Basil Thai Cuisine #greenvillesceats

Nov3

Decided to check out a new Thai restaurant in Greenville South Carolina. I know what I usually get at Thai restaurants, but I wanted to try something a little different.

My friend and I went to Basil in downtown Greenville SC.

We arrived at the restaurant about 5:30pm. The ambience was nice. We decided to sit outside because it was a lovely Saturday evening. There were people dining, but it was still early, so there wasn’t a crowd. By the time we left, the place was packed.

I started with appetizers. Instead of the traditional crab Rangoon (which is a wonton wrapper stuffed with cream cheese, seasonings, imitation crab meat, fried), this was stuffed with ground, chicken, shrimp, and cream cheese, served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Rating: 4/5 – this was tasty, but I was not used to the ground chicken so the texture threw me off. if you like ground chicken, you will love this appetizer, but I probably wouldn’t buy it again.

I ordered the Pad Woo Sen with chicken. This dish was the cellophane noodles along with egg, Napa, cabbage, bean sprouts, snow peas, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Rating:4/5 – The flavors were well executed, the chicken and veggies were cooked well, and the sauce was tasty. I inadvertently ordered it hot on the spicy level and it was enough heat that I could tell it was there, but not so overpowering that my mouth was on fire. I did add some of my leftover sweet-and-sour sauce to have a little sweet, to balance out the heat. My only complaint would be that I felt like there were not enough noodles.

My friend ordered the pad Thai.

Rating: 3/5 – she said her meal was OK. In her opinion, the shrimp was undercooked and so she everything but that. they did forget to top her plate with peanuts, but provided them after and she sprinkled on herself. she said overall the dish was underwhelming and she probably wouldn’t get that again, but is open to try other dishes on the menu.

Of course, I had to order something from the bar and I got the lychee martini.

Rating: 5/5 – this was so good. It was very strong and sweet. Definitely packs of punch if you are not expecting it. I would not advise drinking these on an empty stomach because you will be falling down! However, it was a nice compliment to my meal, and very refreshing.

TOW FINAL COMMENTS: I am conflicted on how I feel about this restaurant, because the execution of the flavors as described were on point. The waitstaff were friendly and very accommodating. However, the dishes were not what I was looking for. If you like Thai food, but want it a little bit Americanized, this is the place for you. and come with your wallet full because this is definitely a $$$ restaurant .

Price per person

Entree only $30-40
Entree + drinks $40-50
Entree + drinks + appetizer $60+

Basilico Pizzeria & Italian #greenvillesc

Jan20

We were in the mood for Italian and had an very delicious dinner at Basilico Pizzeria & Italian cuisine next to the Haywood mall.

My cousin and I arrived about 5pm for an early dinner and fortunately there was not a wait. We were seated and the server came quickly to ask for our drink order.

While the server was polite, I did not get the type of reception I read about in reviews on a local foodie facebook page I follow. In their reviews, they said the servers were super friendly and treated you like family.

Case in point: I asked the sever what wines they had. She said “all kinds”. She acted like it would be an imposition to bring a wine list. I ended up ordering a house Pinot Grigio. Price unknown at time of ordering!! I figured it could not be more than $10-12 but it felt awkward to ask.

After that unpleasantness, we were ready to order because we were hungry and the service was not so bad we felt we had to leave.

The food was FANTASTIC!

Portion size 5/5 Taste 4/5 Appearance 4/5

South Branch – Dining in Chi town #foodiefriday

Apr8

South Branch is a contemporary fine dining restaurant in the heart of downtown Chicago, with great views of the Chicago River.

100 S. Wacker Dr.
Chicago, IL 60606

Check out their full menu here

All in all, I think it’s a Great restaurant with upscale decor and a chill vibe. Every thing was delicious and I would recommend whether you are going in a date or just dining with friends.

I would not recommend bringing children unless they are well behaved.

Started dinner off with a bottle of red wine

Lots of great choices but I decided to get a couple appetizers so I could try more different options

fried shrimp, scallions, Sriracha, toasted sesame seeds, chili aioli

cornmeal beer battered Wisconsin curds, smoked tomato coulis

Ocean clams, Nueske’s applewood-smoked bacon, oyster crackers

Foodie Friday: The Brick #macongarestaurants

Mar5

The Brick

This restaurant was recommended to me by my friend and she said it had a lot of good reviews on various websites. So we decided to check it out. They are called the brick because they have a brick oven that they used to cook their pizzas. I love that! They also had a usual pasta dishes along with wings and other types of bar food appetizers.

We got there early (about 5pm in a Saturday), so as you can see we had our pick of seats. As it got later in the evening, the traffic did start to pick up and fill the restaurant.

My auntie ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. They gave generous portions of pasta, sauce, and meatballs. She enjoyed it and said that the garlic bread was delicious. My husband also got the spaghetti and his only criticism was that the marinara sauce was too sweet for him.

I decided that I wanted wings and pizza, so I ordered a small side of wings and a slice of pizza. I thought about ordering a small pizza, but then decided one slice should be enough. The rationale for that was that if one slice was not enough I could always order another size. But if I ordered a whole pizza, I thought it might go to waste.

As you can see, the slice of pizza it was huge! Almost the size of my hand. I ate all of my wings and only half of my slice of pizza.

TOW Final Word
It was delicious and I loved the atmosphere. Tables were spread out which is a definite plus during these times.

Address
1305 Hardeman Avenue
Macon, GA 31201
(478) 254-3632

Home

Kitchen Hours
Monday – Saturday 11am – 10pm
Sunday Noon – 9pm

Alpharetta restaurant: Oak Steakhouse #ATLeats #GArestaurants #foodieFriday

Jan10

foodiefriday

If you are looking for a steakhouse in Alpharetta/Atlanta area, you should definitely try Oak Steakhouse.

950 Third Street
Alpharetta, GA 30009
678.722.8333

Home

EVERYTHING was super delicious!

I started the evening with one of their signature cocktails.

Cocktail – RASPBERRY BREEZE stoli raspberry vodka. peach liquor. cranberry. prosecco

The server brought bread for the table topped with butter and sea salt. I could have eaten the whole plate full. I had to remember to pace myself!

The restaurant was fairly empty when we arrived there for an early dinner. I liked the view at this reserved Table for Two. By the time we left though, every table was full.

Our table ordered appetizers. Here is the ahi tuna garnished with avocado and radish appetizer. The ahi tuna was extremely fresh and the texture was heavenly.

Any time there is a Caprese salad on the menu, I have to order it. This one had heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic reduction with a garnish of microgreens and pesto.

My friend ordered the Filet Mignon. She is the reason why we came to a steakhouse. She said it was the best she’s ever tasted.

I had the Fish of the day (can’t remember which type) with vegetables (light teriyaki type glaze). It was so tasty. I ate all the fish and most of my vegetables. The texture was light and flakey.