Back in July and August, I followed the Taste of Hartford on a daily basis, dining at 14 different eateries during the two weeks it was offered and even handing out RestaurantsCT.com awards to deserving establishments. Now I turn to New Haven Restaurant Week, a six-day event during which I will visit 12 restaurants. Attempting two-a-days like this will obviously be an even bigger “gut check” than my Capital City coverage was.
According to InfoNewHaven.com, there are 29 participating restaurants, with three-course lunches priced at $16.38 (the year New Haven was founded) and three-course dinners priced at $29. Twenty-three out of the 29 restaurants are offering lunch as well as dinner.
At one o’clock on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I came down to the heart of New Haven to begin my dining odyssey. The streets, normally sleepy on a Sunday afternoon, were buzzing with activity.
The INFO New Haven booth at the corner of College and Chapel Streets was at the ready with New Haven Restaurant Week brochures.
The brochures were getting a real workout.
Just a few feet up Chapel Street, which not long ago was completely transformed for the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull shoot, my elegant wife paused momentarily before entering Basta Trattoria.
Basta is owned and operated by beloved husband-and-wife chefs Frank and Claire Criscuolo,
shown in their adjacent restaurant—vegetarian, organic, sustainable and kosher Claire’s Corner Copia. At Basta, chef Daniel Sergi (left) and his capable staff handle much of the day-to-day activities.
Basta is a small place, so reservations are recommended.
The atmosphere is utterly charming,
with a window revealing the entirety of that tiny kitchen,
which is dominated by this massive wood-burning oven.
For larger groups, I recommend the window table.
Ann was completely at ease on the comfortable banquette,
as was this fellow seated nearby with his date.
Basta wasn’t offering a lunch menu for New Haven Restaurant Week, but was open for Sunday dinner from one o’clock on. Our server brought us housemade Italian bread, which was served with an addictive organic-white-bean-and-roasted-bell-pepper purée.
From five appetizer choices, my wife selected plump Prince Edward Island mussels with garlic and parsley in a Pernod-accented San Marzano tomato sauce with a hint of cream.
I chose the ricotta di Natale, a round ball of locally produced, hand-packed ricotta with infused honey, organic apple, dried cranberries and almond. This ethereal cheese plate would also have made an ideal dessert.
We also got to try the Sicilian calamari, showcasing tender squid rings and tentacles sautéed with white wine, organic lemon, San Marzano tomato sauce, garlic, hot cherry peppers and caperberries.
From four entrées, my wife chose the Amalfitan branzino, a pan-seared fillet with sweet roasted garlic, organic white beans, white wine and organic lemon, a lovely combination.
I went with the Campanian chicken, free-range chicken breast sautéed with roasted grape tomato, sweet roasted garlic and Greco di Tufo white wine finished with a touch of cream.
Perfectly cooked polenta and slices of zucchini completed each dish.
For dessert, my wife elected a cup of chocolate-raspberry-truffle crème brûlée, its richness mitigated with a smattering of dried cranberries,
while I couldn’t resist a massive serving of chocolate coconut cake brought over from Claire’s Corner Copia.
Claire’s cakes are legendary, and I especially love them because they’re not overly sweet.
On this most agreeable Sunday afternoon, people came into the restaurant pretty much continuously. One minute I observed this young couple checking out the menu posted in the window,
the next minute they were seated beside us and being attended to by our waiter, Brian.
Everyone seemed so charmed by their dining experience at Basta that we could see why Yankee Magazine named it “Best Trattoria” in Connecticut in 2009.
As we exited the restaurant, it felt as if we had the world by the tail. My wife appeared to contemplate briefly what life would be like if she jumped onto this spiffy scooter and left me in her dust.
Basta Trattoria, 1006 Chapel Street, New Haven, 203-772-1715