Thai Basil

We went with a large group and so got to try many of the dishes at Basil Garden -- we rate them all delicious! The larb was the best we've had and the green papaya salad was amazing. Yellow curry, green curry, pad kee mao, shrimp fried rice -- we had so much goodness on the table we didn't know which way to turn first (second, third). We've eaten a lot of Thai food and this was one of the best dinner we've had. Highly recommended!

Thai Basil is no more. In its place is Basil Garden. The new owners have spruced up the decor, but sadly, downgraded the service & cuisine. We arrived at 2pm to a relatively empty restaurant. Hostess arrived promptly, and was friendly, albeit a bit hard to understand. The lunch specials were available until 3:00pm and reasonably priced, so we selected from them. Beverage orders consisted of sodas and an iced tea. We requested ice water as well, which was delivered only after a second request. The water was either unfiltered tap or taken directly from the toilet. The first hint of trouble came with the beverages. We were served the sodas from cans (no problem) with dirty glasses and ice with unknown occupants frozen into a few cubes. The iced tea was watered down to a pale shade of urine & had no taste (probably fortunate, considering the color). Some 20 minutes later, our orders were taken. Approximately 40 minutes after that, we were served (at 3:20). At this point there were three groups of people in the restaurant. The couple before us had been served, we had our food, and the family after us inquired when they might get to eat. The teenaged son of that family decided, I kid you not, to take a walk across the strip mall to get something from a sushi place nearby. He apparently ate and returned before the remainder of his family got their food. Now for the really bad news. The food was bad. The Phad Thai noodles were watery and gooey, similar in consistency to overcooked spaghetti noodles with a very weak sauce. No stars were offered in our selections, and this lack became glaringly apparent when we tasted the bland food. The garlic chicken was low on chicken, and the 3 or 4 suspected poultry bites were both rubbery and tasteless. The broccoli beef contained very limp broccoli, and the spicing motif was an ode to sodium. The Tom Ka soup tasted like, and I mean no offense to Campbell's, cream of celery soup. I suspect that the egg rolls, if you had a strong mallet, could be driven straight into the heart of a vampire. They were a bit tough. The sweet and sour chicken bore an eerie resemblance to marmalade. The one stand out item was the spring rolls, which were tasty. The Basil Garden is saved from being an epic failure only by the pleasant demeanor of the servers. But I will not dine there again. R.I.P. Thai Basil, you are painfully mourned.

Food is always good here, we go often for lunch, sometimes for dinner too. Staff is courteous and helpful. The restaurant is clean and the remodeled bathrooms are pleasant as well.