basi italia

not gluten free friendly.... our previously favorite columbus restaurant proved a disappointment this visit. i have been a vegetarian for years (i do eat fish and dairy) but am newly gluten-free. generally restaurants are quite accommodating, but not this time. i don't believe there was a single gluten-free entree, so i had to order off the top of the menu. the waitress acted put out with me (although i was trying very hard not to be too demanding), and suggested the tomato bisque and mozzarella with tomato and fried basil. the soup was nothing spectacular, and the second dish was a giant piece of cheese with a tiny tomato and one basil leaf--with a piece of bread. it was tasty, but a poor recommendation for a meal, and i was shocked about the bread on top--kind of felt like a slap in the face from her. the waitress was pretty negligent, hardly stopping by or filling our drinks. i feel like the waitress we've had before (the blonde one) would have been much more accommodating. this girl (brunette) just seemed like she didn't want us there at all.


-----02 may, 2011-----

fantastic!. we came to basi on a strong recommendation, so we had fairly high expectations. fortunately, they were exceeded!

theplaceis fairly inconspicuous, tucked in a side street in quaint victorian village. and the restaurant itself is very small, but cozy and friendly. our waitress was knowledgeable and sweet. and the food.... delicious. i had the fresh pea risotto with lump crab meat and baby carrots, and my mom had the rigatoni salumi. we both savored each bite, and even packed our leftovers on ice for the 6-hour drive home--worth it. the dessert was to die for, but i can't remember the name. probably best to just try it all.

greatplacefor date. beets, flatbread, egg parm, trout all wonderful. can't beat atmosphere. overwhelmed by delicious menu. must go back and try more.

total disappointment. i had heard good things about basi, so we decided to check it out for our anniversary. the first disappointment was when we arrived, only to find the valet was $5 and they literally parked your car right around the corner. now, i have absolutely no problem with paying for a valet; however, thisplaceis not like most of the restaurants along high st. in the short north - there is plenty of parking in the area. had i known, i would have just kept driving and parked right around the corner. the wait would have been much shorter than using the valet. upon entering the restaurant, we weren't really greeted. no "hello" or "i'll be right with you," instead, the staff just kind of stared at us for a couple minutes, as if they were waiting for me to say the secret password. after finally being seated (on the patio, which was very cramped). our waiter didn't seem very amicable, and i felt rushed to look over the menu, which didn't seem very "italian" at all. we decided to start with the charcuterie plate, which was a special. the meats on the plate very ok, however the bread ratio was totally off. only three small pieces of bread? for two people? also, it seemed very overpriced ($20) given the small amount of meat. for the main course, i ordered the lamb meatballs and my partner ordered the scallops. while waiting for our main course, our water wasn't refilled at all and i had to flag someone down twice (as a side note, we were outside it was in the mid-90s this day, even still late in the evening when we dined). the food portions were quite small, given the price. my meatballs were served in a mini cast iron skillet, which wasn't even hot (seemed to be only for decoration). there was a bottom layer of ricotta, which was cold, and the sauce was only lukewarm. additionally, there was a weird metallic taste, likely because acidic things, such as tomato sauce, shouldn't be served in cast iron! any chef worth his/her salt should know this! my partners scallops were alright, although they had neglected to remove the small chewy muscle (the "foot"), which the scallop uses to attach to the shell. rookie mistake. also, the flavor of the scallops were overwhelmed by the strawberries, which were much too sweet. overall, we were very disappointed with our experience, especially given that we had heard such good things. definitely not worth the money.

great food. thisplaceis small so make reservations. great non-traditional italian with a few classics. menu is small but we had no trouble finding multiple items we wanted. great care in preparation.

a little bit pretentious. we went here on good reviews from the computer and some friends, boy do they have different taste? thisplaceis cool looking and has the vibe, but when you are served by a guy who looks homeless compared to the other staff you start to double think. the menu sounds really good, but the food (from what we had) is fairly tasteless and under what you would call a good sized portion. also we found the staff rude when i noticed them laughing at us when sorting our bill, i'm guessing because they thought we had no money and not because how disappointed we were from the moment we first talked to our homeless looking waiter. thisplaceis a real disappointment for anyone who wants good italian food, this menu is kind of italian but trying a little to hard to be fancy/unique with the semi odd flavors they offer to actually hit the mark.
also as a wine lover i found the choice quite limiting for anyone who likes a big bold red, especially by the glass.
i would say thisplacegives off all the right vibes of a good restaurant but just cant deliver in service or flavor, but give it a go if you want to............
really disappointed.

worst birthday dining experience. we went to basi italia for my birthday. it was a special occasion and we were really excited to try thisplaceout. first, there was no parking. we had to park blocks and blocks away because the valet wasn't there and we didn't feel like hunting someone down to pay him.

we were seated outside where i set on a wet wood bench. by the end of the meal, my jeans were soaked and i felt miserable. i had to go home and change before i could go back out- huge inconvenience! secondly, the food wasn't so great. i ordered some pasta dish with the runniest watery sauce i've ever seen in my life. it wouldn't even stick to the noodles.

overall, i can't recommend this place. food and service were poor.

great spot, great food. adorable littleplacehidden in the beautiful victorian village neighborhood. food is great, somewhat rich so splitting an appetizer might be a good choice. great service too!

thisplaceis impossibly small, with the look and feel of a gourmet neighborhood cafe. but it draws a region-wide crowd, for good reason - the food is special. it's hard to find, tucked into a side street close to the short north. fortunately they have va

very creative and tasty menu. this is a greatplacebut if you blink, you will miss it. there is very limited seating but it is a greatplacefor a summer evening dinner. i highly recommend checking thisplaceout.

lovely -- with some serious caveats. premier valet charges you $5 literally to pull your car around the corner. do not pay -- just park in the neighborhood, which is what premier valet does, anyway. it is totally ridiculous that the valet service charges to park your car 50 feet from the restaurant. i live in this neighborhood and would of course prefer that the valet service actually park your car where they have reserved spots at the giant eagle parking lot, but since they don't, please don't pay them to do what you can surely do yourself.

the food is a bit oily but very tasty. i particularly recommend the zucchini / pine nut primo dish.

i've read others' criticisms of the pasta with meat sauce -- but the sauce is terrific! fennel, raisins, etc!

finally: do go either early or late in the evening. during their rush hour, theplaceis packed. it's uncomfortably crowded. i'm a normal (well, i'm thin) person and am kind of disgusted by having to sit practically *in* the [often very sizable] lap of someone sitting next to me. i wish the restaurant would spread tables out a bit. although they wouldn't be able to sit as many people at once, it would be much more comfortable for *everyone*.