Saturday, December 1, 2012

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie Recipes (Vista Magazine)

I recently started doing a little bit of food writing for Vista Magazine, a "leading Latino publication celebrating 25 years in print. Focusing on family, food, entertainment and lifestyle, Vista highlights Hispanic life. Plus, it reaches about 2 million readers per issue." Check out my first post, "Simple Smoothie Recipes with Peanut Butter and Bananas," for a ridiculously easy set of variations on a banana smoothie. Frozen bananas really make an awesome smoothie because they give it a thick, velvety texture that you don't really get from other fruits. Plus, testing these recipes gave me a chance to perfect my banana-opening technique! Turns out most of us open it from the "wrong" side. Monkeys do it from the other side, and it's actually easier. You don't squish the end, and you get a convenient handle. Life-changing skill right here, folks.

Cauliflower "Risotto" (TEN Recipes)


Lately I've been spending most of my time preparing for TEN, an independent horror film that begins shooting next week. I'm acting in it as well as doing some behind-the-scenes work, particularly documenting the whole experience through photography and blogging. Since we have a cast and crew with varied dietary needs, it's easiest for us to maintain a vegetarian diet while we're all on set 24/7 for a week. There are some great cooks amongst the group, so I'll be sharing some recipes during the process. The first recipe is a cauliflower "risotto" (with vegan and non-vegan options) by Porcelain Dalya, who is playing a co-ed. Visit the TEN blog to see the recipe.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

An Evening at Moxy in Portsmouth

Joel and I don’t go out to dinner much anymore; for budget, health, and schedule reasons, we often find it preferable to cook at home. That’s not to say that we don’t love a nice restaurant date night - or at least I do! - but it’s just not a frequent occurrence anymore. So when we were invited to try out Moxy up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I was thrilled for the opportunity to take a quick road trip and spend an evening away from our home and our usual routine.

I had already heard great things about Moxy from a few other bloggers who had made the trip up for an earlier press dinner, so I suspected it was worth the drive. Richard, the Passionate Foodie, gave an exceptionally glowing review. I was also intrigued by chef/owner Matt Louis’ impressive background (more on that in a bit) and the restaurant’s commitment to local sourcing, and I’m a sucker for shareable tapas-style meals. More things to taste!

Hasty pudding "frites" and fried tomatillos with a house molasses barbecue sauce
We met Matt briefly on the way in and were amazed by how humble he is, considering his beyond stellar background. Since we didn't have much of a chance to talk, he took the time to fill me in on his background via email afterwards. It began when he was just a kid and his dad managed a hotel. By age twelve, he was working in the kitchen there and found the chef to be a great mentor. The chef was also a huge advocate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and took Matt to visit it when he was fifteen years old.

Poached hen egg with fingerlings, bacon, and lobster
"That was it," Matt wrote to me later. "There was no other option, and I pursued it like a football player getting into the NFL." When he began studying at the CIA, his eyes were opened to a level of fine dining he had never experienced, and he began obsessing over Thomas Keller’s legendary French Laundry. "It was like something out of a myth," Matt wrote. "Is this place real? Can a restaurant like that really exist? I honestly didn't believe it."

Grilled apple and pear with chili-scented crispy kale, pumpkin-sunflower seed granola bites, melted Vermont chevre, caramelized onions
Matt was traveling to California for a wine program portion of his studies, and he asked an instructor for help getting a reservation for The French Laundry. He got the reservation but also handed Matt a letter of recommendation, saying that he could only go dine there if he also brought the letter and a resume. He did, and he never expected to hear anything, but the restaurant asked him to come in for a tryout.

Fried clams with pickled peppers, cocktail onions, Raye's mustard aioli
"It was extremely hard," wrote Matt. "So hard that I just wanted to get through the day and get out of there. It was on the flight home that I remember waking up, and when I did, when my head cleared some, I immediately knew that I had to work there. All the reasons it was so hard were all the reasons I needed to be there." Matt started emailing Chef Keller telling him that he needed to work there. He knew he wasn’t up to the level of the others yet, but that was why he needed to go so badly. "I think I basically bothered him to the point that he told me he would give me a job at Bouchon and go from there."

Pan-seared pork tenderloin with cranberry marmalade, collard greens, marinated pear
He spent about a year working at Bouchon, Keller's bistro, and spending every free minute staging at The French Laundry, finally transitioning to full-time at the Laundry - the first one to make that transition from Bouchon. He later traveled to New York City to be part of the opening team for Keller’s Per Se. Of working for Keller, Matt writes: "There is so much you learn working for him, it can't even be documented. But most important: true leadership, passion, dedication, hard work, and that anything is possible if you are committed to achieving it. He is an incredible human being who is a role model for everyone, not just cooks."

Apple cider lacquered pork belly with roasted pearl onions and poached apples
Before opening Moxy, Matt also completed stages at other notable restaurants, including Clio, Momofuku Ko, Eleven Madison Park, and Noma (in Copenhagen), and he spent time as a culinary teacher in his home state of New Hampshire, plus five years running the culinary operations at The Wentworth by the Sea Hotel, a New Hampshire resort.

Romanesco cauliflower and Brussels sprouts with sugar pumpkin puree and crispy sunchokes
While time spent with Keller and other world-renowned chefs certainly influenced Matt in the opening of his own restaurant, Moxy is something different, something that is not meant to be an imitation of the places he has been already.

Roasted tomatillos
Wrote Matt: "I feel that many cooks (myself included) go through the process of working for great chefs, great restaurants, gaining great skills, and then the time comes to do their own thing, and in a lot of ways they want to try to simply replicate where they have been in some sense, many times bringing the 'city' to a smaller town, where they immediately set themselves apart because they are doing things no one in that town is. Cooking fancy food on fancy plates, plating in fancy ways...but is that cuisine??? Is that your voice?? Is that your identity??? I didn't even realize all this until I was doing some serious stages at Torrisi, Ko, EMP, and Noma before opening Moxy."

Monkfish with sunflower-arugula "pesto"
"This process, being exposed to a lot of great restaurants, especially Torrisi and Ko, made me realize that I had no idea what my identity was," he continued. "I had no soul, no personality, no thread bringing it all together. I was setting up simply to cook fancy food, on fancy plates, plating it fancy, wearing a fancy chef coat, just because that is what I thought you did. Torrisi has soul, Ko (and all Chang's places, for that matter) have identity, have personality. Noma has a vision, and everything is directed towards that vision. I realized I had none, which was awesome, because it made me find it."

Beef short rib marmalade with grilled bread, pickled onions, Great Hill bleu
So what exactly did he find? "I love tapas-style dining," he told me. "I love small plates, I love sharing, I love the non-pretentious vibe, I love the energy, I love trying many things, I love the music a little louder. I realized that my two favorite restaurants are Toro and Ssam Bar, so why don't I do a restaurant in the style of places I want to eat? Well, I'm not Spanish (though I did travel to Spain to make sure I fully understood the true tapas culture and history of it), and I’m not Korean. I actually don't know much about truly cooking either cuisine."

Accoutrements for johnny cake community
"But I am American," he continued. "And I live in New England. So why not a true tapas-style restaurant, all American, with a strong focus on New England. THAT WAS IT! The identity, personality and soul were there. I knew what I had to do! Everything to do with the restaurant would come from this thread. Tapas in style, American in execution. All food would be driven by the history and culture of New England, twists on traditional tapas to make them American, the bounty of local farmers and producers. As long as a dish comes from at least one of these sources, if not more, than we have it. Nothing ever hits the menu that doesn't fall into one of these categories. Keep the price point low (true tapas), keep the music loud, keep the vibe totally warm, relaxing, comfortable, and non-pretentious. That’s where I want to eat."

Misty Knoll Farms pan-seared chicken thighs with creme fraiche, pickled ginger, cilantro, and lettuce for wraps
The verdict? I think Matt achieved exactly what he had hoped. We weren’t sure what to expect from the vibe ahead of time, so we were probably the only people not in jeans. It was casual, fun, loud, and full of energy, all great things as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know much about the Portsmouth dining scene, so I can’t definitively say whether it’s bringing something new to the table, but on its own, it’s outstanding all around. It could certainly hold its own in a bigger city like Boston, but it’d be shame, because it would probably end up with higher prices and more pretension. It’s perfect for a place like Portsmouth, because it blends a laid-back attitude and solid dedication to local produce with influences from far and wide.

Johnny cake community: cornmeal pancakes, brown sugared pork shoulder, house sauces, crispy onion, pickled cucumbers 
Matt treated us to a tasting menu which drew from the "great eight" experience, plus a number of supplemental dishes. (I'm not sure if the eight-course line-up is still available; now the website shows a "fab five" menu.) We loved everything, but the poached hen egg and apple cider lacquered pork belly really stood out. The plating was consistently pretty and fun; many courses were served on a wooden slab with a thick flourish of an aioli or similar sauce. I was delighted to find some tasty fall ingredients repeated in multiple dishes, like delicate roasted pearl onions, apples, and pears.

Whoopie pie slider with chocolate dipping sauce
If you’re already in the Portsmouth area, you have no excuse not to give Moxy a try right now. Even from Boston, it’s absolutely worth the drive.

Indian pudding
Moxy Restaurant Modern American Tapas on Urbanspoon

This meal was complimentary, but all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

30 Under 30 (Zagat)

Over the last few months, I've had the immense pleasure of working on a project for Zagat that features 30 local restaurant industry folks under the age of 30 who are all doing great things. (I wrote a bio about each honoree and took photographs of ten of them who didn't have recent headshots.) From a food truck owner to the general manager of one of Boston's most high-end restaurants to bar managers honing the craft cocktail scene, the list represents a wide variety of fun, interesting, and talented young people.

Last night, Zagat held an event at the Boston Public Library to announce all of the honorees, and I had the opportunity to do a live broadcast where I spoke with a Zagat blogger from New York about the people on the list, their restaurants, and the Boston food scene in general. Here's the footage, in which I spend some time talking and a lot of time standing awkwardly, kind of able to hear what's going on from the simultaneous broadcast on the other side of the room. It was a little nerve-wracking; while I love performing and acting, it's kind of terrifying to do unscripted things!



It ended up being really fun, though, and I was glad to be able to get in a few mentions of some of my favorite spots that weren't represented on the list, like 3 Little Figs and Highland Kitchen.

And here are some of my favorite outtakes from the photo shoots with some of the honorees:

Jason Kilgore, Beverage Manager, Catalyst
Kurt Gurdal, General Manager, Formaggio Kitchen
Marcos Sanchez, Executive Chef, Tres Gatos 
Selena Donovan, Restaurant Manager, Towne Stove & Spirits


Meredith Devinney, General Manager, Menton
Mike Smith, Chef de Cuisine, Toro
Patrick Gaggiano, General Manager, Trina's Starlite Lounge and Parlor Sports
Samuel Monsour, Executive Chef, jm Curley


Monday, November 5, 2012

First Impressions: Fogo de Chao


"You had me at 'Meat Tornado,'" said Joel (quoting his hero, Ron Swanson) when I asked him whether he'd like to partake of an evening of endless meats on sticks, a preview dinner for the newly opened Boston location of Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão. For the record, I said nothing about meat tornados or tournedos, but anything after the word "meat" is generally a blissful blur anyway.

The 26-location chain was founded in Brazil in 1979, and the 320-seat Boston location opened to the public this past Friday in the The Palm's former space at the Westin Copley (plus a little extra on the side). The total renovation and build-out cost? $8 million. On Wednesday, I stopped by to shoot some interior photos for Eater - the place looks pretty snazzy - and on Thursday night, Joel and I joined hundreds of diners for a complimentary preview dinner.

As I've admitted in the past, I generally don't have high expectations for most chains, but I was cautiously optimistic that this would at least equal the one Brazilian steakhouse experience I'd had in the past at a different chain (delicious but overwhelming). If you're a meat lover, it's hard not to enjoy it. The details vary amongst restaurants like this, but in general, servers (who are also the chefs) bring skewers of various meats to your table and slice portions off right onto your plate. You guide the timing by flipping a card to green or red to request more meat or to take a break. There's a salad bar and sides to help fill you up with non-meaty things as well.

I was particularly impressed with a few things at Fogo de Chão (keeping in mind that this was a complimentary press/friends/family dinner, of course). First, the salad bar - it was actually good. Forget Iceberg lettuce and wilted, unappetizing veggies. Everything was fresh and colorful, and there were even some nice cheeses and cured meats. The salad bar is included in the all-the-meat-you-can-eat price ($46.50/person for dinner), which also includes a bunch of side dishes. If a vegetarian somehow gets stuck going here with you, he or she can eat from the salad bar for $28.50.

Secondly, the service was like a well-choreographed dance. It all seemed effortless. We hardly saw the same server twice; different people handled drinks, sides, and clean plates, while an endless stream of chefs handled the different cuts of meat. Perhaps there were a few too many times when a server showed up to check on us, but we always had what we needed (and more), and everyone was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.

Thirdly, the caipirinha, a traditional Brazilian cocktail...well, I'm a sucker for a good caipirinha. It's like a mojito, but even better. These were the perfect mix of sweet and sour and boozy, and by the middle of the meal, I couldn't tell if I was lightheaded from the drinks or if I slipping into a meat haze. Probably a little bit of both.

Finally, and most importantly, the meat was outstanding. I can hardly recall which cuts we tried at this point, but I remember particularly loving a perfectly rare bottom sirloin (fraldinha) and lamb (cordeiro). The chefs ask which temperature you prefer and then slice off the appropriate portion. We were told that the chefs get a feel for which tables like which cuts of meat and meat temperatures, and as the night progressed, we did have more chefs approach us with the rarest cuts still available.

The sides were great, too. I was a huge fan of the caramelized bananas and easily could have made a meal of those. I also loved the pão de queijo - warm cheese bread - a Brazilian treat that is fortunately (or dangerously) also available right in my neighborhood at Fortissimo Coffeehouse. And we were given the most heavenly toasted cheese at the start of the meal. That one doesn't seem to be on the menu, but hopefully it'll make a repeat appearance.

My advice for health and comfort - but not for getting more than your money's worth of meat, if that's what you want to do - is to start the meal leisurely with a nice big salad. Enjoy the pão de queijo and side dishes liberally, and flip your card to red after each portion of meat arrives rather than loading up your plate with every meat in the room, devouring it all quickly, and then getting even more. And skip dessert. It's unnecessary and forgettable.

Fogo de Chão is definitely not an experience I'd recommend for frequent visits, but it's a fun special occasion place. Maybe not for date night, though. You won't feel romantic after participating in this meat orgy. There's no way to avoid the meat coma. It'll probably become a meat hangover the next morning.

Next month, I'm playing a small role in an independent film as well as doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work, so in preparation for the very intense week of shooting in early December, I'm spending November getting into peak physical condition, which includes cutting way back on my meat intake. Fogo de Chão was the perfect farewell-to-meat dinner.

Fogo de Chão on Urbanspoon

Monday, October 8, 2012

Hot Wiener Special: A Night in Providence with Balkan Bands

Last month, we drove to Providence for a great line-up of Boston-based Klezmer/circus/Balkan bands; Joel's band, the Somerville Symphony Orkestar, opened the night, followed by the Klezwoods (on their latest CD release tour), followed by Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band. Lots of friends, lots of fantastic music. Unfortunately, although the club (Fête) was a gorgeous steampunk-y space that was perfect for the line-up, it was located in a pretty isolated part of the city, and very few people showed up that hadn't come with one of the bands. Nonetheless, it was a great night of music and an enjoyable change of scenery.


After loading in the equipment at the beginning of the night, Joel and I were ready for dinner, but due to the middle-of-nowhere location, there weren't many options. At the corner of the street, we had seen a diner that looked kind of run-down, but we were intrigued by a sign outside of it that advertised a "hot wiener special." Maybe 'amused' is more accurate than 'intrigued.' After joking about it for awhile, we realized that it actually sounded like a pretty great dinner adventure. It was either going to be amazing or terrible. Either way, how could we not give it a try?






Olneyville New York System has been doling out late night hot wieners to the people of Providence since 1946 (but not pizza, pasta, pastry, poultry, or peppers, apparently). The restaurant - a long counter along one side and take-out-joint-style booths filling the rest of the space - was full of intimidating instructional signage that gave the place a Soup Nazi-esque vibe, but the signs must have just been for decoration as the men working behind the counter were ridiculously friendly. We suppressed giggles and inquired about the hot wiener special, which we learned includes two hot dogs, fries, and a soda. The hot dogs, served in a steamed bun, are topped with a seasoned ground meat, chopped onions, and - the magic ingredient - celery salt. Celery salt is one of those seasonings that's always been lurking in the back of the spice rack, but I've never used it. In fact, I don't think I really knew what it tasted like until I tried it on these hot wieners. (No real surprise: it tastes like celery. And salt.)


The ground meat "sauce" gave me a flashback to my time in Rochester, New York, home of a "delicacy" known as the garbage plate. While there are many variations, classic garbage plates have a few components. First, the plate is half covered with mac salad and half covered with home fries, or completely covered with one of those. (In some places, other options are available too, like beans.) Then, the diner has a choice of meat for the top. In many places, the plate includes two meats, so a diner might get two hot dogs (red hots or white hots), two hamburgers, or one of each. (Some restaurants have even more options, like chicken or fried fish.) The whole mess is topped with various condiments and a "hot sauce" that is actually spicy ground meat, not really a liquid sauce. And finally, white bread is provided to sop up whatever's left on the plate.

The hot wiener special wasn't quite as overwhelming as a garbage plate, but it was still pretty impressive. While the hot dog itself wasn't my favorite - I vastly prefer grilled to steamed - I loved the whole combination of flavors, especially that celery salt, not to mention the overall charm of the old-fashioned greasy spoon ambiance. The crispy, salty fries were the perfect accompaniment.

The hot wiener special adventure was a success, and then we headed back to Fête for the show. Nights in Providence always turn out to be pretty fantastic.

Olneyville New York System on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Sweet Basil


The best type of restaurant for me is the kind where you walk in and feel special, not in a VIP way but rather the way in which every single guest feels like a regular, from the actual regulars who have been going there since opening day decades ago to the tourists who will probably never have the occasion to stop by again. At Sweet Basil in Needham last night, while Joel and I did receive some special attention as we were there on an invitation from the PR rep, it was clear that every single person in the restaurant (and it was packed) had either been going there for years or might as well have been; attention was lavished throughout the cozy room by chef/owner Dave Becker, who is without a doubt the warmest, most genuine restaurant owner I've met. While plenty exude friendliness, you can still feel the sales pitch underneath, but as Dave glided around the room chatting with guests and manning the host stand and presenting us with plate after plate of food (on pottery he actually made himself), it was clear that he was there simply because he absolutely loves it and wants every guest to love it just as much as he does.

I had been to Sweet Basil once before, on a lunch expedition during my stint at Tasted Menu last year. The team would occasionally go out to random destinations and order as much of the menu as possible, partly with the intention of seeding the website with some thorough reviews and photos (but mostly because we all genuinely loved to eat). We hungrily ate our way through quite a few of the sandwiches, and I fell in love with the food as well as the quirky/rustic ambiance, from the turquoise walls (with coat hooks by each table!) to the hanging plants threatening to overflow their pots.






But from the location (Needham, a half hour from Somerville if there's absolutely no traffic) to the menu (Italian, not Thai, although the name could go either way), I knew it'd be hard to drag Joel out there for a future visit. He just doesn't get excited by pasta like I do. I figured I'd probably never get the chance to head back out there.

When Sweet Basil's PR rep recently contacted me to see if I'd like to meet Dave and try out dinner, though, I was able to convince Joel that it'd be worth the drive. Now that we're home digesting the epic feast (and with Dave's beautiful cookbook in hand as well, along with plentiful leftovers), I don't think he regrets the trip, despite the painstaking rush hour trek that took an hour.

As the meal began, Joel, as usual, immediately took note of the music. It was a great and eclectic selection - everything from classic jazz to Jane's Addiction - and the level wasn't disruptive but could still be heard even as the restaurant filled up. And a wall in the back was even covered with records, again a great mix: Curtis Mayfield, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Simon & Garfunkel, and Crosby, Stills and Nash. (It pains me to leave out the Oxford commas in two of those, but I looked them up, and that seems to be the standard way of punctuating them. I'm a nerd, and I drive myself crazy.) Aside from the records, the walls were mostly decorated with a beautiful mix of art by Dave's late grandfather.

We soon broke into our half-bottle of wine (Sweet Basil is BYOB), a lovely 2007 Italian Barolo that was given to me by Central Bottle as part of a package promoting their new sister venture, Belly Wine Bar. We figured it'd be the perfect fit for a place like Sweet Basil, and it was.


And then the food began to arrive. So much food. Big portions have become almost a gimmick there, like at Vinny T's, Dave said, admitting that he ate a lot more in the beginning, but even now that he watches his own portions more, regulars probably wouldn't appreciate the restaurant portions shrinking. (Keep in mind when viewing the photographs in this post that some of these portions were merely sample sizes, not the real thing.)

As with most Italian restaurants, Sweet Basil sends out a basket of bread to start the meal, but instead of plain old olive oil, there's pesto for dipping. Really good pesto. Next, we tried the sweet corn agnolotti (with sautéed vegetables in lemony broth, topped with arugula salad and herb aioli), beet risotto, Greek lamb meatballs (simmered in spicy tomato sauce and topped with tzatziki), and steamed mussels (in a garlic and wine broth with tomatoes, olive oil, and crostini). While everything was delicious, it was the meatballs that nearly made me moan inappropriately. It was an unexpected Greek-Italian fusion - tzatziki with tomato sauce?! - but it worked surprisingly well, resulting in a flavor that was bold yet comforting and nearly sinful. They'll soon be replaced with a fall meatball, though - most likely a pork and chicken liver combination, maybe in a preparation including Armagnac, said Dave. The agnolotti will also be gone soon. I asked how often the menu changes, and Dave replied, "Not often enough! It's a constant battle to the keep the regulars happy and the chefs from getting bored."





We continued with the rosemary chicken (with crispy pancetta and asparagus in a creamy parmesan cream sauce with ziti), a bestseller. "Not my favorite," admitted Dave, "and I think it's going to be solely responsible for shortening people's lifespans."



My lifespan, though, is more likely to be threatened by a good bolognese, and Sweet Basil's was no exception. Even the inclusion of mushrooms, typically a mortal enemy of my tastebuds, barely bothered me, and the housemade pappardelle was outstanding. At the end of the evening, we got to see the giant pasta machine in the basement, and Dave told us about the person who makes the pasta, but I got confused because he employs several brothers (and an uncle, I think) whose names all rhyme: Nilson, Admilson, and I think the other two were Jilson and Jailson, although I'm probably butchering the spelling. (I verified the first two in the cookbook but couldn't find mention of the others.) In any case, one of them makes the pasta, and one of them - maybe the same one - is constantly mistaken for being the owner of the restaurant because of the aura he exudes in the dining room, one of authority, pride, and some good-natured grumpiness.


Just as we were about to explode, the final dishes arrived. First, a gigantic hunk of phyllo-wrapped baked gouda, oozing its seductive insides all over a mixed greens salad, which was embellished with slivers of dried apricots and strawberries. Then, a tender slow-cooked lamb shank with roasted vegetables and amazingly fluffy polenta.



This was last night and Yom Kippur is still a day away, but I have a feeling this year will be an easy fast, because I won't really feel like eating for quite some time!

A few details to note: Sweet Basil accepts cash or check only (no credit cards) and does not serve alcohol (but you can BYOB for a $5 corkage fee). And no reservations. You'll likely have to wait during peak times, but there are often snacks coming out of the kitchen for people who are waiting, and we saw at least one party getting into their first bottle of wine before getting seated.

After we ate, Dave enthusiastically swept us down to the basement for a tour of the inner workings, including the aforementioned pasta machine as well as bottles of housemade vinegars. We left with a bag full of leftovers and the gorgeous Sweet Basil cookbook , which I began to skim through as soon as I got home. It's packed full of relatively simple recipes as well as stories and photographs, and I'm looking forward to trying out some of the recipes. Perhaps even more useful than the recipes themselves are the pieces of advice Dave offers in the introduction. My favorite: "Have fun, cook for people you love, and drink lots of wine."

Even though this dinner was a special complimentary tasting and therefore leaves me at least a little biased, I have no hesitation wholeheartedly recommending the restaurant based on the way I saw other patrons treated, as well as based on my very positive lunch experience last year. On our way out, we spoke to a woman who has been going to the restaurant since the very beginning, and from her enthusiasm and that of the other patrons, many of whom talked to Dave as if they'd known each other forever, it's clear that everyone who walks into the door at Sweet Basil gets that special feeling that comes along with exceptional food and service.

Sweet Basil on Urbanspoon See my favorite dishes at this restaurant on Tasted Menu

Related Posts with Thumbnails