Sweet Basil Cafe

This little tiny restaurant is hidden in a hole in the wall near the 7 – 11, and we didn’t even notice it for years, but now we order carryout on a regular basis.
Like most hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurants, this one is really strange. The menu has all sorts of weird selections that only make sense after you talk to the owner, a little Korean woman that lived down in cajun country. The food is a weird mix of regular café food, korean food, and cajun cooking.
We always order the shellfish gumbo, which has that wonderful brown color and flavor from the tiny places on the outskirts of New Orleans, with the spice level of cajun cooking rather than the more tame stuff you usually find in the city.
We also order the cajun bbq shrimp on a regular basis, and have been trying everything else on the menu. The grilled vegetable panini that I had was delicious, and the spicy chicken is excellent as well. Almost every time we order, she gives us a complimentary little side of something or another that she’s got extras of.
The only reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that the food is a little pricier than you’d expect for such a little place. Still worth it.

Gumbo is Bangin!!!

This hidden treasure featured homemade plates of food of all varieties. A group of us went for my birthday lunch recently and I called ahead to prepare them for 10 people on a lunch hour. We arrived to warm welcomes and our table ready. Our hostess was outgoing, funny and very proud of their homemade soup. Everyone ordered something different from their variety packed menu.
Everything from tilapia with risotto topped with crab meat sauce to a delicious Cuban sandwich with black beans on the side on the menu. They also had a few vegetarian options (some with tofu) which was a relief to a couple vegetarians joining us for lunch.
The hostess/​waitress had us all try SBC’s famous soup to give us all a taste of their «from scratch» black bean soup and their «from scratch» red and yellow pepper soup. She even went into detail about how they cook the bell peppers and peel the skins, etc. Not a scrap was left on anyone’s plate and all reviews of each dish was resounding satisfaction with their savory meal.
The décor is simple, and they serve soda in the can with a cup and ice, but this may account for why their prices are so reaso

Here’s a big tip in case your GPS leads you astray: If you find yourself in the middle of a neighborhood, you are clearly in the wrong area. Go up Centerville Road just a bit further, to the next light, and you will find SBC across the way from McD’s near the 7 – 11.
Next big tip: Don’t have expectations. Reading about his place, I had one idea in mind, when I finally saw it I had a completely different idea in mind, then my food came and any mental schema I had created of this place was all thrown about.
My idea of good cooking is not clobbering the food with sauces, which is what we got with the spicy chicken and jerk loin. The meat was cooked just fine and the sauces were okay. I even tried dessert here — their Chocolate Diablo is also just «eh.» What you get is a plate of 4 small triangular pieces of rich moist chocolate accompanied with 4 different fruits (mango, cantaloupe, kiwi, and strawberry — all of which were deliciously ripe.)
I just don’t see what was to rave about. Oddly enough, we were the only ones who were dining here on a Saturday night. Given that they have a decent size and hugely displayed lunch menu, maybe that is the best time of day to be here?