Basil – Restaurant Review

I am in love.

Yes I know, again.

Sometimes I just can’t help myself. In this case I actually feel like I didn’t have a choice. The restaurant chose me.

Tamar and I were wrapping up a late (read: very late, missed the kids’ bedtime kinda late) night at the office in BP- that’s Boro Park – in BK – that’s Brooklyn.

So we decide to reward ourselves for a hard day’s work that goes so way beyond the 9 to 5 it’s scary, and on a rainy dark night we drove across BK (thinking it would take us 5 minutes because we ain’t from these parts) and 40 minutes later (admittedly most of the time was spent looking for parking) we arrived at Basil, the then new restaurant in Crown Heights.

Now, I love Tamar too. Because Hubby will never accompany me to a milchig restaurant (why would he when he can eat a steak the size of my head) so I have to rely on true friends like Tamar to join me on what I like to call…research.

We ate some nice apps like Polenta Fries with Sun-dried Tomato Caper Mayo, great pastas like Cannelloni with Mushrooms, Pencil Asparagus and Parmesan Cream and great desserts like Lavender Dusted Funnel Cake with Basil Ice Cream. And yes you read right we ordered lots to share. And, yes, that funnel cake was like a gourmet retro throwback to my youth. Those hot summer days at the theme park watching the guy with the funny hat make and dust the funnel cake with confectioner’s sugar. And you know how nothing can be as good as your memory?  Well, this grown-up version was better.

But, the Pièce de résistance…

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The reason to travel back there even if takes 4 hours in the rain and you can’t find parking so you have to eat in the car…

Their wood oven pizza.

More specifically…

The Bosc Pear & Blue Cheese with Arugula Pizza

Now when I tell you I dream about this pizza I do not lie. When I tell you it inspired a recipe in my new cookbook I do not lie. When I tell you that in my over 3 decades on this earth it may be one of the single most exquisite things I have eaten, I do not lie. The crust is thin, the pear slices paper thin, the blue cheese with just the right balance of cream and tang the piled high peppery arugula so fresh I am convinced they ripped it from the ground just before serving me.

Next time, though, as much as I love Tamar, I don’t want to share my pizza.

(Main Image from Basil’s website)