Hardwood floor is a great finish but I have to advice you about maintenance in the kitchen area. It shows everything, including footprints. If it is pre-finished you also have to be concerned about the gaps between the planks.
Note that I am agains it, just trying to expose some issues that you will del with. Best for kitchen are is always a nice ceramic/stone floor if you are concerned about durability and maintanence.
As for basement, the engineered solution is the way to go. Just make sure the installer have a vapor barrier between the concrete floor and the hardwood. There are several different products that can be used for that purpose.

I would recommend going with wood look porcelain tile. They have some great looks, and durability is not a concern. They don't scratch, water resistant, and requires no maintenance.
Here's a link to a site that sells some great wood porcelain tiles -
http://tiledaily.com/category/porcelain/wood-porcelain/

Thank you for the responses. I've started looking at the unglazed tiles that look similar to wood to see if I can find something that I really like.

Yes, porcelain wood tiles is a great option - I have put this in many of my designs for homeowners and they love it! Extremely durable and the look is amazing!

If I had it to do again, I would def go with porcelain wood tiles. And I have also used a Sharpie to fix grout color gone awry!