Basil Pizza and Wine Bar

Our first stop on our tourist tour was Crown Heights, mere minutes from our home. We had heard of a cool upscale pizzeria located there that we really wanted to try out. As major foodies (obsessed with Top Chef, the Dining section of The NY Times, and a dozen shows on the food network) we had heard a lot about the trend of making average food, such as burgers and pizza, upscale; but as people who only ate kosher, we had never tried it. However, with the opening of Basil, we finally had the opportunity to do so. So, this past Thursday, with our mother in tow, we decided to gave it a try.The decor and crowd was trendy and hip, and sort of Williamsburg-esque. The hostess was lovely and friendly and eager to please, although the waiters were quite spacey. For instance, we kept waiting for our drinks that never came as the waitress neglected to tell us that our beverage of choice was no longer available. Then, after a bit too much waiting, when our pizza finally arrived, it failed to be accompanied with plates until we requested them. However, the pizza itself, a Margareta with pesto, was divine. The tomato slices added a bit of needed sweetness and coolness to the hot cheese and sauce. Every last slice was polished off. My mother's watercress salad was another example of brilliant flavor combinations. It contained pears cut so thinly they were practically a carpaccio which added a nice subtle fruitiness to the blue cheese and watercress. Toasted almonds brought a welcome crunch. My gnocchi gratin, the first gratin I ever ate by the way, was small portioned but extremely creamy. Diving in beneath the Parmesan crust to find the little gnocchi pieces was like a treasure hunt. My sister's wild mushroom risotto was more mushroom than risotto, but still very good. For dessert I ordered the trio of creme burlee, while the annoying waiter tried to coax me to order his favorite, the trio of sorbet and answered all of my burlee questions with answers that started "well the sorbet is.." Nevertheless, as someone who generally only likes traditional flavors and has never tried a chocolate creme brulee, it was a welcome surprise. All in all, it was a pleasurable way to start the summer, however, next time I think I'll go with the basil french fries that seems to be their speciality.