Portland
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Basta's Trattoria
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LISTEN TO ME- love Bastas!! Spaghetti and meats at it's purest and phenomenal! Quail and polenta what a delight, calamari not over cooked, excellent wine selection and cocktails. Inviting and warm atmosphere. Perfect place to cuddle up in a booth and enjoy soul satisfying food and conversation. Or sit up at the bar and engage in a lively conversation with the bartender.…
This is one of my favorites. I go here for all my hot dates and special events :) The mussels are my favorite. I always order the bread/olive oil, and their martinis are very good. Dirty, of course. The wait staff is knowledgeable and diligent, and good-natured despite me stumbling out drunk a couple times. The atmosphere is intimate and sexy - a cozy Mediterranean delight!…
Already great, getting better. The Happy Hour menu is at the top of the list of our favorite menus at any restaurant (and we eat out a lot), and it's available until closing time. The pork tenderloin in a port wine sauce with feather-light fried potatoes at $8 is a full meal accompanied by a $4 caesar salad. Delicious! Anytime sausage is on the menu, order it and you'll be transported to a Tuscan village. Ditto the regular menu. Watch silenced but subtitled movies projected on the wall while you enjoy the full bar and comprehensive wine menu with dinner. Join the late-evening crowd in a friendly, robust bar scene. The kitchen and serving staff are all Basta's veterans; friendly, knowledgeable and hard-working. Owner Marco Frattaroli is a restless creative always raising the bar on making dining at Basta's a memorable evening. He goes to great lengths to procure the freshest and finest ingredients. He was mentioned in an October, 2011, Wall Street Journal article in reference to the series of historical dinners he created at Basta's and which were hugely successful. Basta's has grown and matured into a comprehensive, superb Italian restaurant which continues to add subtlety and variety to its solid base.…
Awesome Happy Hour and Super Fun Server. My friend and I wandered into Basta's because we were walking down the street and wanted a drink (no preconceived notions) and the sign said Happy Hour All Day (really 5pm to close, but still cool). It was exceptional. Our waitress (can't remember her name, but she had bright red hair) was HILARIOUS. I don't know the last time I had service by someone who seemed to enjoy her work so much. The cocktails were delicious, fairly strong and moderately priced ($8). Didn't taste a ton of the food, but what I did have was really good (and cheap! $4 for the little eggplant, zucchini and mozzarella rice fritter and $2 for a huge plate of yam fries). Overall, our server really made an impact and I hope to be back for more soon!…
