Casa Basso closes in Westhampton after 96 years

There are a lot of old restaurants on Long Island that could fairly be called iconic. But only one of them features a stucco castle guarded by two larger-than-life-size statues of sword-armed knights. That distinction belongs solely to Westhampton’s Casa Basso which, after 96 years, served its last dinner on Nov. 23.

The property, situated on a 1½-acre parcel between Montauk Highway and Beaverdam Creek, comprises the castle, until recently home to Jerri’s Cakery and Confections (which is looking for a new home), and a markedly less distinguished, low-slung building that housed the restaurant proper. It had been on the market for more than two years, said Julie Bracovic, who owns it with her husband, Bejto, the chef. But now, she said, the Town of Southampton has agreed to purchase it for $4 million, with the intention of preserving the castle, knocking down the restaurant and providing public access to the marshlands that border the creek.

"Before the restaurant was built, this was a waterfront park," Julie said. "Now it will be a park again."

The stucco castle was erected in 1902 as the ceramic studio of Theophilus A. Brouwer, who made pottery in addition to the sculptures, such as the knights, that were displayed on the grounds. Brouwer died in 1932 but, four years earlier, M.L. Basso opened the restaurant that bore his name. In the 1950s, the Basso family sold it to Valerio "Rene" Mondini, an Italian chef.

The Bracovic era began in 1972 when Bejto, a 17-year-old immigrant from Montenegro (then part of Yugoslavia), headed out to Westhampton from Brooklyn to serve as a dishwasher for the summer. Mondini’s sister saw potential in the young man and, according to Julie, "she told her brother not to let this kid go."

Three years later, Bejto and Julie married and, in 1979, they bought a house in East Quogue where they raised a son and daughter. By 1986, Mondini was ready to sell the restaurant but, despite other offers, he only wanted to sell it to Bejto. The only problem, Julie said, was that the couple didn’t have the money.

"We had a little house in Queens that we owned with my father so we sold that," she recalled. "We had no credit so Rene gave us a mortgage himself. But he had one condition: He told us, ‘I will only sell it to you if you let me come every day and help.’ This is how much he loved and trusted Bejto. He wanted to hang out there. He would stay until 5 or 6, make dinner for him and his wife, say hello to his customers and go home." (Mondini’s house, adjacent to the restaurant, is still occupied by his daughter.)

For the next 39 years, Julie and Bejto presided over Casa Basso, serving generations of customers Italian dishes, seafood and steak. Julie said her husband’s ossobuco was the best on Long Island, although it was rarely on the menu after COVID due to the rising cost of veal shank. The veal chop, rack of lamb, branzino and Napoleon cake, however, never wavered.

Last Saturday and Sunday, two weeks after they served their last supper, the Bracovics opened the restaurant to sell off all the kitchen equipment and tableware as well as liquor, paintings and decorative items. "A lot of people hadn’t known we were closing," Julie said. "So they were able to come and say goodbye."

Parting with the business is bittersweet, she continued, "but we are getting older. We want to enjoy life, spend time with our family. Every good thing must come to an end, and this is a happy ending."