676 9th Avenue
New York, NY
Written by NYC Supper Club – a companion site to The New York Traveler
Basilica is a fine Italian restaurant located on 9th Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets. It has a small awning in front and if you are not watching for it, you can easily pass it by. The interior is set up with tables on both sides of a main pathway; each table is butted up against a wall. It is not a large restaurant but size in this case means very little. It is a bit dark inside so if one is hard of seeing, you may wish to have someone with you to look over the menu.
We had a reservation for 5:45 and arrived a bit early, but were seated immediately. At this hour of the day, there were not too many people in there at all. My friend ordered Spaghetti Bolognese and I braved it and ordered the Veal Parmigiana. We both were surprised at the speed of delivery of our meals. Equally (and more importantly) surprising was how great the meals were. My veal was cooked to perfection; not chewy, and not dried out. It came with a side of pasta. White the veal was exceptional; the pasta was, well, pasta. Something was lacking in the sauce. So I tried putting a little parmesan cheese on it with very little difference. Not the answer. After discussing it with my friend, we came to the conclusion that it needed Italian spices (Rosemary and Oregano immediately came to mind). But this was a side dish, not the main meal. My friend raved about here Spaghetti Bolognese and she polished most of it off, no problem. We were both too full to sample the dessert menu, but I am sure they would be equally as good.
The menu consists of traditional Italian dishes, appetizers such as Mozzarella Caprese and Mussels Fra Diavolo. There is also a Caesar Salad available. All in all, not an extensive menu, but definitely one that has everything you would need for a fine Italian dinner.
The location is pretty good as well, subway friendly although you do have to walk a little. Both my friend and I agreed we would definitely go back sand eat here again, and with that, we give it the following final rating.
FINAL RATING: 8 (Based on a scale of 1-10)
The New York Traveler 