Midtown's Loss Is Our Gain: Basso56 Right At Home In Chappaqua

CHAPPAQUA, NY —As Basso56 co-owner Alex Kola shows off the new digs for the storied midtown Manhattan restaurant, he makes clear there is nowhere he and co-owner Chef Paolo Catini would rather be.

"There was something special about this space," Kola explained. "We weren't looking for a second location — we were looking for something new. This is exactly where we want to be, and so far the reception has been just incredible."

Kola admits that leaving Basso56's longtime location in the city was bittersweet, but he said the challenge of bringing decades of tradition to the new venture, while at the same time learning and navigating the ins-and-outs of the new business environment, doesn't leave much time for anxiety or reminiscing.

Although the pandemic changed things almost overnight for the accomplished restaurateurs, Chef Paolo's Abruzzo-inspired menu has remained a constant lodestar. Basso56's reputation for constantly inventive, but straightforward fare became an invaluable asset as COVID-19 hit New York City restaurants with a brutal one-two-punch.

As workers moved to remote work and Manhattan office buildings emptied, the once busy lunch rush disappeared as well. When Broadway went dark, it was curtains for the before and after show crowds. While economic downturns are part of business, rents in the theater district don't leave much margin for a sudden and prolonged decline in revenue.

Midtown's loss is proving to be very much the Hudson Valley's gain.

In hindsight, Kola said that what felt like a crisis at the time was actually a golden opportunity that he and Catini might not have otherwise seized. Many of the regular customers that helped make Basso56 in the city an institution live in Westchester County, so the business partners already knew there was a ready market waiting for Chef Paolo's signature Abruzzesi dishes. These items rely heavily on heirloom family recipes from his great-great grandmothers that he is famous for evolving into a contemporary, lighter palette fine dining menu.

Loyal Basso56 customers will be cheered to find favorite dishes remain on the menu, including the delicate polipo alla griglia, the perfectly balanced tortino di melanzane alla parmigiana and the memorable risotto ai frutti di mare. Chef Paolo also creates seasonal dishes representing the best of the harvest and the day's fresh catch.

You might get a chance to meet the talents behind Westchester's newest restaurant before ever setting foot in the dining room . The new Basso56 on King Street is just steps away from the Chappaqua farmers market where Chef Paolo has already become a familiar face stalking the farm stalls.

The new Basso56 has already earned high praise from high places.

"Thrilled to welcome another new business to New Castle," wrote New Castle Supervisor Lisa Katz shortly after celebrating the ribbon-cutting on May 27. "The restaurant is gorgeous and the food is fantastic! Run don't walk!"

It's hard to find a silver lining in the fallout from a global pandemic that disrupted lives and livelihoods, but the challenges of the past three years have certainly shaken up the restaurant landscape in the Hudson Valley as more and more of New York City's very best chefs and restaurateurs stake their claims here.

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Basso56 is located at 11 King St. in Chappaqua. Hours of operation are Tue.-Thurs. 4:30-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 4:30-10 p.m., Sun 4:30-9 p.m. Sunday Brunch hours are expected in the coming weeks.