Basta Pasta Enoteca

Restaurant: Basta Pasta Enoteca
Location: 150 Hancock st. Quincy, Ma 02169

Atmosphere: 

Small yet quaint. Full liquor and wine bar consisting approximately fifteen seats. Dining room is in the same room as the bar consists of about fifteen tables as well. The wooden tables are a comfortable size and the lighting was dim at night which was nice because the only other light being brought in was from the lights from the back bar and the street lights. Open kitchen which is nice for watching them cook your homemade wood stove pizza. Gives off a casual Italian feel. Nothing too fancy.

Service: 


As I walked in to see the hostess texting, I told her two, she turned around, paused and walked away with the menus without saying "right this way".  We waited about five minutes for the waitress to ask us what we would like to drink. The waitress was not helpful in any way when I asked about a particular dish. She simply read what was off my menu in my hand. When food arrived I waited a good five minutes to ask another waitress for a pasta spoon and grated cheese. When I looked over, I noticed that my waitress was eating at the bar with the rest of the staff. Needless to say, they need to train their waitresses better and need some kind of management.

Food:

We ordered two appetizers; the caprese salad and the mussels. I was pleased with the presentation of the caprese salad because it was large with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella topped on a bed of crisp romaine lettuce. The mussels were in a lemon white wine broth with chopped tomatoes, lemons, and a few pieces of pita bread for dipping. I loved the broth however, I did not like the fact that the pita bread was already soaked in the broth which made the bread soggy. As our entree, we ordered a pasta dish called "Squashed Olives". This dish consisted of squashed olives of course, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and chopped arugula. The overall concept of the dish was nice except we both wish there was a little more arugula and less tomatoes.

Overall: 


I think that this restaurant is a nice stop for some simple italian food. I wouldn't describe it as anything spectacular and there is nothing that I would rave about. There are quite a few other Italian restaurants that I would go to before this one. If you're looking for inexpensive simple Italian, then this restaurant is probably your best bet.

Rating: **