japanese italian fusion?

Basta Pasta Japanese-Italian Fusion menu. [Click image to enlarge]

I think we can safely assert that when it comes to fine dining, "the 2000s" is the decade of Fusion Cuisine. I am not complaining, because I love anything East-meets-West. I love a good mélange. A creative juxtaposition of tastes.

In New York, we are lucky to be able to sample some of the more outré concepts in fusion, such as Indian-Chinese (Chinese Mirch, Indo Munch, Indo Wok) and Japanese-Italian (Basta Pasta), as well as the more accepted but still pretty delicious Cuban-Asian (Asia de Cuba), Japanese-Brazilian (Sushi Samba) and the long-standing Upper West Side curiosity, Cuban-Chinese-Caribbean (La Caridad 78).

I suppose when you've eaten all there is to eat, and are still seeking something totally new and unexpected, Fusion is the new frontier. Tonight I am off to Basta Pasta on W 17th Street to sample some Spaghetti with Fresh Sea Urchin. Or perhaps I will just stick with the Homemade Silk Handkerchief Pasta with Mixed Mushroom. Having sampled Shakey's Squid, Seaweed and Corn Pizza in Japan a few years ago to mixed reviews, I may just have to gently ease my way into this particular juxtaposition of tastes.