10 Best Restaurants in Columbus 2012: Basi Italia
Dinners at Basi are some of my most memorable, magical nights in Columbus.
There’s some kind of crazy alchemy at play here, something in the intimacy of a restaurant housed in what once was a home, hidden away off the main thoroughfare with an entrance off an alleyway. Something in the captivating contrast between an intimate, low-lit dining room and a bright, bustling kitchen.
Basi’s typically filled with a mixture of couples on dates and regulars from the neighborhood. And with that neighborhood being the bohemian, Short North-adjacent Victorian Village, it’s always a rowdy good time.
There’s something in the food, surely. Pasta dishes made special with braised meats (Lamb Canneloni with goat cheese), fresh seafood (mustard-crusted golden trout), seasonal herbs and veggies—this is food with real heart and soul.
Longtime chef Johnny Dornback recently handed over kitchen duties to a new chef de cuisine, David MacLennan, formerly of Latitude 41, whose local-ingredient-loving approach should translate well at Basi.
Wine plays a role in enlivening every meal, and all of that adds up to a blur of laughter and happiness.
Photos by Jodi Miller
Basi Italia
811 Highland Ave. Victorian Village
614-294-7383
Hours: 5 p.m.-close Tuesday-Saturday
