Sometimes in life you look back on something and wonder, “why did it take us so long to do this?” It could be a simple thing around the house, a minor, inexpensive thing that makes life easier, or a place you’ve always meant to go but just didn’t seem to get to. Here we’ll cross one of those off of our list, and we are very happy to do so. This one is about going to Basta on Broad, a restaurant in Cranston, RI, which gets great reviews, personal recommendations and lots of awards. Based on such glowing reports it is very surprising we never managed to get there ourselves, and really there is no good excuse. Finally, on a night where we had plans to meet friends at another restaurant, a change of plans led to the two of us taking making an unexpected visit to Basta.
Located on Broad Street in Cranston, the restaurant is situated in the heart of Pawtuxet Village, a quaint area on the water with lots of shops and a definite village feel. We popped in on a busy evening armed with reservations, and were given a great table in the middle of the main dining room. There are multiple rooms here, with a smaller area that can support a private dining function and a back room as well. The bar is long and inviting. Immediately you get a good vibe. We settled in.
The menu has great choices, but is not incredibly long. That is a good thing, as at some Italian restaurants they throw every Italian dish
An excellent Barbaresco
ever made on the menu. Everything here looks great on the page, and they will add to that with nightly specials. We ordered some appetizers, one of the dinner specials and an entrée off the regular menu with a minor change. They are very accommodating here, and if they can support a requested change to a dish they will.
The wine list is quite comprehensive, with many choices across the entire budget spectrum. They also have a $20 corkage fee, so you can bring that special bottle with you if you so choose. We had cocktails, and then a great bottle of older Barbaresco off of their list. With a 7:00 dinner seating the table was ours for the night, so we settled in for the evening.
Appetizers included a wonderful squash and zucchini salad as well as clams casino. The clams were prepared in
Squash Salad
a classic manner and well done. The salad featured lengthwise, thinly sliced layers of summer squashes in a delicious and tangy lemon vinaigrette, along with roasted corn, scallions and basil. The salad was quite large and filling. Entrees included a classic Veal Saltimbocca, this time requested without cheese, as well as the NY Strip special, served
NY Sirloin Special
with veggies and homemade potato chips. The steak was perfectly cooked at medium rare, and the Saltimbocca was tender and flavorful. Everything was delicious.
This was an anniversary celebration, and our waiter brought out a complimentary dessert, in this case a dense chocolate cake with whipped cream and a variety of sauces. It was equally good.
Clearly we waited far too long to get to Basta, as this restaurant lives up to its glowing reviews, and its 2016 award from RI Monthly as the best restaurant in Rhode Island. We liked it so much we went again a week later when we met the friends we originally had planned to have dinner with. A serendipitous turn had bought us to Basta, and we will be visiting regularly from now on. This was very good both times, and our wallet is out here.
The particulars:
Basta on Broad
2195 Broad Street, Cranston RI 02905
401-461-2300 Website: www.bastaonbroad.com
A votre santé!
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