I like Basi Italia so much I'm ashamed at how long it's been since I've eaten there. Every time I've eaten an anchovy, all I've thought of was how it wasn't one of Basi's great white anchovies, on one of their perfect Caesar salads . . .
Yesterday might have possibly been the most beautiful spring day on record in Central Ohio. The dogwoods are just starting to bloom, the sun was out when the weatherpeople said it was going to rain, Husband and I had a rare day to ourselves, before going to work - "We are going to Basi for lunch!" I declared - "We can eat outside!!"
I should have taken a picture of the patio, and I apologize for not doing so. It was the first time I've seen the patio during the daytime, and it is really very nice; I can't imagine anyone would want to eat inside on a day like yesterday. Tiny white petals from flowering trees were floating down on us on the breeze . . . okay, but on with the food.
It was lunch, so a little abbreviated. Husband violated rule #1, which is do not order what Lisa is ordering, and opted for the Caesar, so I only have 3 dishes.
First, the bread - soft but chewy loaves are served in little buckets and accompanied by olive oil confited cloves of garlic, spiked with crushed red pepper and basil. It's so good even Husband, an avowed non-bread dipper, devours it. Every time I eat at Basi, I eat so many cloves of garlic I have to apologize to my coworkers later:
And then we get to the Caesar. I will never apologize for my undying love of Caesar salad. It was one of my first culinary epiphanies at age 9, when I saw my friend Jen O making one with her mother - her mother said "Have you ever had a Caesar salad? Jen makes a mean one." Well, if Jen O could do anything, I could do it better (this rivalry, by the way, continued through high school, long after we were no longer friends, until we would say each other's names to our friends in the same manner Jerry Seinfeld would say "Newman." Ahh, immaturity. How I miss you.)
At any rate, I will always love Caesar salad. Call me pedestrian, I don't care. Garlic, anchovies and lemon juice? What is better? The Caesar salad at Basi - a classic revisited, as they say - is an interactive, knife-and-fork affair, deconstructed and reconstructed to focus on each individual ingredient. A romaine heart, those superb white anchovies (hiding under the parm), a sliver of Parmesan, chewy-crisp croutons, a lemon wedge to accent the traditional dressing, and here, a few caper berries and roasted tomatoes:
I chose the special, which is a regular on the dinner menu. Crab raviolis are dressed in sweet and well-executed carrot butter sauce and topped with a smart salad of shaved green apple, carrots and sweet spring fennel. A crab claw topped it off:
Husband opted for the much-lauded, sometimes feared ricotta gnocchi. I had not had gnocchi in this form - almost little pillows, sauteed until browned, they were rich little herbed dumplings. To contrast, the gnocchi were dressed with a tarragon scented melange of sweet corn, mushrooms and grape tomatoes. Just a hint of truffle oil, good balsamic and a red wine reduction finished the dish:
People I send to Basi seem to have mixed reactions - although most love it. Since I've loved almost everything I've eaten there, I always try to figure out things some people didn't like. I think I have it down to the sort of person. It's no Cameron Mitchell restaurant. It doesn't have a vast, wine vault inspired entryway or a peaceful, Japanese-influenced blond wood interior. It's small and dark at dinner, it can be crowded, and the food is full-flavored. No one ever takes my advice to have the chicken on your first visit! If you're threatened by sitting too close to others whilst dining, I recommend getting there while it's nice outside, and you can sit on their breezy patio and have the requisite 3 square feet of personal space. And if you still don't like it, spare me your soliloquy on how much you love Martini's Italian Bistro, A Cameron Mitchell Restaurant.
Info: Basi Italia 811 Highland St. reservations are necessary for dinner 614.294.7383
Archive - last year on this day I visited my first Crate & Barrel store! And made Lemon Custard Cakes to boot.