Bar Basque

Bar Basque– why have you closed?
I came here once upon a time to celebrate my mums birthday, because well the food and décor spoke for themselves. Some of the best food ever, here!
The service and food were phenomenal, but the club they had going at the opposite end, along with the flighty hostesses could have been a contributing factor.
Oh well, suppose that’s what memories are for,

Went here for restaurant week once. The portions were small but I take that against restaurant week, not the restaurant itself. The food was good. I tried their beets appetizer with caramelized goat cheese, which was very tasty. Then we went on for some codfish served with a sauce called garlic aioli. But the dessert was among the best: Chocolate cinnamon tart with roasted orange ice cream. Looked like a hit and certainly tasted like one! The Pina Colada was on the same level: coconut flan topped with rum caramel and spiced pineapple pieces.
Bar Basque offers a nice view: Surrounded by skyscrapers it conveys the flair of a great Manhattan dinner. We were lucky to stay until night fall so once the lights popped on, everything seemed magical. It’s a nice place, suited for groups. The proximity to the tourists bothers me but it didn’t seem like they were the average dinner crowd. Luckily.
Read more about Bar Basque during Restaurant Week here:

Photos coming.
Went in around 4pm on Monday (April 16, 2012) and it was pretty dead, which is fine by me and is actually how I like bars for happy hour.
Had specialty drinks and tapas. Note: Food is not served until 5pm.
Glad I didn’t see the photos before going because I would not have gone, but the vibe was much cooler than the photos reveal.
When we walked in, I wasn’t impressed with the red décor in the main part of the bar or the white sofas and plastic chairs. Has an 80’s feel that isn’t my thing.
However, I WAS impressed with the outdoor space because it was a beautiful day. We sat next to the railing and were able to watch the large monitor (which was showing work from SVA students). We could also see the green roof under the large screen and the park below it.
The white sofas are definitely a bit out of scale and I couldn’t get comfortable in a skirt, Well — I probably could have gotten comfortable but the other patrons and staff would have gotten an eyeful that would have probably embarrassed me if it hit YouTube under the section «Ladies in Skirts who don’t know they are being filmed by Britney Spear’s paparazzi team «
Not a big mixed drink fan, but there was a drink with vodka, lemonade, lavender syrup and muddled blueberries. I’m not into blueberries, but the bartender was totally cool and he said I could add raspberries. The drink turned out amazing and so good!
Tapas (we had to wait until exactly 5pm to order — not a minute before!)
1) Mixed olive plate: very large portion and delicious olives (i’m an olive addict and rate all restaurants on the quality of their olives!)
2) Ham croquettes. 4 to an order. a bit on the small side, but its tapas, not a meal. I liked them, but they had a slight seafood flavour that I wasn’t crazy about.
3) 5 cheese plate. Came with 5 cheeses (goat, cow, goat, goat, cow — that’s how they guy explained them to us). Came on a wood board with bread and delicious honey which was needed for the very rich and tangy blue cheese. You will need to ask for more bread. I enjoyed all of the cheese, but don’t order this if you are famished. Its a bit light, but nice to snack on for those who really enjoy cheese.
We left around 6:15pm and people were starting to come in.
We never got his name, but the bartender with the dark hair and bright blue eyes was very cool.
I would go back for the outdoor space on a nice day.

Ktown. Filled with tiny cheap shops and dirty vacant commercial spots it doesnt have that many good places to go for a drink after work. Ace and Nomad hotels bars are modern battleground for «thirsty» business crowd to quench their thirst and release the he tension with few cocktails. But all that doesnt make sense to me. Lets do the math– I pay for one cocktail price of the whole ottle of vodka/​gin. So why do I have to fight to get in, get a table/​seat and chase bartenders down to order my drink and wait 15 mins for it?
So thats when I go to Bar Basque. Ambiance is very cool. Lots of space, sunlight and bright colors, its very sexy and playful. Especially their glass terrace is very attractive. Protected from the weather and outside noise it deliveres the good feeling for being outdoors without experiencing its nuisances.
bartenders make very good drinks and also in the lobby they have tiny self serve wine dispenser. just like in good old Soviet Union but instead of lemonade and soda you get all sorts of wine! I found it absolutely cute. You can have a lot of fun during this wine tasting– try a shot, a glass or a bigger glass. Ultimate drinking buddy– silent, understanding and gives you as much wine as you want without judging ;) Order apps– portions are very generous.
Service– its actually funny. I think the management wants the place to be ultimate playground so they have their waitresses dressed into a skin tight LBDs. It took us some time to get the attention of one of them and I think we got not the best server. With «in your face «double Ds, huge sloppy lips, lots of makeup and huge «Im so hot so Im doing you a favour by just talking to you» attitude the princess served us. And we are endlessly happy and do know that we are not worthy of such an honor. usually I would ve started the «Princess wanna be off» contest but i was busy thinking about that wine machine ;)

First off, the positives — Bar Basque’s futuristic décor is a fun, (albeit strange given the cuisine) riff on Blade Runner, and was actually created by the same set designer. They also have the largest HD tv outside of a stadium on an adjacent building to watch, it usually shows art films and large sporting events. The sunday brunch is quite tasty if you’re staying at the hotel, and the gin and tonic menu is a nice change from the apple-​pear-​lycheetini menu you’d expect.
Now, the downsides. First, the food, while tasty, is excruciatingly overpriced. Every time I’ve gone there for dinner (sadly, three times), I walk out feeling like I deserve a refund. This is particularly true given the atrocious service — the wait between courses has never been under an hour, the «serve yourself» wine bar is frequently half empty, and even suggesting that the waitress split your check two ways is enough to draw a snarky comment. The catcalling doorman has been mentioned in previous reviews, so I won’t pile on, but I will note that the service is so bad that I mentioned it to the manager, who convinced me to go back for a second meal. He’s been working hard at fixing the issues, but judging from the recent reviews, to no avail.
The restaurant is now turning a profit thanks to a bustling event business and strangely popular late night club status, but I won’t be darkening the red doors any time soon.

When I was first introduced to this venue, I was immediately blown away by the style, sophisticated décor, and overwhelming event space at Basque. Then I was blown away by the prices. They spared no expense in design and furnishing and you, the customer, will pay for it.
Price aside, I really wish they would be a bit more… appreciative towards their customers. Reason I scoped out the place was to decide on where my joint bday bash with some friends would happen — we chose Bar Basque ultimately because it really is an impressive and spacious lounge.
Here are my qualms: We made a reservation for 6pm, expecting people to come and go throughout the evening — possibly even through the night. The staff had no record of our reservation at all. We got bottle service for our friends and some folks got other drinks on top of that. Overall, the bill came to well over $ 1000 but never once did management stop by to say hi or thanks or offer anything beyond what we were paying for. Not that there’s an expectation for freebies or anything, but promptly after the club crowd began to roll in, we were basically rushed away from our couches to make way for new paying customers. Rushed out.
I overheard one manager said to a neighboring group «As soon as these people leave, that couch is yours. They’ll be gone any minute.» I guess they figured since I already closed out my aforementioned tab, we weren’t planning on staying a la carte anymore. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am.
It was an okay experience but I’ll probably never return on my own volition.

Went here for a friend’s birthday – INSANELY crowded, and you’ll probably want to bring an aluminum can with you in case you ever need to wizz. You’ll probably be waiting in line for the bathroom until you have either hit a mid-​life crisis or have decided to say goodbye to your bladder altogether, as it implodes.
The décor is cute – reminds me of The Jetsons, if the show revolved around cocktails and short skirts. The promoters here were pretty good – got us in quickly without much fuss. I’d go here again, but it’s not anything particularly special.
Decent crowd, speckled with your standard creepers.
My favorite memory of Bar Basque:
GUY (walks up to Friend): «I noticed you from across the room, and your smile is so warm and beautiful, it makes me feel at home.»
FRIEND: «Uh…»
GUY: «And did you know that your left dimple is bigger than your right one?»
FRIEND: «I DON’T HAVE DIMPLES.»

I am neutral about this place, but it reminds me of Plunge without the pool.
They have the similar adjustable glass ceiling effect going on and the same kind of crowd. I spent most of my time outside in their terrace.
Nothing really special about the place, hence the average rating. I just came to socialize with old college friends. If I am in the area I will go again, but I won’t go out of my way to visit Bar Basque.

I really wanted to like Bar Basque. One of my closest friends is from the Basque country and my experience when eating with her had always been good. Her wedding, for example, was some of the best wedding food I have had outside of traditional Chinese wedding banquets (the bias should be obvious). So coming to Bar Basque, I had some pretty high expectations.
Yes, they have some badass decorations. The walls make you feel like you’re in the cabaret version of the Starship Enterprise. The bathroom stall consists of an all-​silver toilet surrounded by black walls which makes you feel like you’re in some surreal slasher film. The large dining table we were seated at was made out of a massive tree trunk. All very expensive… maybe not tasteful but expensive.
Sadly, the décor was the most memorable part of the meal. I thought the food was maybe slightly above ordinary and more than slightly below generous. I ordered the suckling pig. When I think of suckling pig, I imagine steaming heaps of crispy skin and juicy meat, not 5 lukewarm pieces of pig nuggets. The wine the waiter recommended was also pretty not-​so-​great. We asked for a dry white wine and got this really tart/​sour abomination — not dry at all.
I think if you’re looking for a place to spend a lot of money to look rather than eat, this is the place for you.

I should go on record with I just don’t get tapas. You pay a lot of money for a little bit of food, you keep ordering more food, and in the end you are still hungry.
That being said, the place is dark and loud… having to yell to talk loud. Right there, I didn’t care for it. Most of the food we had was very tasty, but in the end, you just feel like you are having to order a mish mash of food and leaving feeling unsatisfied.
In order to eat something that felt like a meal I ordered the cheese and ham boards. They were both very good and matching them with the bread helped me to create little sandwiches that became my meal. Our table also had the suckling pig croquettes, the trout, and the lamb «entrée». Again, everything had fine flavor, but they were incomplete «meals» and just didn’t feel good at the end.
We ended up here strickly because it was raining and after being caught earlier in the day in a deluge we didn’t want to risk it again and this is attached to the Eventi hotel (where we were staying) so we just defaulted to it.

Came here for a Labor Day celebration party & it was a good time (it always is when I’m with my favorites). They’re on the pricier end, but everything inside was very clean & chic. Even the bathrooms were really clean! The staff is wonderful & immensely helpful in directing you throughout the venue.
Only gripe is the DJ’s lack of variety in music. He must’ve created some sort of playlist & then had it repeating b/​c there were several songs that I heard over & over & over again.
PS Bar Basque: One of the tiles on your dance floor is loose — you might wanna get that fixed before someone gets injured.

3.5 stars
*****This review is for Lounge /​Party*****
A bit more upscale, Modern décor.
A big «L» shaped lounge, plenty of space for you to dance, table service available. Staff is pretty friendly. Ventilation was a PLUS!
Crowd was a bit more stylish. Sexy ladies and guys clean cut GQ style. Dress to impress.
Came here with my sexy chicas to get together, Music was not bad (Top 40’s of hip hop, Pop, a little techno, house).
Drinks are a bit overpriced (Expect at least a 2 digit for a regular mix drink).

Came here for restaurant week where my party and I ordered one of each choice from the menu. The beet appetizer was superb. Fresh roasted beets paired with a creamy goat cheese with a caramelized top was a perfect combination when served with a fresh and rich herb pesto and crunchy almonds.
As for the seafood — I don’t think I’ve ever had seafood this sweet. Everything was perfectly cooked and succulent. I even took the fresh (unlimited!) rolls and soaked up every bit of sauce from their garlic shrimp appetizer.
The suckling pig entrée was served on a creamy, rich and sweet summer corn purée. It was the perfect combination — salty and fatty pork with a beautifully sweet and surprisingly light corn purée.
The highlight of the dinner, however was their piña colada dessert. Rather than your usual mixed drink, this dessert was served in the form of a rich coconut flan — the creamiest flan I’ve ever tasted. Topped with spiced pineapple and toasted coconut and caramel rum, this dessert left me begging for more.
HIghly recommend this, especially during Restaurant Week where everything on the menu is more affordable.

While I am awarding Bar Basque with 4 stars, I would say that it deserves more like a 3.5. The sprawling, trendy bar space was packed during my happy hour arrival. Though it was only a Tuesday evening and I had made reservations, the hostess regretfully told me that I would need to wait for my table, because they were running «a few minutes behind». Now, I have been an active participant in the Manhattan restaurant scene for years, so I know that a comment like that tends to translate into something more like «we are going to make you wait in the bar so you ring up a steep tab… sucka!» Surprisingly, though, we really only did end up waiting 3 minutes or so before we were escorted through the lounge and out into the indoor, greenhouse-​type dining room that reminded me of The Modern.
We were immediately greeted by an eager server wearing an interesting leather pouch around his waist, which I mention because it was a great conversation starter that he happily indulged us in. While we were satisfied with his performance, the overall service seemed unsteady. For example, our amuse bouches were delivered from a runner at the same time our fashionable waiter was taking our beverage orders. It was an awkward situation that was redeemed by the taste of this seasonal snack. Macaroon-​like beet cookies were a bit dry, but were sandwiching a tasty, smooth goat cheese mixed with chives. The savory treat was very creative and made us eager to find out what the rest of the meal would bring. In addition, my cocktail was a house-​made blend of Cantaloupe and Grapefruit-​Infused Bombay Sapphire Gin mixed with refined tonic water and garnished with fruit slices.
Though we were at the restaurant for a three-​course Restaurant Week dinner, we could not overlook the Diver Sea Scallop appetizer and decided to kick off our meal with a plateful. The two massive scallops were perfectly cooked and served with truffled cauliflower. While the flowery vegetable could have used some additional mushroom essence, the typically fatty lardo on the plate offered a decent amount of meat and tons of earthy flavor. However, I sadly did not notice the crispy pork jowl that was also supposed to be a component of the dish.
Next, we began our special meal progression, starting with delicious appetizers. My sliced Mackerel was extremely fresh and served over pickled onions, root vegetable chips, and seasonal greens. A Basque-​style vinaigrette added a tart and briny element. My friend’s Fire Roasted Chestnut Soup was creamy and comforting. It was packed with root vegetables and a local Hudson Valley foie gras emulsion that was unbelievably rich and flavorful. My Golden Snapper entrée was over-​seasoned with white wine and parsley and would have benefited from additional salt instead. Clams frolicked alongside the fish fillet, creating a bowl of fresh ingredients from the sea. Though the snapper was perfectly cooked, the accompanying potato slice became a bland, soggy disc withering away at the bottom of the bowl.
Our desserts proceeded, and though I rarely like custards, I actually preferred my friend’s Chocolate Flan to my Lemon Torte. His dark mousse was rich and creamy. Its tart cherry topping had been soaked with port, creating the perfect balance of lip-​puckering flavor. My pastry sadly possessed a dry cake, though I liked the Meyer lemon curd component. The accompanying honey ice cream was horribly bland.
My culinary experience at Bar Basque was a bit of a mixed bag, though the gorgeous décor and innovative menu weighed heavily on the rating score for my review. The restaurant had a great deal of potential, but needed to streamline its act.

I don’t like the neighborhood – SKETCHY
The only nice thing about this place is its interior design: i didn’t expect such a nice lounge plus open rooftop. But still, it’s kinda tiny. I won’t go back again unless my friends want to…

Update on their food:
We had a reservation at 9:45 PM on a Friday night. Overall I really liked the food and atmosphere, however, the service was pretty slow. It took forever to get our check at the end, and we even had to remind the waiter (it wasn’t busy at all on the restaurant side).
With that out of the way, on to the food!
My friend’s boyfriend started with a mojito which was made well with a heavy hand. They start you off with a yogurt with granola on a large spoon — my friend and I liked it, but the guys felt differently about it. It was very tarty so you either like it or you don’t. The bottle of wine was decent for the price as well (Tempranillo/​Cabernet Abadia Retuerta ‘Especial,’ Sardon 2007).
We tried their pre-​fixed menu ($ 44 for 4 courses, $ 33 for 3 courses)
— Mixed starter:
(1) Cod/​Iberian ham/​cheese croquettes (2) anchovies (3) smoked salmon
— App: Sautee of spicy garlic shrimp & garbanzo beans
— Entrees:
1) Suckling pig (pepato wrapped asparagus, English pea purée)
2) Chatham cod a la plancha (shellfish «pil pil» veloute, baby vegetables)
— Dessert:
1) chocolate cake with almond pieces
2) egg custard
I was pleasantly surprised how good everything was! Aside from the slow service, it was a well-​enjoyed night.

First, I have to say this place is expensive.
BUT! You have to check this place out! I was here once with my friends for a free Jazz event, and I experienced a rocking service!
The waitress was extremely kind and very knowledgeable about the menu. She was the best waitress I have ever had since I started writing reviews on Unilocal.
Good wine they got there too. The interior was very Tron-​ish! You will have a hard time finding the bathroom. lol
Also the outdoor screen for movies was very cool. Playing classic b/​w movies!
I am totally coming back for an up-​class party/​event! :)

Very hip and trendy bar right smack dab in midtown. I came here for a friends going away. party? Much larger inside than it appears from outside. Ample space though on a Saturday night there were quite a few people and large groups all there.
Most of the people I saw there appeared to be tourists probably staying in the adjacent hotel Eventi.
Our table ordered quite a bit of food that I only took a glance at.
Interesting vibe. if given the choice though Id probably end up at another bar in the vicinity.

The atmosphere was super trendy. A little too futuristic for my taste, but it’s the city. Kinda expected. Waitress was super nice and attentive.5
For the food, my sister and I had a prefixed tapas appetizer sampler thing from a coupon deal she bought. I wasn’t particularly crazy for anything, but the nothing was bad. I guess you can say it was all 3 star material. My favorite was the gildas– simple, but great taste.
The desserts were good, but my favorite was definitely the chocolate ganache cake. Smooth chocolate layer with a crunchy cracker layer. As Dana brilliantly quoted me in her review, it reminded me of a «extremely rich, dark chocolate Kit Kat.»
I don’t know if I’d come back here again. Certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to, but still OK.

SHOWCASE RECEPTION for the opening of BAR BASQUE
This event now ranks as one of the top 10 receptions I’ve attended. China Grill Management showcased their newest restaurant Bar Basque with a sampling of their restaurants. It was food heaven!
Below is a list of the food sampling, I think I am in love. So, yeah — be jealous!!! =)
BAR BASQUE: (4.5 stars) cheese plate; craving ham plate; assorted pinxtos; bacon strips and mixed berries gin & tonic — the assortments provided a sampling of their bar menu, and it was impressive.
ASIA DE CUBA: (4 stars) tunapica; beef spring rolls; mini coconut cake
CHINA GRILL: (4 stars) confucious chicken salad; lobster pancake; bananas in a box
ED’S CHOWDER HOUSE: (4.5 stars) scallop ravioli; shellfish chowder; lemon meringue; chowder house lemonade
EVENTI HOTEL: truffle butternut squash soup; five spice duck roll with hazelnut crunch; kobe beef hot dog in puff pastry with mustard cornichon relish; curry beef taro puff; hamachi with melon purée and pennywort dressing; sugar cane skewered chicken and lychee sate
TANUKI: (4 stars) yellowtail jalapeño; tebayaki; tanuki bombs
… and that was just upstairs, check out the food sampling downstairs at FOODPARC!
3Bs: 3Bs special burger; bacon stack; stuffed hash browns; mini shakes
FORNETTI: tomato basil soup; sub stack
REDFARM STAND: chicken dumplings, veggie dumplings, pork dumplings’ kat’s pastrami roll, benton’s smoked bacon; shrimp roll
THE PRESS: mini french press coffee
…and don’t forget about the SWAG gift bag!
Chocolate fortune cookies, pair of chop sticks; taffy in tin; bottle of sake; turrones; chocolate mocha sushi; note pad and discount card.
THE MOST IMPRESSIVE? It would have to the be self service selection of wines from their automatic machine. Insert a credit card or the house card (tied to your credit card) and sample their huge selection of wines: 1oz, 3oz, 6oz servings. It is a must see, must visit and must do experience!