The Basement — Restaurant in New York

A Patron and I just popped our heads in to see the new space (recently saw an Instagram story). The BASEMENT space is beautiful—stunning in fact. The overall interior design and clean lines are impressive, intimate, thoughtful and warm. The place is also more spacious than the previous “Beso.” However, what is even more impressive in is the restaurant’s theme: BOOKS. I love books so this place is a no-brainer for me. This is a place to sit and write at the bar or table.

After touring the space for a moment, a staff member offered to show us the whiskey 🥃 and bourdon selection. We accepted.

WOW. The spirits collection is an entire book case, 7’ x 9’ each and there are 2 of them, whiskeys displayed like a Hall of Fame for all your favorite aged spirits (behind the bar). There were close to 100 of them.

About an hour later we returned to try the whiskey FLIGHTS! Yes, they have 30+ whiskey flights (accompanied by sliced apple, cheese and crackers as a palate cleanser) which are assorted by Brand name and age of the barrel.

[ Why has no one ever done this before? It’s such a fantastic idea.💡]

We didn’t try the food (yet) but Chef Julian was on-site to help us get the full experience. He suggested we sniff and taste the 4 glass flight in order. We chose the Johnny Walker brand starting with the Red, Black, Gold and finally a fantastic finish with the Blue (in great order).

It was my turn to treat but what was really impressive was my bar mate said: “Thank you, Breuk. I’ve never tried a whiskey line up in this way before. This was a great experience and I see now why some whiskeys are so much better than others.” My reply: “Ditto.”

We will be back, and next time to eat as well....

We came here to celebrate my mother’s birthday, and unfortunately the entire experience was disappointing and unprofessional. I had made a reservation in advance and specifically noted it was for a birthday celebration. I even reconfirmed with the host during the meal that someone would be bringing out a dessert for my mom. Our server, Bryan, never once checked on us during the night. He seemed completely unaware of what was happening at our table and, frankly, gave the impression that he had no clue what was going on at all. The only thing he did quickly was bring the check at the end of the night, telling us to have a good evening — without any mention of the birthday. I went back up to the host (a woman working behind the bar, clearly overwhelmed), and explained the situation. Bryan came over asking what I needed, and when I told him, he admitted no one had told him about the birthday. He went to the host to ask, and instead of handling it professionally, she literally turned to me from across the room, shrugged her shoulders, and shouted, “I forgot.” This was supposed to be a special night and a surprise for my mother, who I rarely get to see since we don’t live in the same state. Instead, it felt careless and dismissive. Between a server who was inattentive and a host who openly admitted to “forgetting” in front of the whole room, the evening was ruined. I would not recommend this restaurant for any...

I was a very loyal customer to the basement until the manager Maureen and Kevin treated me like my business isn’t any better. Me and my best friend used to go there very often but the bartender Kevin is very dismissive, does not show any care for customers, he does not take criticism very well as his drinks are subpar, meaning he doesn’t know how to make an old fashioned. Many times I tried to be nice and not complain about his terrible drinks so I didn’t have any much issues at my favorite spot, until one night I decided to bring my husband’s family to this spot for dinner. Ricardo was always very sweet and very attentive but because he knew me and my friend. Kevin instead would ignore me and my family, did he even ask if we wanted water?? Absolutely not! But the manager Maureen thinks his bartender is right and me the customer who always brought business to them was wrong. However, one day, me and my friend went one night to enjoy the night because it’s our favorite spot and the manager was MAD and CONFRONTATIONAL about what happened. We were never disrespectful to the staff, never yelled or cursed, but SHE SAID WE DID. I hope the owner reaches out and come to a resolution. I am the type of person that believes that the customer is not always right but it doesn’t mean we get to disrespect CUSTOMERS business and discriminate because of how the look and how the...