Experience Columbus, Basi Italia:

“Do you want to try some of this?” Joe asked, his fork hovering over his rigatoni. “Sure, thanks! Want some pork cheek? Who wants pork cheek?” I replied, glancing around the table and pointing to my plate.

“Oh, I’d love some.” Julie remarked, holding her own dish steady while David snapped close up pictures of smoked chicken risotto.

Though most of us had only met earlier in the day, gathered around the table at Basi, I felt like the group of food bloggers (brought together by Experience Columbus for an all expenses paid trip to enjoy the city) had known each other much longer than that. Maybe it was simply the love of delicious food that made me feel closer to my new friends. Or maybe it was the atmosphere that is Basi starting to soak in.

Let's play a game, how many DSLR cameras can you spot amongst the food bloggers?

Basi is in a renovated house with a beautiful courtyard, right in the middle of the Victorian Village neighborhood in Columbus.

The style of cuisine? Mediterranean and Italian. Owners and operators John Dornback and Trish Gentile have set out to create an approachable and friendly restaurant focused on delicious dishes and bringing the surrounding neighborhood together.

We did have a wonderful meal, though I enjoyed some dishes more than others. David raved about his veal ravioli, and I still think about the tender barbecue pork cheek I ordered. I thought the smoked chicken risotto had nice flavor, but the texture was a little off--it needed more liquid and was more a pilaf than a risotto--but that's really the only complaint I had about all the dishes we tried. The honey pistachio flatbread served as an appetizer was amazing, and I could have eaten two of them for dinner by myself.

John's enthusiasm for his restaurant was infectious

It gets hot in the kitchen at Basi

Pecorino and zucchini with toasted almonds

tomato cocktail with Gorgonzola cheese

Smoked chicken risotto with medjool dates, goat cheese and crushed pistachio

Veal ravioli with blistered tomato, arugula and Parmesan broth

Rigatoni with sweet sausage, tomato, raisin, fennel and pine nuts

Penne pasta with Shrimp, roasted red pepper bechamella and spinach

Braised pork cheeks with sweet potato, espresso BBQ and braised kale and Swiss chard.

Dessert