The Basil Press - Athens, GA - May 15, 2007

Dining from 5:30p - 6:45p
Health Rating: 80/87
Average Cost per person: $44.00 (including alcoholic drinks and appetizers)

Overall EATS Tour Rating

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B+
Service: A

Meals ordered

Taylor Little
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Dish: Crab Cakes
Food: B+
Atmosphere: B+
Service: A+
Review: I've eaten at Basil many times and have always enjoyed it–this time was no exception. Virna and I had a dozen oysters with eight flown in from beautiful Montague, NY with the remaining four coming from the wilds of New Jersey. They were a little lean on meat but were good, tasted fresh, and weren't served with the traditional cocktail sauce and crackers but did include horseradish. Instead, pieces of buttered garlic bread replaced the crackers and red wine vinegar with onions took the place of the cocktail sauce. It was a refreshing change of pace. I had crab cakes as the main course with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. I think their steamed vegetables are the best in town, always fresh and crunchy, not overcooked and soggy. The mashed potatoes were a little bland but nothing a sprinkling of salt couldn't fix. There were two crab cakes of medium size, each with a different sauce. The cakes were ground into patties and breaded rather than chunks of crab which I prefer but they were good nonetheless. Overall the meal was good and the service was excellent. We had a waiter and a trainee serving us and both were on the ball.

Virna Mendoza
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Dish: Paella
Food: A-
Atmosphere: B+
Service: A
Review:The Basil Press was excellent last night as always. I made sure to order items I had not had there before. Taylor and I started with a dozen raw oysters. What made this dish different was that it was not served with your typical cocktail sauce and saltines but rather red wine vinegar with red onions and chives, as well as some thin pieces of garlic toast. The vinegar was surprisingly very good on the oysters. You could really taste the oyster itself instead of being doused in a thick sauce. As my entree I had the paella which was served with duck, mussels, shrimp and scallops. Again, delicious! It had just the right mild spiciness, as well the scallops and shrimp in particular seemed very fresh and cooked just right. For dessert, I had the crème brulee and was not impressed. It wasn't bad but just not anything special. The custard was almost too thick and it was also served very cold. The service though was excellent. He was very attentive and continually checked on us to see if we needed anything. The atmosphere is great, very cozy and there was good music playing softly in the background.

Stephanie Sharp
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Dish: Blackened Mahi Mahi
Food: A-
Atmosphere: A-
Service: A
Review: I started my meal with the French Onion Soup. It was a good temperature, and had just the right amount of breading and cheese. The cheese was perfectly crusted. Their french onion soup gets an A+ in my book. For my main entree I enjoyed Blackened Mahi Mahi. Though blackened Mahi Mahi was recently removed from the menu and replaced with Tilapia, the kitchen was more than happy to prepare it for me, which garnered extra service points for me. The fish was flaky, moist and very tasty and was joined by julienned carrots, squash and zuchinni, and a splendid presentation of creamed potatoes. Everything was delicious. For dessert I also had the Creme Brulee. It "tasted" excellent but the consistency was a little too thick for my tastes and it was almost too chilled. It was good but i've had better at some other restaurants in town. Loved the background music - great atmosphere. Overall I was pleased with our experience.