Oshi Burger Bar, an Asian-inflected burger joint at the fancy end of South Main, doesn’t open to the public until next week, but this Tuesday, the press got a sneak peak. Never one to refuse a free slider, I decided to head downtown and check it out.
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The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in is the spare, minimalist design. Dreamed up by Ben Fant of Farmhouse Marketing, the clean lines of Oshi’s interior are executed primarily in white and pine, with a few red accents thrown in for good measure.
Chief among these is the wall-size mural of John Belushi caricaturing a Japanese warrior in the 1970s SNL skit Samurai Delicatessen. Which—brief aside—how did Belushi ever get the green light for that character?
The first bite I tried was a Dr. Detroit Dog—essentially a high-class chili dog. The kobe beef frank is smothered in chili, piled high with pickled onions, and topped with a delicious beer cheese mustard. It was everything I wanted it to be.
But everybody’s favorite seemed to be the Hot Jam Burger. At one table, I ran into Wiseacre’s Kellan Bartosch, who had just put away one of the Hot Jams.
“They don’t use ketchup, which I appreciate,” enthused Bartosch, wiping his fingers. “It’s like a super-deluxe Krystal burger. It’s delicious.”
He may have been referring to the generously-applied yellow mustard, which figures prominently in most Krystal Burgers. The Hot Jam, made from bacon and ground chuck, also includes onion jam (yum!) and pickles.
Oshi Burger Bar, 94 S. Main, 341-2091
oshiburger.com
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