The Basil Leaf

Saturday night was f-ing cold, we were sick, and had no food in the house that was appetizing - sounds like a recipe for take-out. BUT, we ended up taking a quick cab up Clark Street to The Basil Leaf Cafe. I had heard it was a cozy neighborhood spot and that's what we needed...

We sat down as soon as we arrived, it was on the early side and ridiculously cold, and had a nice two-top in the center of the room. I mention this because I didn't feel like I was sitting on top of anyone and C and I could talk about all the other diners without hesitation!

After reviewing the novelette which is the menu, we both selected quite basic chicken options...I wanted to confirm something with the waitress so I asked her:
"The Chicken Milano - is that Chicken Milanese?"
"The Chicken Milano? Yes", she said, but with a tone that was NOT convincing.
"Great, so it's a pounded, breaded, crispy chicken breast? Does the artichoke salad come on top and then pasta on the side?"
"No, it's not crispy."
"Oh, so it's not breaded? Sorry, I was hoping it was Chicken Milanese"
"No, no, no, it's breaded, just not crispy. And, the artichokes, tomatoes and mushrooms are in the pasta"
"Ah, ok, so the pasta is mixed with the veggies and the chicken is breaded, not crispy and on the top?"
"No, the chicken is on the side."
"You know what? I'll take the Chicken Piccata. Thanks."

I guess I was confused, but apparently so was she. Regardless, the chicken piccata was tender and salty with lemon, tomatoes, mushrooms (a little unusual) and capers. C had some sort of sausage, chicken, green pepper madness that was enormous (yet, apparently pretty good). They don't make their own pasta, but did an okay job with their execution. We both picked at our meals, taking the majority home for leftovers. I think regardless of your appetite, eating the entire plate would be quite a feat - there must be at least a 1/2 pound of pasta on the plate. Even as I type that, it doesn't seem a big enough number to represent the pile of pasta.

Anyway, we skipped dessert and paid our check - it was an early night due to illness, but we did leave a full dining room. An empty bar, which was confusing to me, because it seemed warm, open and inviting in there...maybe next time we'll try their apps and have drinks at the bar. In short, it was decent and we'd go again, but it was not necessarily interesting. For someone who wants 65 options avec pasta, it's a good choice for you.