, and steamed red snapper in a ginger-garlic sauce available at market prices.

Duck basil was several pieces of rich breast meat in crispy, non-greasy skin, over a mound of vegetables, including mushrooms, broccoli, eggplant, and onions in a not-too-spicy basil sauce. The jasmine rice ($1) was perfect to soak up the delicious sauce.

I selected one of the evening's specials, pan fried catfish ($10.95) in a browned butter sauce, a delicate fillet accompanied by an assortment of crunchy vegetables.

We shared an order of shrimp pad Thai, ($7.95), stir fried noodles with lots of medium sized shrimp, tofu, scallions, and bean sprouts topped with ground peanuts.

We were almost too full for dessert, but noticed one of my favorites, crème brûlée with fresh raspberries ($4.95). I was eager to try a French-Thai version and was not disappointed. It was rich and silky smooth, with a clean, vanilla taste; a perfect end to our meal and a tantalizing inducement to return. Our bill including tax but not tip was $51.20.