HOUReview
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Baso
Included In
Baso feels moody and primal in a way that makes you want to linger over cocktails and tear into a massive pork chop. And thanks to the dim lighting—and the fact that you'll keep ordering more of their delicious small plates —this Spanish restaurant in The Heights makes time a relative concept. Dinner here easily bleeds into the three-hour mark.
Baso’s long dining room with dusty-toned walls resembles a cave. Especially with the dried greenery cascading from the ceiling and smoldering embers in the open-fire kitchen. But this cave happens to be full of expensive furniture and small plates.
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
The Basque pintxos dishes here are built for grazing. Expect tiny plates of game meats balanced with hits of acid, like the venison tartare, or charred shrimp blanketed in a snowfall of red chili powder and hints of lime. Each gets paraded out by eager staff members who recite ingredients as though recording an ASMR video. The table fills up with charred quail or cheesy potatoes acting as background players to support whatever conversation is happening. Then massive pork chops arrive, perfectly seared to a juicy medium balanced by wedges of orange next to a plate of charred cabbage and lamb bacon. All soon crowd together, allowing for a slow bite of this, a spoonful of that, and a stolen forkful of venison tartare.
Pair all of this with a funky bottle of Spanish wine or take selfies in the checker-tiled bathroom. Either way, sink into the meal in a space that feels like a fancy hibernation cover.
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
photo credit: Andi Valentine
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Food Rundown
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Venison
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Cabbage
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Shrimp
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Fish
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Pork
photo credit: Quit Nguyen