Basico

In Baby Buggy Land, also known as Nowy Wilanów, it isn’t just the little tikes who are popping up everywhere. This southern bedroom community is prime restaurant hunting ground. Someone has to feed all the yuppies (a borrowed, re-formatted acronym for Young Upwardly-mobile Polish Parents) – and it’s a good bet you’ll find many of them at the new Basico. 

True to its name, Basico is a pretty straight forward dining establishment. With a simple, dynamic interior that sports loads of light with three walls of windows, its menu features fresh and minimalized Italian combinations. Thoughtful pairings of flavor pre-empt the need for elaborate concoctions. Even the prix fixe luncheon is basic: no choices, just soup of the day and main of the day. But customers here are promised no repetition. Every day, every week, a different soup and pasta or pizza is available to encourage regular patronage.

Marek and Agata Kościkiewicz make up two-thirds of the ownership team. Agata pleasantly flushes as she recalls how she always wanted to have a restaurant and she is delighted to find the community so welcoming since their opening in June. Marek is a well-known composer, singer and guitarist, and settling nicely into this new enterprise. He has influenced the addition of a wall of wine, available for take away or on-site sipping, at a 15% corkage fee. Master chef, Adam Przybysz, the third owner, reigns in his open kitchen which is a countered corner of the restaurant that protrudes into the dining area.

While the luncheonettes thoroughly enjoyed the meals, giving all thumbs up, of particular note were the soups. The a la carte stracciatella was a celebration of simple, consisting of an engaging and complex broth with dropped cheese/egg ‘noodles’. Likewise, the tomato soup du jour, which was fresh, lightly adorned with pumpkin seed oil and delicious to the bottom of the bowl. So with Basico’s winning formula (Adam cooks, Agata bakes the desserts, Marek minds the wine and pays the bills), the luncheonettes have found a new favorite haunt.