I've been hearing about the great food at Sweet Basil in Needham, MA for at least a year now. My cousin, who used to work nearby in Wellesley, raved about the place and kept encouraging me to make a trip.
A few weeks ago I finally got the chance to experience Sweet Basil for myself. It was a chilly night, but the restaurant was glowing.
We stepped inside and thankfully a couple had just finished, because every other table was occupied and Sweet Basil does not take reservations.
The interior of the restaurant is very cozy, almost like sitting in someone's dining room.
After we settled into our spot, our waiter came over to introduce himself and offer us menus.
All around us we could see people enjoying wine, but we couldn't seem to locate a wine menu. It turns out, Sweet Basil is BYOB!
As we looked over the menu we were offered Sweet Basil's signature starter - a basket of crusty, delicious bread with a bowl of pesto sauce for dipping.
Why have I never thought to dip bread into pesto?
This particular pesto was super yummy. I think they would make a killing if they'd bottle it up and sell it as a stand alone item.
For an appetizer, we decided to share the baked gouda (wrapped in filo dough) over greens, dried apricot and sliced strawberries, served with a truffle vinaigrette. Look at how gorgeous this dish is:
The cheese is oozing out of the filo:
Unexpectedly, the baked gouda was resting on a slice of Sweet Basil's famous bread. This salad is enough for an entire meal!
We both loved this baked gouda dish. The filo was light and flaky, the cheese was rich and decadent and the dressing tasted superb with all the salad elements, especially the strawberries.
For the next course, my dinner date selected the mussels, which is actually on the "starter" section of the menu. The mussels are steamed and swimming in a white wine broth with garlic and tomatoes.
As she worked her way through the shells and tossed them into the discard bowl, a toasted crostini was slowly revealed. It was soaked in broth!
As she opened shell after shell, I asked for her thoughts. She replied, "The white wine sauce is perefct. It was salty in the best way possible. I know the sauce would taste great over spaghetti." She continued, "Normally when you order mussels, you get one or two bad ones, but not here. Every single one was exactly as it should be."
For my entree, I decided on the pumpkin and apple agnolotti with marscapone and gorgonzola cheese, brandy-cider cream sauce and a fennel and apple slaw.
I was really excited by the descriptio, but personally, I found the dish to be overly sweet. It was also clear to me why it's served with fennel and apple slaw, because otherwise, the texture of the dish too soft and a bit too one note. The apple especially added a necessary crunch.
Once our dinner plates were cleared we were wondering what options might be available for dessert, but Sweet Basil doesn't do dessert. Thankfully, there is an Abbott's Frozen Custard directly next door.
Needham locals flock to Sweet Basil and it's clear to see why. The pesto alone is reason enough to make the trip. Add in the baked gouda salad and the mussels and you've got yourself a true feast.
Have you ever been to Sweet Basil? Do you have a favorite dish?
*Though my meal at Sweet Basil was complimentary, all opinions are 100 percent my own.
