Food rating: 75
Sweet Basil: Good Italian food in Needham
I've heard of Sweet Basil as a great option for food in Needham Center, but had missed that it serves Italian food and not Thai. I was feeling foolish about this until mentioning the restaurant to several colleagues at lunch, all of whom thought Sweet Basil served Thai food. I think there's a marketing opportunity there for the restaurant.
Sweet Basil doesn't take reservations and is known to have long waits, but we were headed to do some shopping in Needham Center early evening on a weeknight, so we decided to give it a try. The online reviews are mostly incredibly favorable.
The restaurant was empty and so we were quickly seated. The staff were friendly and helpful. There were two nice breads served with a pesto sauce that was excellent. For an appetizer we got the mussels. The portion was very large and the mussels themselves were fresh and delicious, and the preparation was good, though not particularly special. The broth was wonderful to dip the bread in, but the mussels didn't pick up the flavors from the broth all that much.
For a main, I ordered the lamb shank, which was enormous and was served with a soft polenta and some vegetables. The polenta and vegetables were very good. The lamb was fine, but nothing special. My wife got a vegetable risotto that was nicely prepared and good but not great. Sweet Basil doesn't serve desserts.
Overall, this is a decent Italian restaurant, particularly for a place that serves such large portions (often a marker of less good Italian food). However, the online reviews make it seem much better than we experienced. I would be happy to eat at Sweet Basil again, but would not wait on line to do so, and there are many Italian restaurants at a similar distance from us that we prefer. As a neighborhood restaurant for those living in Needham Center, it seems like a nice place to go for a meal.
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