Basso56

Where has this restaurant been all my life? I’ve been living virtually next door, but never discovered the amazing business lunch deal until just yesterday. For shame.
The business lunch deal is 18.95 for 2 courses, and I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of choices offered for appetizers and the main course. I had a chance to try the scamorza (smoked mozzarella) with prosciutto for my appetizer, and the spaghetti chitarra with lamb ragu, which were both outstanding. The chitarra was incredibly fresh and homemade, with generous streaks of flavorful lamb. The smoked mozzarella had a smooth and soft texture and paired well with the prosciutto and salad as well. The fettuccine with mushrooms and garlic in an olive oil sauce was very garlicky (translation: super delicious) and fresh.
Highly recommend. I can’t wait to come back and try their other pastas and the lobster crepes as well!

Couldn’t have enjoyed our dinner more! We selected this restaurant based on the excellent reviews and the ability to make reservations on OpenTable. We arrived about 10 minutes early and our table was ready– nearly every other table in the restaurant was full! Alex, our waiter, helped us select an excellent bottle of Pinot Noir (so good we ordered a second bottle!) Our favorite dish was the lobster crepes– two of us ordered the crepes and both of us cleaned our plates! As far as dessert– the ricotta cheesecake was fabulous! Alex treated us to gelato with a chocolate shell and a round of dessert wine for the table on the house. Such a nice surprise!
Everything was perfect; from the food to the service, couldn’t have asked for a better night. We will definitely be back on our next trip!

The food here is delicious, but expensive! Three scallops cost me $ 19. True, they were damn good scallops, but 19 bucks is steep. The seafood risotto was tasty, but far from the best I’ve ever had. The waiter was kind enough to offer me substitutions when I said I didn’t like some of the things in my risotto. Many places don’t allow that. Customer service was great. Everyone was friendly and accommodating.

Amazing dinner. The wait staff, food, drink and desserts are perfect. Perfectly seasoned and prepared, presented. I will definitely go back when staying in Midtown.

First the fresh bread comes out with a delicious olive oil with a few olives thrown in. Then we shared crab cakes with a wonderful, and not overpowering sauce, and scallops. Both were done to perfection. For our main course my friend got the grouper with vegetable and mashed potatoes. The fish was a nice sized piece, thick and cooked perfectly. I got the seafood risotto. In it were mussels, small clams, shrimp and calamari. What a delightful creamy concoction! I’m not sure how we did it but we managed to split 2 desserts. The tartufo (a special) and the sorbets. The tartufo was a nice chocolately treat and the sorbet (3 kinds) were so refreshing. Not one morsel of anything was left on our plates.
Fortunately we had 22 blocks to walk to the train!

Love this gorgeous little restaurant! Service is excellent, the food creative and delicious, always served hot! I try to eat here whenever I’m in NYC. Last night we were served by Elena who exceeded our expectations. Well done.

Authentic Italian food with great service and reasonable prices. Party of 4 we had an order of fried calamari and an order of artichokes for appetizer and lamb chops, veal chops and 2 orders of home made pasta with seafood for dinner. Portions were large but doable and we had room for the triple chocolate cake and espresso for dessert. Great place for that all important third date. Reservations are a must.

Went here during christmas season for dinner with a group of 8. Managers were very accommodating getting us a reservation, and food was great all around. Respectably priced menu.

A great experience from start to finish! Highly recommended. Grilled calamari was amazing and the lobster crepes were «out of this world»! Very warm and welcoming environment.

Highly recommend. Made reservations for a Thursday at 6:00, we were seated immediately. Very pleasant and attentive service, started the meal with bread with olive oil and fresh olives, very nice. BF had the grilled calamari which was superb, I had an arugula salad with pear, fennel and goat cheese which was fresh and delicious. Entrée special of red snapper with capers and olives with sautéed spinach was delicious. Seafood risotto was very good, both were served quickly and piping hot which we love. Ended the night with espresso, mint tea and a trio of sorbet which was perfect. Would definitely return.

Nice, traditional Italian food. Very attentive staff.
I come here with the family for our family celebrations. The food is delicious and it is good for groups.

Went on Christmas Eve 2015 with wife and son prior to show at Carnegie based on good Unilocal reviews. The beef Carpaccio was fair but a bit over priced for what it is. The crab cake was completely disappointing. It was one of those fried varieties with lots of filler and a big dollop of tartar sauce. You definitely want to pass on that. My bucatini with bacon and a tomato sauce was fair, as was my son’s spaghetti with lamb ragu and my wife’s fish of the day special. But the funny thing is that after we left my wife said that her fish was on the cold side. My pasta was lukewarm at best too. It’s weird because we were almost the first people in the place that day (~5pm) and you would have thought that the chef would be unstressed at that hour and could have gotten the food to our table while still hot.
We don’t plan to return.

Went to Basso56 with my girlfriend and another couple and had an absolutely fantastic experience. To start, the restaurant isn’t a huge place, there’s definitely limited seating. I had a reservation for 5:45 and due to the wonderful MTA, we were running late. I called up and they held the table even though they didn’t have to. Personally, I appreciate those things.
We were seated immediately by a friendly waiter who was super attentive and thorough throughout the entire meal.
It’s not the fanciest of restaurants but definitely has a comfortably upscale feel that makes anyone feel welcome. Only complaint is that it was a little warm but that’s because we are having 60 degree days in the middle of December (thanks global warming).
The food was unbelievable! They serve warm bread with some amazing and fresh olive oil, served in a bowl with fresh, whole olives. The appetizers we had were the Calamari Fritti (fried calamari), the Crab Cake (which was a special for the night), and the Carpe di Manzo (which is raw filet mignon sliced super thin and served with an arugula salad and shaved Parmesan cheese). Calamari was cooked to perfection, great texture, and a light and crispy crust. It was served over sauce which was nice compared to the usual sauce on the side. The crab cake was a little run of the mill but it was still very good. And the Carpe di Manzo was one of the best I’ve had! Great tasting meat, fresh salad, and the vinaigrette was a perfect compliment.
For dinner I had the Seafood Risotto special. It was unreal! The rice was perfect, creamy but not mushy, and full of flavor! There was so much calamari laced throughout the whole dish. It also had some great jumbo shrimp which were so fresh, perfectly prepared fresh scallops, and I kid you not, the freshest and most flavorful clams and mussels I have had at any Italian restaurant ever; and I eat A TON of Italian food. Not to mention that although it was a little pricey (which is expected in the heart of Manhattan) the portions were huge! They really make sure that you get what you pay for!
Dessert we had the crème brûlée which was so perfectly done, with a sweet and crunchy crust, and so well balanced.
All in all it was nothing but a fantastic experience and I would definitely put this place up there on the list of great Italian restaurants in Manhattan. For a comparison, I’ve eaten several times at Becco, owned by Lidia and Joe Bastianich (or however you spell it) and if I had to pick between the two I would definitely lean more towards Basso56!
This will not disappoint at all!

So amazing! Everyone loved their meal! The waiters were so helpful and the kitchen so accommodating, we even brought our children, 5 and 7, very picky eaters and they loved it. Sweet atmosphere and a definite authentic Italian restaurant.

Good price and great food. Called in last min on a tues night and they were able to fit us in for a table for 2.
Portions were generous for the price. Contrary to what another reviewer said, I thought the price was very reasonable for the quality and location.
Place is business casual. Comfortable dining but noisy at times.
Grilled calamari was good.
Sea bass was excellent with a nice crust. The dish was huge, with fennel, mashed potato and spinach. All were delicious.
My dad had the rigatoni bolognese sauce. The meat sauce was excellent. We didn’t even need to add cheese on top.
Overall, would definitely return. For 2 people, I recommend splitting an appy and order 2 entrees. Total came to $ 100 incl tax, gratuity and a drink.

Basso56 serves good Italian within an embarrassingly short walk of my apartment building, but I can’t give it the full five stars because it’s serving relatively expensive pastas in a casual setting. Most of the pasta dishes are over $ 20, and if you add wine and a salad and dessert you’re well over $ 100 for two — not unreasonable by NY standards but certainly not what you expect when you first descend into Basso56’s small dining room.
We ordered the popular lobster crepes and the lighter mushroom spinach fettuccine, both of which I’d recommend, and the mixed greens salad was large enough for two to share. I’ve only tried one other tartufo dessert and that was at Lupa, which I’ll have to say beats the Basso56 tartufo. Overall I was happy with our order and would be happy to give the menu another shot.
The service is friendly and efficient, but Basso56 is ultimately not quite a romantic date spot and not exactly a casual Italian neighborhood spot either.

You will never go wrong by ordering the seafood risotto, and here proved that fact once more. On the other hand, the striped bass was a little bit plain… didn’t have enough appetite to try their dessert, however the tiramisu looked delicious across the table.

Italian food at its finest! Came here for dinner and was not disappointed. The staff was great and the food — out of this world!
The pasta is all very fresh and homemade. The service was great, with well educated staff, the atmosphere was very lively and the restaurant had a good crowd.
HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I have been here twice and both times the food has been amazing. We made last minute reservations and they were easily able to accommodate us (3).
Appetizers: calamari alla griglia and the mesculina e noci salad. We got the two apps to share for the table and it was more than enough food. The grilled calamari were excellent. They come as large pieces of calamari, not the tiny rings that are usually fried. The salad was good. We got the cheese on the side which they were able to accommodate.
Dinner: 2 orders of the petto d’anatra in crescione (duck) and the agnello scottadito alla romana (lamb chops). Everything was delicious. The duck was perfectly cooked, well complimented by the figs and balsamic reduction. The lamb chops were also delicious, with the baby artichokes.
Everything was mouth watering and delicious. They have a good wine selection. Our server was very attentive and able to accommodate our requests (cheese on the side, double vegetable instead of mashed potato as a side). I will definitely be returning!

I went to lunch today with a group from my office and had a really lovely experience. My colleague had made a reservation for 7, and we were seated immediately about midway of the narrow dining floor. I noticed a group of about 14 people. Although this place is small, groups aren’t a problem here as long as you make reservations.
Upon being seated, we were given menus. After a minute, they offered us water and asked if we preferred tap or bottled. Once we were served our tap water, the waiter told us the specials of the day — a soup (lentil), a ravioli (spinach and cheese), and the fish (trout). After we ordered, they gave us bruschetta on the house, along with olives in oil and bread for dipping.
Most of us ordered from the pre-​fixe menu ($ 18.98 for an app and entrée with choice of soda, coffee or tea or $ 22.95 for an app, entrée, and dessert with choice of soda, coffee or tea). I ordered the fried goat cheese over mixed greens, the pacherri pasta with eggplant, tomato sauce and dried ricotta, and a slice of chocolate cake. Overall, everything was delicious, and my group was happy. The goat cheese was warm and slightly crisp but the lettuce was wilted because it was placed on an eggplant purée. The main course was simple but good, and I cleaned my plate. The portions were the perfect size! I tried my co-worker’s mussels app and it was good as well but nothing special. Plus, the mussels were huge and each one was nicely opened!
The chocolate cake was very dense and fudgy. It wasn’t overly sweet but I could only take a few bites. Same for my colleagues. Another coworker ordered sorbetto. She received a scoop of chocolate and what looked to be a scoop of vanilla, along with a few slices of green apple. We also each ordered coffee and tea, which was included in the prix fixe.
Two minor mistakes occurred during our meal. They brought a bowl of the lentil soup to my colleague when she ordered the goat cheese app. It arrived just a few minutes later. Then, when everyone ordered their coffee and tea, they completely overlooked me, and I ordered my tea after everyone else had received theirs.
The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and is perfect for holding a conversation (music is low). The staff is friendly and very accommodating. I’m happy to give them four stars because you definitely get some bang for your buck! Lunch made with quality ingredients for less than $ 20 in Midtown. You can’t even get that at Olive Garden in the city!

Kleiner, eher feiner Italiener — so wie ich ihn mir wünsche. Sind eher durch Zufall reingestolpert und hatten einen sehr netten Abend mit prima Essen und italienischem Wein.