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Basil Leaf Cafe was always on the "the list" but I sort of forgot about it when I moved into Roscoe Village. My mom and I ended up going there on a whim while she was in town for a visit...so happy I finally got to try this place! Loved the atmosphere; lower lights, warm, nice separation of bar and dining area.
We got there on the earlier side of a Friday night and were seated right away. Our server came over immediately and was super attentive throughout. As others have mentioned, the homemade bread is a great touch but you do sort of wish they would give you more than one roll to start; although, it does keep you from filling up too quickly. They have a huge salad list and I found it hard to choose between the different options. For an entree, I went with the Penne Broccoli with Roasted Garlic/Walnuts; nice blend of flavors and was a great lighter option.
I didn't drink but the wine list looks pretty extensive. Now that I've finally tried Basil Leaf, I'm sure I'll come back.
It had been a long time but I went to the new (not really new anymore) location of the basil leaf. I was pleasantly surprised by the ambiance and service I got there.
Also I'm always a sucker for Lobster Ravioli. It was good and my wife got the Chicken Parmesan, which she liked as well. Overall, I'd say it's a fun place to bring a date or your family. Also, if you want to "tie one on", start with a sensible dinner here before you go to the other side of the street.
Here's the deal.
Its not that great, Since moving to this area, I've walked by this cafe filled with people, a number of times. I thought it must be good.
The food has no taste. You get these dishes that look great but have no flavor at all.
The only plus side:
The bread, however, it's bitter sweet. I am guessing since it is made fresh you end up getting one little piece about every hour. We were constantly asking the server for more bread to go with our soup and pasta but the time it came we were already done eating.
Won't be coming back to this place.
You've just been yelped in.
I live right around the corner and have wanted to try this place for sometime now. The decor is cute and the tables by the windows would be awesome on a nice summer day.
The food was good. I personally had a hard time choosing between multiple delicious-sounded dishes. Portions were big and my BF and I both took home leftovers. The rolls of bread are freshly baked and served with a yummy dipping oil.
The only thing that turned me off? Our server had no knowledge of the wine list. For an Italian restaurant that is just not acceptable. Once we did pick a bottle - no help from the waiter - it took 20 minutes for him to serve it. Apparently the bartender had to get it from their rack. We repeatedly asked and were halfway through our salads before our wine arrived. I've never experienced that before and it was pretty annoying. Hope it was just a fluke for us.
Finally, you must get the little chocolate torte for dessert. It is heaven!!
Our server was Kat. She was more fixated in flirting it up with the table next to us with 2 older gentlemen for a high tip. They even gave her some 'gift' - quite disgusting. Isn't that illegal? We were seated by the window, and the place itself looked nice. However, the food on the other hand, was quite atrocious. I had the Rigatoni with Italian Sausage, Bell Peppers & Onions in a Light Tomato Sauce - there was no tomato sauce but just a watery mess. It tasted literally like bland pasta with unflavorful bits of bell peppers and diced onions. The sausage didn't help either, tasting like overly processed bad unseasoned meat. My cousin had the Gorgonzola Filled Gnocchi with Fresh Spinach & Chopped Tomatoes in a Cream Sauce, which was the favorite out of the 3 - it was quite cheesy, but after a few bites, it got boring. The gnocchi was fine, and the dish itself warrants maybe another try. My fiance had the Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken & Broccoli - worst dish ever. Whoever the cooks were that night, they were either in a pissed mood or they just don't know how to make a solid pasta dish. Sigh. The prices are heinous with what you end up with.
I've eaten here a couple times and although it can be tasty, there is definitely better italian food in chicago.
The pasta is just ok, and many of the dishes are lacking in flavor overall.
Service is just ok.
If you are in the neighborhood give it a try but don't go out of your way for it.
The food is ok. It's the location, convenience, nice servers, and the plenty- to- choose- from menu that bring in the customers. If you are already in the neighborhood it's as good as anything else around there.
I went here with friends and family last night - we picked this place because it was on a list of vegan-friendly restaurants, and my friend's vegan minestrone soup was the most flavorful dish of all!
The food was BLAND. Among the 5 of us we had 2 pasta dishes, caprese salad, cranberry goat cheese salad, the trout with potatoes & spinach and the eggplant parmigiana. As my friend said, there are sayings in Italy about "people who don't salt their pasta water" to the effect of "haste makes waste" and this restaurant . . . . . doesn't salt their pasta water. . . . or anything else for that matter . . except the minestrone soup!
The dining room was noisy, and the waitress forgot to take my order so my mom had to get up and ask her to come back to the table. This isn't a big deal - the waitress was otherwise really nice and attentive - and honestly if the food had been good I wouldn't care about a little service snafu. Overall, it just wasn't the great meal we were all hoping for. Luckily we didn't let it ruin our evening.
I'm so glad my friend and I decided to stop by here yesterday afternoon with my little Yorkie (They are dog friendly on their patio which makes me happy right off the bat!)
First off, the inside of this restaurant is beautiful and I love the pretty wood and flowers boxes hanging off the windows. I pass this place a lot while I'm running errands and the visit was long overdue.
My friend had been here when the location was across the street and raved about the great dishes. Our waitress was very friendly and brought over some water for Minnie because it was so hot out (very nice). The location of the patio is great because it's on a quiet side street with plenty of large trees to provide shade.
We started with the Spring Mix with field berries, Gorgonzola, Almonds in a Honey Vinaigrette dressing. I added Grilled Chicken (which was not that good) but the salad was very refreshing.
We shared the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Baby Spinach & Roasted Garlic (Basil Oil). It was lovely! The portions are great too and they were so nice to split it up on two plates for us. Their menu is great and it's huge so I can't wait to go back and try even more things.
The staff was very attentive and I thought it was neat that in their water pitcher they had a pink flower floating around in there for decoration (I don't know, I guess I'm easily amused). Anyways, if you haven't yet, you need to check this place out!
I came here for a lunch business meeting. The service was great and the food was wonderful. The butternut squash ravioli is my favorite so far. The salads are also amazing I plan to try a different one on every visit. The service was excellent and we stayed well over an hour without feeling rushed.
Meh.
How about a piece of hair from our waitress in the Greek salad? How about that. Blonde, short and curly!? Not mine!
How about some blah chicken drenched in chunky pasta sauce?
How about that.
No thanks.
When I went back here with a friend last week, I felt a re-awakening of my old affection for this place. We ate outside, which was perfect for people watching. We got the cheapest pinot noir on the list, yet it was juicy and flavorful. I always get a salad here, though this time I made the mistake of getting the romaine hearts with avocado, onions, tomatoes, carrots, and honey sunflower seeds. It wasn't a *bad* mistake, but when the other salads have ingredients like "poached pears" and "fried brie," I didn't make the most original choice. All the veggies were fresh - it just felt like a more mid-grade salad than I hoped for. What can I say, when I have a craving for avocado I just gotta have it! They did put cheese on it, no extra charge, which was a nice touch.
I wanted a lighter entree, remembering how salty and heavy their sauces can be, so I went with the butternut squash ravioli with fresh spinach and roasted garlic in a basil oil. I thought it was delightful! I was actually able to finish the whole thing. You have to love garlic to love this dish, since it includes whole roasted cloves, but I thought they were marvelous. Each ravioli was filled with sweet, succulent squash, and I had a great time eating it. Didn't feel uncomfortably full afterward or anything.
Okay Basil Leaf, I guess I'll come back and visit you again sometime...just when I think I'm bored with you, you throw some roasted garlic my way. Sigh. I'm such a sucker
I've been here a bunch of times, since I live in the neighborhood, but this entry will be about my… Read more »
I returned here last night after attending the theater and had another very good meal. The special was Sea Bass with broccoli and potatoes and it was excellent. I shared this entree with my friend and also had the baby spinach with apple and walnuts salad. The service is always very friendly and helpful. I also like the wide selection of entrees and the spacious dining room that faces Clark street with its constant bustle. After several good meals I can heartily recommend this restaurant for its great value and good food.
If "God is in the details," as the adage goes, this place is akin to church. Even the water (refilled constantly by an attentive busboy) is well thought out: the glass pitcher is filled with sprigs of mint, and slices of apples, lemons, limes and strawberries. No flavor overtakes the other, they just make the water taste, well, more like fresh water. Tiny homemade ciabatta rolls are delivered table side from a wicker basket, still warm to the touch... a incredible improvement over the staid bread basket. Olive oil, strewn with garlic, fresh herbs and rosemary leaves is already on the table for dipping.
I had a very civilized lunch here this afternoon, and was thankful the entire time that I had passed on all the quickie noodle joints and pizzerias that otherwise line this stretch of Clark. The menu has plenty of options, and frankly, they seem under priced if you can imagine, especially considering the casual fine dining setting with white linens and flawless service. Sandwiches, for the most part were under $10, as were the salads (which could also be ordered in a half portion, which I did to flesh out my meal). It is the salads that truly shone, and they should; the chef is opening a restaurant across the street that will serve nothing else. Ask the waitress for the special salads of the day, so long as you don't mind playing guinea pig for the new place (the chef is testing out new ideas), because they were outstanding and perfectly dressed.
I went to Basil Leaf Cafe for a light, casual dinner the other night and it was a nice little restaurant in the neighborhood. We opted to sit in the bar section for a more of a low-key night. Wasn't super hungry so my bf and I split a pasta (the dishes were huge!) and a half salad. It was a satisfying amount.
First off, they brought over warm ciabatta rolls which were great! They give you this herb infused olive oil to dip them in that was out of this world! We both agreed that it was the best part of the meal! Then came our salad, which had poached pears on top of baby spinach. The spinach was fresh, but other than that the salad was lacking. It had gorgonzola on it, but you could barely taste it! It also had toasted sunflower seeds, but I think I had 3 of them! I also think that the pear was not done properly... maybe poached too much that it tasted like it was out of a can? Or maybe the chunks were too big and overpowered the salad. We were just not a fan.
But the entree did make up for it. We ordered a pasta with dill cream sauce and crab. It had a nice flavor to it and was not too heavy, although it had a cream sauce. The ingredients were really fresh, too, and the portions were huge!
I would go back and probably skip the salad. I would try another pasta dish because they had a lot of tasty options on the menu. I would also go just to have the olive oil and bread again!
The water is tasty, once you realize that it is supposed to taste that way.
Warm bread... delicious!
Huge portions and good salads (I had the cranberries, almond and goat cheese salad).
It got pretty expensive, pretty quickly. I think they should offer a side or caesar salad included with your dinner.
I had the Cheese Tortellini with Prosciutto, Peas & Mushrooms in an Alfredo Sauce. A pretty good meal, although not necessarily as full of flavor as I was anticipating. My friend had the Risotto, she felt that it was overly drenched in the sauce.
They did let us come in in our walking clothes, which was nice!
After hearing about the Basil Leaf Cafe on 'Check Please' and figuring out it's very close proximity to my house, I decided to check it out while I have family visiting. The dining room was quite but warm and inviting. The decorations were elegant but not over done.
The food was hearty, delicious, and served in enormous portions. At our table we tried the lobster ravioli, eggplant Parmesan and a chicken dish. All were fantastic.
Some stand out points from our dining experience:
-The water served here is infused with fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs that can been seen in the pitcher. Not only is this a beautiful presentation but also adds something extra, a bit of sweetness, to other wise plain table water.
-The salad selection was very good as well, although many only differed in an ingredient or two. I would have been helpful if they were named as I felt like I was reading a grocery list when ordering my Spring mix with almonds, goat cheese and house balsamic.
-The wait staff is attentive and friendly
Overall I highly recommend the Basil Leaf Cafe for a hearty Italian meal.
I know this place has pretty good reviews so I thought I would try it out. I've been by it literally 50 times, but never eaten there.
The place is nice and very clean. To start, they bring you good, hot bread with olive oil/oregano to dip it in.
They carry some craft/imported beers, but the prices were pretty steep, even for Chicago, so I passed.
Being my first time, I decided to order something that I've had a lot of other places; the Lobster ravioli. This happens to be one of favorite dishes at Italian restaurants. It was prepared in the usual red cream sauce and asparagus, and then they added peas in the pod.
The flavor seemed a bit "off." There was more of the bad "fishy" taste and peas, than lobster flavor or cream sauce.
I may go back again to try another dish, but I wasn't excited when I left.
The portion wasn't too big, which is good, but the price was still big. I'm all about smaller portions for smaller prices, but not for the same old price. I would definitely recommend Topo Gigio if you want better quality and more food.
We had dinner here at 7pm on a Friday night. The host told us it would be about 10 minutes and invited us to sit at the bar. The bartender was delightful and made a little small talk with us, he was very polite and remembered some of the patrons that were there. We ordered some drinks and waited for our table.
The 10 minutes was really 35, and that didn't bother me as much as the host just kind of acted like a jerk. While we were sitting at the bar waiting, NCIS came on TV and there were numerous scenes involving a bloody, beaten, dead girl and lots of guns. I didn't think that was really appropriate, especially with so many kids and families present. I liked how quaint the decor was, and I really like that in the spring, the windows may open.
Our waitress was nice and kept our water glasses full. I ordered the special (white tuna) and my SO ordered veal. I asked for a wine recommendation to match the tuna - another star for the bartender as it was a very nice pairing. Before our meal, we each were given one roll (such a shame, too, because it was good, and I was tipsy/hungry from my drinks). We ordered the calamari and mussel appetizer. The mussels were good, but the squid was in general overcooked and chewy. It did take some time to come to our table, but it was very hot when it did.
The tuna special was amazing, a side of haricot verts and wasabi mashed potatoes. I tried my SO's veal and we agreed that it was only OK. The tuna was the big winner for us last night. We also ordered a dessert to split, and it was very underwhelming and small. The waitress said it would come out oven warm, but it was definitely still cold in the middle.
Overall, a strong showing, and I'd definitely go back an see if some of the issues I had were a fluke or normal as compared to the other reviews, perhaps we just caught an off night.
Update- They were a solid 4 stars on my first few visits, then tonight I tried them again, and if you do not go there and try their poached pear salad, you will have never tried the single best salad plate in this city.
The Salad alone earned this establishment star #5, but then I had dinner, met the owner, and had a very nice conversation (where I tried to get the Poached Pear Secret) -very nice people.
After the salad, did i mention it was fabulous, i had the rigatoni Bolognese and it had so many flavors, subtle, but very tasteful and nothing missing and nothing missed. Quite possibly the best simple pasta dish I have had in a long time in a restaurant. Sometime a place can focus on 1 or several signature dishes while simply filling the menu with some neglected standbys that may not get as much attention as they deserve - Do not fear such dishes here. They care alot and the staff are quite friendly and the meals are divinely scrumptious.
I just wish I could tell you what dessert tasted like, on 4 visits now, I have yet to have enough room to try even 1. While you may think that a great reason to return - for me it means I have to find a smaller supper item, or leave something behind to save room, quite possibly impossible.
I have been here twice so far, and this would rate as a good place for variety, and good food -… Read more »
I visited the Basil Leaf Cafe last night with my family. The meal was good - not a culinary experience but definitely perfect for a family meal. What stood out, which is why I write the review, is that when my Aunt's meal came ten minutes after the rest of the food, the manager and owner came to our table to apologize and offer her dish for free. We did not have to ask for this kind gesture or insist that we were wronged because her dish was forgotten when we ordered. Instead, they stepped up the proverbial plate and took care of it for us. For that reason, I will return. Thank you for the considerate service - you made us feel that our business truly is important and valued.
I DON'T like Italian. To clarify, my mom's family is Italian and like all Italians, I think my family cooks THE BEST Italian food. Thus I'm an admittedly unfair snob when it comes to outside Italian food--particularly at restaurants(I try to review friends/extended family cooking with rose/chianti- colored glasses ;-)
That said, Basil Leaf Cafe is my favorite Italian restaurant in Lincoln Park thus far. The 4-5 dishes I've tried have ranged from good to scrumptious. Their salads are particularly good, with lots of options, very atypical for Italian (spinach w/ apples raisins & walnuts; spring greens with fried brie, dried cherries & almonds, etc)--& at dinner you can get a half-portion for around $4-5. I also love the gnocchi with basil pesto, sundried tomatoes & pine nuts.
Prices are on the reasonable side of typical for the 'hood, but lunch is REALLY good--their sandwiches are fantastic & all under $10!
Tried them out again and the service was much improved compared to last time. However, I still am not a fan of their food. Throwing a lot of basil onto pasta does not create a good meal. I had the chicken picatta and it was okay but bland.
This place use to be one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood. However, I feel that it isn't as… Read more »
Your typical Italian eatery.
Not overly fancy, cute atmosphere, and really good food.
That being said - it is nothing that will blow your mind. However, if you want to stop in for a quick moderately priced Italian meal - it is a great place for that.
I had a traditional spaghetti and meatballs that was very good, and I had leftovers to take home that were even better the next day. Overall a nice place to go for dinner on Clark!
Whoa. The new location has not improved anything. My parents and I decided to give it another shot a few months back. I ordered linguine or spaghetti with scallops. Every scallop I bit into still had part of its shell on it. I'm lucky I didn't break a tooth. I wanted to complain to the server at the beginning/during my meal, but she was nowhere to be found. I ate around the scallops and hoped for the best. At the end of the meal, I'd only eaten about 1/3 of the dish and the server was incredulous that I didn't want to take it home with me. I explained then that the scallops were not properly cleaned and pointed to the bits of shell I'd piled up on my bread plate. She apologized, but that's all.
Maybe the restaurants where I've worked in the past were classier, but had I been the server, I would have asked the manager to comp the dish or (at the very least) offer a free drink or dessert or something. I can't believe this is the same place I used to love a few years ago.
And, as if my prior experiences weren't enough to keep me at bay, a friend of mine worked there over the summer and told me story after story about how rude, demanding and downright inappropriate the owner/manager was. Never, never again will I give this place another shot.
I once said this is a great little reasonably priced Italian place that's inexplicably never very… Read more »
Basil Leaf has moved over to its new location across the street and what an improvement! Everything that was frustrating about the old location -- small size, poor service, long waits -- has been corrected and/or vastly improved.
The new space is easily triple the size of the previous one, which made a huge difference since you can wait inside now instead of just standing around outside the building awkwardly. Also, they have quite a few more waiters now, which means they have more time to dedicate to their tables. The bathrooms are also larger so you don't spend 1/2 of your meal waiting outside for one.
The food is still good. It was never amazing, but a solid choice that you rarely regretted. Upscale, simple, Italian food, freshly prepared would be how I described it. It doesn't quite live up to its price point however. Its sooo close though, that I have a hard time faulting it for that.
Basically, it a solid restaurant choice for the occasional "nicer," but not quite nice, evening out.
I've been here 3 or 4 times now, today the most recently. Food the last couple of times, have to say has been somewhat bland. Not bad, but not great. I think if I did come back, would request garlic or something added to the dish. I had the angel hair with basil olive oil, chicken and veggies today, wanting something light. It was light, but the veggies seemed kind of overdone. My friend had the caprese salad which was actually really good, but I think that's kind of hard to mess up. Bread was warm and fresh and it was nice to sit outside in this weather.
Overall an ok spot but not amazing. Maybe the heavier dishes with creamier sauces would be better? Oh well.
I went here for the first time during lunch on a week day. I went on a business meeting and I fell in love. I honestly can't wait to go back and try more things.
I tend to not eat meat so I loved all the options on this menu.
I had the butternut squash soup and it was to die for....so creamy and wonderful. I also had a salad that had tons of fresh berries on it with candied almonds and a sweet honey balsamic type vinaigrette.
I already made plans with my sister to come back in a few week. I can't wait to try the tomato soup - apparently they are "known for it" I also can't wait to try some of the pasta dishes.
I just had the perfect lunch there!!
The server was great as well.
Not too crazy about the atmosphere - I tend to like places that are a bit cozier.
I think this restaurant is extremely overrated. The pasta is OK, the chicken is almost always dry, the iced tea is not very good in my opinion, and the poor servers (though most are very nice) are constantly frantic because the owners yell at them a lot.
I guess I can at least say that the crab cakes, the lobster ravioli, and the salad with cherries are all pretty good. However, since I usually like chicken dishes and their chicken is dry, I cannot like this place much.
I would sooner recommend Filippo's if you want Italian food.
I hadn't been to Basil Leaf for lunch until yesterday, and I am definitely going to add this spot to my weekend rotation! Sandwiches were great - I went with turkey and fresh mozzarella and it was delicious. My favorite part of the meal, though, was the soup. It was probably the best butternut squash soup I'd ever tasted and I don't think I left a single drop in the bowl.
Friendly service, freshly-baked bread, no waiting around for a table = no complaints!
What a cute date spot! I always walk past this place but never stopped in until tonight - I've… Read more »
The night started off well when we were sat next to the window on a beautiful june evening. The cheese plate was ok and while listed to serve 2, definitely served all 4 of us, but i've definitely had better recently. The pasta selection is different than any other place i've been to in chicago, but i wish the menu could venture to more places rather than 30 types of similar pasta. I had the linguinie with pancetta and proscuitto which was nicely salty and rich. My husband had the rigatoni with italian sausage which I did not like at all and he was just ok with.
The waitress did not come back with more bread, even though we clearly ate up the first piece within seconds of her setting it down. There were also used glasses from sodas etc that remained on the table (which was very small to seat 4 in the first place) taking up valuable real estate. It was not that busy being a sunday night, so we felt a bit neglected.
all in all, i guess i would come back here if a friend recommended it, but it wouldn't be a first choice by a long shot.
Great service, nice location and if you're there during the summer, make sure you sit outside.
The waitresses were beyond nice and I had the Chicken Fetuccine with Pesto which our waitress advised was great but rich.
It was way too rich and that's the only thing that won't allow me to give it a full 5-star rating. Way too much garlic and cream which made it hard to digest. But the salads were great and we had a great overal experience.
I have to say that I had a pretty solid experience here on Saturday night. The service left something to be desired but could have been much worse... and also was not the worst I've experienced in this city.
I called ahead during the day on Saturday and was told that they don't take reservations, BUT the hostess on the phone told me that there would probably not going to be any wait, or if there was one it would be minimal. I was a little shocked when we arrived at 9 p.m. and the hostess told us it would be a 30 minute wait. Ummm... wow. We did point out a table right next to the door, which I assumed that no one wanted to sit at because of the draft on a cold night. That assumption was correct, but that was kind of my own fault and the fault of a stupid a-hole who stood there with BOTH inner and outer doors open while waiting for his significant other to hurry up. Thanks, I guess that chivalry is not dead, but still not nice to people other than your date. Not the restaurant's fault, though.
Anyway, I thought the food was good, though not awesome awesome. My friend and I split everything and were happy with what we chose.
To start: polenta with skirt stead and tomatoes - polenta was a little bland (I don't think it was even salted) and the skirt steak seemed a little old and/or tough. Obviously not the highlight of the meal, but it was edible.
Salad: baby spinach with apples, sunflower seeds, and a honey balsamic vinaigrette - delightful! I loved the dressing on it. The apples were sweet and almost carmelized. Seriously yum.
Main: wild mushroom risotto with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes - I'm really glad I like sun-dried tomatoes because there was a buttload in this dish. The chicken was so-so, but the risotto had a GREAT flavor and was the perfect stickiness. I really liked it and would order it again.
The service, as mentioned above, as less than stellar but better than awful... our waitress took a long time to bring the food out and sort of did a disappearing act towards the end of our meal, but this was balanced with a great busboy who kept our water glasses full, table bussed, and gave us warm bread immediately after we sat down.
When I go to Italian restaurants, I look for food that I couldn't or wouldn't cook at home, so the dishes that we chose were things that were a treat. That said, the price for this meal was really a treat... both my friend and I left happy and full. We split everything and each had two drinks, and ended up spending around $35, including tip.
2.5 stars
First visit...
This was over a year ago when it was across the street. My friend and I decided to come here before heading downtown to go to see the Color Purple. We were on somewhat of a time schedule, but technically we should have been able to get out of there in one hour from sitting to paying our bill and that would have given us plenty of time to get down to the theater. But no, it was not enough time because the waitress did not know how to do her job.
When we sat down the first thing I said to our waitress was that we were on a time schedule and we had to be out of here in 1 hour and she said ok. We ordered our drinks and then 10 minutes later she finally came back with them and we were able to finally put our orders in. We orders salads with our entrees but because of time restraints we told her just to put the order in and if the entree comes out while we are finishing our salads that is fine. She obviously didn't listen because when we were finishing up our salads we were getting antsy and called her over to ask where our food was. She said "oh, you want me to put your order in now?" Basically we had to scarf down our entrees in about 5-7 minutes in order to pay our bill and get down to the theater on time.
I did think the food was good, but I couldn't really judge based on how fast I was shoveling it into my mouth. I decided to put aside the fact that the service was horrible and try it again...
This brings me to last night...
Went here because we were hungry and didn't feel like cooking dinner in my hot apartment.
The food was just ok. I got the lobster ravioli and I thought the tomato cream sauce overpowered the lobster flavor way too much. I barely could tell it was lobster...would have been better off just getting cheese ravioli. My bf got penne alla vodka with salmon and again, it was just ok. I think we could have cooked these meals just as good at home....but we would have been damn hot.
However, we got annoyed because we ordered a bottle of wine and they kept refilling our glasses when it wasn't necessary. We felt like they wanted us to finish up and get out of there. We even told her at one point our wine was fine and we didnt need anymore and then 5 minutes later she proceeded to dump the rest into our glasses....
The atmosphere of this place is really cute and I wish the food could be better. The service is not that great in my opinion though. I'm not gonna say I won't ever come back though.
I had a serious Italian craving on Saturday night and made my way about 50 feet from my apartment to the Basil Leaf. I can't believe that after nearly a year of living in the neighborhood I had never eaten here before.
The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was the temperature. Within a minute of sitting down my face felt all flush and I felt my armpits sweating. This caused us to go with a chilled Riesling for dinner as opposed to the usual red wine. Our waitress was awesome and acknowledged it was a little steamy inside and offered to pump up the AC.
The menu was pretty standard.. nothing really jumped out at me. I generally stick with some sort of chicken or lasagna dish when I go for Italian, so I ended up choosing the linguine with chicken and lemon sauce, with the granny apple spinach salad to start. Both definitely hit the spot and I did not leave hungry (I am actually finishing the rest of the meal today for lunch).
Our waitress was awesome, too. Awesome enough to leave $30 tip of a $70 total bill. I wish I would have taken her name down for future visits.
This place is fairly easy to get a table at. Even though it is slightly small (though much bigger than the old location across the street) we only waited about 5 minutes for a table on a Saturday night. I would definitely recommend it for a quick good meal or a date night.
Once again I think Luke is crazy for giving this place 5 stars.
I believe this located across the street from where it was. The food is ok. I went here early on a nice spring night and ordered a lobster ravioli which was probably a mistake. The seafood probably comes from a can here. If I had ordered differently than I think I would have liked it more.
Wow I obviously haven't been in a few months since I didn't know that they relocated. I'll have to check it out again soon. But based on all the times I've been there before they moved I can say that The Basil Leaf is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago.
I wouldn't actually call this an italian restaurant. I feel like its more like mock Italian or California Italian. So if I'm craving Italian food this is not where I go. I go here when I'm specifically craving Basil Leaf, which is actually more often than I can manage to get out there. I always enjoy my food thoroughly. They are experts at flavoring. Everyone I've brought to The Basil Leaf also really enjoyed their meals. The price isn't cheap, but for the quality of the food and service you get its definitely worth it. The servers are very attentive. You feel like you're in a fine dining establishment, but you don't have to pay the price for it.
Although I do tend to order booze with my meals, which definitely knocks the price up a bit. But they have great wines and you can't beat their tiramisu martini.
*update 8/19/08: I LOVE the new restaurant! They must have been doing well to go from such a teeny tiny spot to such an enormous place. The new place is beautifully decorated with great ambiance. My only complaint is that because it is so much bigger it doesn't have that nice cozy romantic feeling that it used to have. The food and tiramisu martini are just as good though!*
I love when I read mixed reviews of a place on Yelp, but decide to ignore the bad reviews, try the place myself, and am rewarded with a delicious meal.
The Rules of Karma clearly state that I should then immediately go on Yelp and add a positive review of my own.
My Basil Leaf experience was great. There are a few bad reviews about service, but our waitress was great, as were the few other people who came by to deliver food and fill our water glasses with that lovely fruity water everyone raves about. The ciabatta rolls were great, as was the herb-y olive oil for dipping.
I ordered Chicken Piccata, which was really yummy, and not too heavy, and my boyfriend ordered the wild-caught crab linguine in a cream sauce, also delicious, with lots of fresh dill flavor running through it.
We even splurged on a tiramisu mini-tarte for dessert, which in my opinion was the perfect size dessert after a filling meal (we both took home leftovers).
Was it the most authentic Italian food I've had in Chicago? No. Was it a great meal for the price, in a good location, with nice ambience? Yes. You can't ask for too much more than that.
Wonderful atmosphere, great service, water with sliced fruit in the pitcher to give it a fresh taste, and lets talk about the bruschetta they hand out for free as a starter. YUM! But that's only the half of it....
the Butternut squash soup, so rich, decadent and smooth...the bowl was HUGE, but you wont want to stop slurrping it down!..... and field salad with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and a WONDERFUL honey vinaigrette....and all this for under $10. AMAZING
Some of the pastas are 'different' than you would find anywhere else, and they even say that on the menu... "all pastas, but not all Italian" I remember some with an Asian tang to it, others with thought out and wonderful flavors combined but no real region influence to think of. Speaking of different, the ICED TEA... it has this lovely minty taste. VERY refreshing.
If you are ever in the area, stop in! The food is fast and delicious... and they even have carry out!
I always forget about Basil Leaf Cafe and I think everyone else must as well because it's very easy to get in on a Friday or Saturday night. They don't take reservations and it's a pretty small restaurant, but they always seem to be able to fit us in.
We had dinner here last night with 2 other couples and as always it was very good. I had the salmon, which was delicious and very filling. Everyone else at the table had pasta dishes, which is 75% of the Basil Leaf menu, and I enjoyed all the tastes I had as well.
The atmosphere is adorable and they have a great outdoor patio for the summertime. It's a great atmosphere for a date, but also good for a group of people. The prices are also very reasonable. Last night's dinner included 2 bottles of wine and it came out to approximately $60/couple. I don't think Basil Leaf Cafe is as good as La Scarola, Rosebud, and some other favorite Italian restaurants in Chicago, but it's still very good.
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Neighborhood: Wicker Park
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Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Italian
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