The basil and mint in the roll were almost too intense, and the shrimp tasted rich and crunchy and oceanic.

The shrimp tasted as if somebody had magically extracted all the flavor, the house salad was mushy and the steaks were unimpressive.

Shrimp with sesame seeds, fresh asparagus and mushrooms had the elements for success, but the shrimp was tough and tasted old.

Among cooked entrees, a breaded pork chop with mustard paste was bland, and fried shrimp with a supposedly special Nippon sauce with sake tasted like something you would get on a boardwalk in summer.

Season the shrimp to taste with salt and sprinkle with the lime juice.

But shrimp with basil and white wine sauce tasted somewhat off, and grilled sirloin was a mite tough.

Thai shrimp were a near miss: the skewered shrimp had passed the threshold of charred and tasted burned.

Clams on the half shell ($1.25 each) had a bitter quality that sent me back immediately to the oysters, while chilled jumbo shrimp ($10.50 for six) tasted more like the chill than the shrimp.

And the touch of balsamic vinegar to shrimp alla Castello was interesting, but the shrimp tasted strongly of iodine.