Restaurant Review: Basil (Mount Pleasant)

One can take only so much turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing this time of year. When my palate had reached rich food overload Thanksgiving weekend, I headed over to Basil for lively curries to wake myself up from a tryptophan haze.

The Atmosphere

The Mount Pleasant location of Basil has a very hip, zen vibe. The large stone Buddha statue and sand garden as you walk into the front door only reminds you of where the chef got his inspiration for your meal. The décor is clean, minimal and relaxed but not sleepy. 

The Staff

Basil’s staff was very attentive and gracious but not as warm as I’d expect from a restaurant located in Mount Pleasant. 

The Food

Famished, I downed an order of Fresh Basil Rolls ($5.50) which didn’t really do much to take the edge off. Though the rice paper wrapped appetizers are tasty there’s not much to them. Though, the Thai basil really sings against the rice noodles, shrimp, bean sprouts and spicy and sweet dipping sauce.

As an entrée I ordered the Basil with beef as my protein ($15.50), which would have been enough for two had I not still been ravenous. The beef was very tender but the entrée lacked star power. In fact, there was nothing memorable about the dish flavor-wise. 

I was lucky enough to sneak a few bites of Pad See-Eu ($15.50), a dish of flat rice noodles stir fried in a slightly sweet soy sauce with broccoli, garlic and, in this case, tofu. I absolutely hate when fried tofu arrives soggy. This is not the case with Basil. The dish arrives with crispy tofu beautifully incorporated into a lightly sweet sauce that’s got a lot of balance. It’s one of few noodle dishes you’ll walk away feeling satisfied without feeling heavy.

The Verdict

Basil, for what it is, is expensive. Though I’m sure I’ll be back, I was expecting a much livelier set of flavors, with the exception of the Pad See-Eu. With quite a few delicious sounding cocktails (all around the $10 mark) and a certain degree of panache Basil is a great Mount Pleasant venue for date night. Alternatively, the restaurant definitely is capable of accommodating families.

Jennifer Aniston and Thai Beef Salad

It never fails; around this time of year women start sweating and it isn't from the rising temperatures. Beach and pool days are around the corner and none of us look quite like the Victoria's Secret swimsuit models wearing the bikinis we just bought. Honestly, I am not interested in looking like Adriana or Heidi. I just want to look like Jennifer Aniston:

The woman is in her 40s and she looks better than most 20 year olds. In three months I am going to look (a little bit more) like her, too. I promise you in 79 days I will be putting a photograph of myself in a bikini up here. My resolve is strong. I taped up "inspirational pictures" around my apartment so I don't forget my goal. 

To kick off my "Jennifer Aniston in 3 Months" program, I ate a super healthy dinner: Tasty Grilled Thai Beef Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing. Healthy, homemade and really effing tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb beef flank steak
• 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3 tblsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbslp soy sauce
• 4 tblsp sugar
• 1/2 medium carrot
• 1 mango
• 1 tblsp chopped cilantro
• salt
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• lettuce
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tsp sriracha
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:


1. Marinate the flank steak in lime juice, red pepper flakes, 1 tblsp rice vinegar, 1 tblsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp ground ginger for 30 minutes, flipping the beef over after 15 minutes.


2. Dice the mango and red onion. Chop the cilantro. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrot. Place all of the produce in a bowl. Add about 1 tblsp of sugar, 1 tblsp rice vinegar and a pinch of salt to the mixture and allow to macerate.


3. Make the salad dressing by combining the peanut butter, 2 tblsp canola oil, 1 tblsp sriracha, 2 tblsp sugar, 1 1/2 tblsp rice vinegar and red pepper flakes. Add a pinch of salt and refrigerate.


4. Heat a grill pan and add canola oil. Grill the steak for about 7 minutes each side. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice the beef thinly.


5. Place lettuce, mango salsa and beef slice on plate. Drizzle peanut dressing. Enjoy!

Indochine

The the right of Burrito Gallery you will find Indochine. Up the wrought iron stairs you'll be greeted with exposed brick walls, friendly service and very flavorful Thai inspired food. Indochine offers a number of appetizers, delicious looking cocktails (that I didn't indulge in as it was lunchtime-- but I'll be back!), main courses from the wok and curries.


A friend and I split the spring rolls as an appetizer for our lunch date and they were exactly what you want in a spring roll: fresh, satisfying and light enough to whet your appetite without spoiling it. The accompanying sweet sauce was equally light and brought out the flavors of the shrimp, fresh vegetables, mint, cilantro and chicken. 

Indochine has a heat scale for its entrees ranging from 1-6, one being not spicy and six being Thai spicy (aka smoke coming out of your ears hot.) Being a fan of very spicy food I decided four would be a good jumping off point. It took me a long time to decide which curry I wanted, but the chicken panang curry came highly recommended by our waitress. She made an excellent recommendation, though I doubt any other curry would be a poor selection. The flavor profile of the curry was excellent: substantial, creamy, spicy and well rounded. I was pleased with the level of heat. I couldn't finish the generous portion, but I would definitely order the panang curry again.