18 Market Street used to be Night Sky Café, a popular hangout for Troy residents and visitors from all over Ohio. When the famed local hub closed a couple years ago, residents drove by the empty storefront and wondered what could fill a space so thoroughly occupied for so long. Several months ago, curiosity grew when signs in the covered windows said “Top Secret.” This week, finally, the mystery is unraveling as a new owner emerges with a big vision.

Todd Uhlir trained in the culinary arts at a community college in Cleveland. Subsequent experience included upscale resorts and five star restaurants.  He has been the head chef at the Troy Country Club for the past 9 years. His familiarity with international cuisine and five star dining puts him in a class that caters to elegant taste but his passion is helping people feel relaxed and at home. “I wanna see people come in here and leave all their problems at the door,” Uhlir said, “We’re going for a nice, relaxed Bistro style but we want it to have the flavor of a place you’d find in Chicago or New York.” The new restaurant will be called Basil’s.

As of right now, the entire restaurant has been gutted down to the brick walls but the owner can already describe to the smallest detail how Basil’s will look when it’s finished. The kitchen is being extended from the small cubby it used to occupy. A new hooded vent has already been installed for future fryers and the contractor is building large picture windows into the kitchen walls where customers will be able to watch culinary art in the making. A private room is being built off to the right side of the Market Street entrance and the exposed brick walls to the left will be accented with rustic beams from an old barn. The descriptions Uhlir gives of the future décor and food sound so vivid, his enthusiasm is catchy. Several employees of the Troy Country Club who used to work with Todd are already looking forward to the possibility of joining him in his venture as the proprietor of Basil’s. He is taking applications for everything from kitchen staff to bar tenders.

“We’re going to have a full bar. The food will be reasonably priced. If you want to get a good piece of meat, you will probably get it for less here that you will at Outback,” Uhlir said. That is not to say Chef Todd’s cooking style is like that of any franchise, even a popular one. “I’m my own style,” he said. In fact, Country Club members and staff have commented on his versatility with everything from home-style Midwest fair to upscale international cuisine. He was even responsible to provide food for the Country Club’s poolside snack shack. “What you serve and how you serve it says something about who you are as a chef. I don’t care what I’m serving; if I’m not proud of it, I’m not serving it.” Uhlir said, “That’s my face on that plate.”

Chef Todd’s pride in his food is only superseded by his desire to see people enjoying themselves. “It’s a tough but rewarding business. The people who work at restaurants are a motley crew. We work when other people are with family, especially holidays, and stay to clean up until 2 AM. But we make a lot of people happy and we party hard when everyone else goes to sleep,” he said. Todd Uhlir is already putting in arduous hours to oversee construction and perfect his vision for an opening he hopes will be on schedule for a month from now. 18 Market Street promises to be a new favorite hangout on the square. As Chef Todd said, “I just can’t wait to start cooking!”