Bringing an artist's touch to a range of Asian cuisine
Etsogo
16 Merrimack St., Lowell
978-323-7878
Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-10 p.m.
Reservations accepted
Major credit cards accepted
Accessible to the handicapped
Dinner indecision can strike the best of us. Will it be sushi tonight or Chinese? Thai or Malaysian?
If you can't decide, Etsogo in downtown Lowell is an excellent venue for a top-notch pan-Asian feast. The restaurant's extensive menu offers a range of choices from across East Asia.
And, unlike most restaurants this ambitious in their culinary offerings, Etsogo shines all across the map.
It's also worth noting that Etsogo's food is beautifully presented, on a par with some of the better restaurants in Boston. Clearly someone in the kitchen has an eye for the artistry of food.
Home to a sushi bar where many patrons choose to dine, the restaurant's sushi, sashimi, and roll offerings number in the dozens. I sampled the Kerouac roll ($12) and the fantastic roll ($12), both of which were fresh, mild, and delicious. I'd highly recommend Etsogo to both sushi veterans and novices.
The Kerouac roll augments spicy yellowtail, salmon, tuna, and white tuna with jicama. The fantastic roll - spicy tuna, tuna, and avocado - more than lived up to its name, its most distinctive aspect being an interior made crunchy with the addition of tempura flakes. Both came simply but dramatically arrayed on spare white, rectangular plates.
The Japanese side of the menu includes teriyaki, katsu, and bento box dinners. Nestled in its bright red tray, the bento box with teriyaki salmon ($18) made a wonderful and colorful meal. The salmon was perfectly glazed, and the accompaniments - fried shumai, California rolls, and even the miso soup - were exceptional.
Moving on to Malaysia and Thailand, the mango chicken ($12) was a light and delectable entree. Served in the halves of a hollowed-out mango, it consisted of thinly sliced and tender chicken, spikes of crunchy red and green pepper, and slivers of mango in a slightly sweet sauce.
The green curry vegetable casserole ($11) with tofu and vegetables including eggplant, zucchini, and crunchy string beans, was an attractive and hearty stew served in a steaming ceramic tureen. Served with white or brown rice, it's a wonderful choice for a chilly fall night.
Among the Chinese entrees, the happy family ($15) was artful on a stark white plate and generous with shrimp, chicken, beef, and pork. The meats were tender, complemented by fresh vegetables. What looks at first like a tidy mound turns out to be a surprisingly substantial and varied mélange.
Asian restaurants are often guilty of dousing food in overly sweet sauces, but Etsogo's chef has a judicious hand. Entrees benefit not only from the sparing use of sauces, but also from the sauces' muted flavors, which heighten the flavors of meats and vegetables rather than drowning them out.
I'm not sure of the exact provenance of an appetizer called chicken asparagus ($6), but it was delightful. Thinly sliced chicken is rolled around an interior of asparagus, carrot, and cheese, then breaded and fried. It was devoured within minutes.
Dessert offerings are minimal, although the tempura ice cream ($3) is far superior to most fried ice cream, its coating smooth and buttery rather than harsh and oily.
Etsogo's interior is pleasant, far removed from its past as a Burger King. An exposed brick wall and dim lighting, combined with the views onto bustling Merrimack Street, create a cozy ambience. Our server couldn't have been more attentive, guiding us with expert suggestions from the bewilderingly large sushi menu.
Its location feeds into what is arguably Etsogo's biggest flaw: Parking can be hard to come by on downtown Lowell's warren of one-way streets. The food, though, is more than worth the trip.
STEVE BRADT 