Photos via Instagram/@basilbrickoven
from the various regions each time they attending
a tasting. After collecting six passport
stamps, diners are rewarded with a magnum
of Italian wine. Tasting menus last year included
dishes from Tuscany, Campania, Venice
and Sicily, with guest chefs from each region
spotlighting their signature favorites. Seating
for the Passport to Italy tasting dinners is limited
to 40 people, and reservations must be
made in advance. Cost is typically $50 to $65
per person, all inclusive.
Now that his vision of offering freshly prepared
Italian cuisine, paired with high-quality,
reasonably priced wines in a comfortable,
relaxed setting has been realized, Mattei has
even more expansion plans in store: in April
2017, he will open a gourmet food shop
next door to Basil, stocked with hard-to-find,
high-quality products imported weekly from
Italy. Antichi Sapori (which translates to “Old
World Flavors”) will be a traditional salumeriastyle
shop featuring over 30 different Italian
cheeses, 20 varieties of handmade, imported
pastas (including organic and gluten-free options),
as well as freshly prepared foods and
sauces.
There’s also a long-awaited project that
Mattei plans to debut by next summer: a
patio with outdoor seating in the back of the
restaurant, reminiscent of the open-air cafés
so popular and pervasive in Europe.
“What we strive for with everything — the
food, the wine, the atmosphere — is authenticity,”
Mattei said, and the new patio will be no
exception. “It will feel like being back in Italy,
right here in Astoria.”
Basil Brick Oven Pizza
28-17 ASTORIA BLVD., ASTORIA
OPEN DAILY 11 A.M. TO 11 P.M.
718-204-1205
BASILBRICKOVEN.COM
MARCH 2018 I BOROMAG.COM 41
Photos courtesy of Basil Brick Oven Pizza