Sweet Basil
17610 Midway
972-733-1500
Sometimes your expectations, well...Let's just say that from the outside, Sweet Basil resembles some kind of candy shop, what with the brightly striped awning and cute name.The only hints of its true nature--apart from the "Italian Cafe" printed on the awning--is a small patio decorated with an classical-style fountain. Yet even then, you think cappuccino and perhaps a little gelato.
Step inside and, um...
It looks old, dimmed by wood and cluttered with just about every cliche
possible. Looking straight on from my booth, I could stare at a copy of
the Mona Lisa. By my head, a scene from Venice. Above and everywhere,
old wine bottles and other things that speak of Italy. Even trapped
under the booth's glass-topped table, where cutouts from magazines and
cards shows different snaps from the old country--with the exception of
a California wine label amongst the other stuff decorating my place.
As far as old school Italian restaurants go, Sweet Basil isn't all that
bad. It's a menu full of Alfredos and Marsalas and Parmigianas and
Scampis and such, each coaxed to a familiar level. A cream of mushroom
soup emphasized the cream part, with a rich taste and cashmere mouth
feel. Although full of fungal bits, only a faint mineral background
emerged. But for a buck...
Yep, $1 for the soup of the day.
Their take on carbonara is hearty, almost stoic--sitting there in a
clinging film of cream broken only by pieces of bacon. Now, some people
claim cracked pepper is an option in carbonara. I consider it, however,
an essential: specks of black dotting the mound of spaghetti and sauce
look like the coal dust spotting miners as they emerged for a filling
dinner. Hence, according to legend, the dish's name.
Sweet Basil's is lacking in carbon. Yet the tart and smokey bacon
scattered in the bowl provides some contrast to the velvety sauce and
pasta. In fact, the meat stands out in this presentation. It's a good
example of what the restaurant does: basic, hearty, time-tested
fare--the sort of stuff that once dominated America's Italian
restaurants.
Worth a drive? Not especially, depending on how far. A drive of any
distance and you'll probably want cooking with flair. But for those who
live in the area and want a meal that requires no deconstruction, yeah.
