THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sweet Basil

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sweet Basil Restaurant Review:

This tiny Chinatown restaurant offers nicely done food, excellent service and a pleasant ambience. While ethnically Vietnamese, chef Thui Nguyen grew up in Thailand and he calls his food "Neo-Thai." This is not fusion cuisine as any fan of Thai food will recognize the names: pad thai, tom yum kung, gaeng kari kai and the like. The difference is two-fold---the food is prepared with a modern sensibility, spices are used more subtly and sauces are lighter, and there has been an obvious effort to showcase the colorful ingredients and present each dish artistically. Start with the house-made lemongrass green tea or fresh limeade. Move on to a bowl of tom yum soup redolent with tamarind, cilantro and makrut lime. Don't miss the soft-shell crabs in Panang sauce which is saved from being overly sweet by the complexity of the flavors. Beef-lovers will relish the tender braised short ribs ala mussamun with aromatic hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Better yet, opt for the lunchtime buffet and see what has inspired Nguyen.