Basil Tree Ristorante — Restaurant in Dixon Township

Lovely little place worth a stop. We had a less than optimal experience but they are probably capable of 5 star work with some kitchen help and better wait staff training. Thrilled we ordered the appetizer calamari served with marinara- the squid was perfectly cooked (tender with a light, crispy jacket that stayed on each piece, and didn't wilt during the 15 minutes it took we two to polish off that giant app that would easily serve four). We were offered soup, choice of Minestrone (which had a pleasant flavor and was unexpectedly a consommé-like consistency, with beans, a few peas and a few potato chunks, no pasta), which my husband liked (clearly it was freshly made from scratch but the flavor was very similar to Campbell's Minestrone) , or the pale clam chowder. The clam chowder was sophisticated, and bright with fresh chives. But for the perfectly tender whole clams, this was an emulsified creamy soup, not a chunky stew and it was a delightful, and I recommend it highly if you enjoy cream soups. The bread wasn't noteworthy- try Verruchi's Ristorante in Spring Valley, and get family style fried chicken while you're at it. The entrees somehow went awry. We waited 45 minutes after our soup, then my husband got his ribeye with mushrooms, which was perfectly cooked medium, as requested, and my entree of seafood pasta special (scallops, calamari, shrimp, mussels, crab legs with a garlic butter sauce, substituted angel hair instead of linguini), was inedible rubber. Even the pasta was blown out after sucking up all the sauce. This delicate seafood dish clearly had done 30 plus minutes penance under a heat lamp. Such a shame. I flagged the waiter who hadn't checked on us after 5 minutes of entree placement, and told him "This is rubber." He replied, "Which thing?" I said, "All of it," and demonstrated whacking a hard as tire rubber scallop with a spoon and the young waiter finally asked me if I wanted to take the dish home with me, and order something else. I did not want the rubber seafood, which was also inexplicably served crab leg on the half shell, such that there were shell chunks in the dish (and a broken bit of clam shell was in my first and only bite, clinging to the rubber calamari I had to fight to swallow). Poor presentation even if the dish had not been vulcanized, but any chef or waiter should have known not to bring that dish to table in that state. I told the waiter I did not intend to wait 45 minutes for a new dish to be prepared, and the waiter explained that these dishes only took a few minutes to make. I said if that was the case, why did it take 45 minutes to serve our entrees, and the waiter stated that these other tables (waving toward 2 to 3 four tops) needed their entrees first and the kitchen got backed up. The restaurant was half full, and I did note a four top seated 15 minutes after us was given entrees before us, so I think perhaps this was a case where the kitchen was behind, and my husband's steak maybe got dropped or burned, so they made a fresh one, and left mine to roast under a hot lamp - having worked in kitchens and food service, I know it happens at the best of places and I still think this is a nice place to go, but not if you're in a hurry (which we weren't but still, the wait was too long). The kitchen area needs sorting. In any case, I ordered a replacement dish I knew could be ready in a flash, the plain marinara over penne, to go (blah!), my husband took his to go, feeling guilty about eating in front of me despite my urging. We sat at 7:50 and it was now 10 minutes to 10 pm so why wait? We also ordered dessert to go, as we read how lovely they were, tiramisu for my him, and creme brûlée for me (I'm allergic to chocolate). The tiramisu appeared and I was convinced it was a mistake- so pale and unchocolately in appearance- my husband took a taste and said it was tiramisu and it was "okay". He loves tiramisu from Volare, and before they discontinued serving it, Barnelli's. My creme brûlée wasn't gelled properly- this is done in advance so no...

We have a site at Woodhaven Lakes in Amboy, we had spent the day there closing and winterizing the site. The day had been windy and chilly as it was mid-November. At the end of the day we were tired and hungry. We did not want to cook. Unfortunately, this time of year most of the restaurants in the area either were closed already or were cash only due to power failures earlier in the day. Hence, we traveled all the way (30 minutes) to Dixon for dinner. My girlfriend found Basil Tree Risorante on the internet and we decided to give it a try.

Find it was pretty easy, it’s just a block east of 26 on the south side of the river. Parking was easy too, it was all street parking, but we were able to find a spot within a block. The exterior is nice, although we kind of chuckled at the carpeted steps up to the door. At first, we thought we were at the wrong place. Upon entering the host (Owner?) greeted us. He asked if we had reservations, which we did not, but he offered us two seats at the bar. Which we took.

The interior was much nicer than I expected. I was thinking your traditional small town Italian restaurant that’s been around since the 50’s and hasn’t really been updated. Basil tree took that feel and mixed it with a more modern updated décor. It worked really well. The bar top was a beautiful thin cut tree branch disks set in resin. It’s the type of bar top you see people talk about online, but rarely actually see in person.

The bartender and the greeter(owner?) were our server. It kind of switched back and forth between the two of them. I’m not sure what the dynamic between the two of them was, but their banter was fun and entertaining. The menu was simple, yet at the same time had a wide selection. I ended up ordering the tortellini with a Puttanesca (Anchovies, capers, olives, and tomato) sauce. Honestly, this was fantastic. One of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. I didn’t stop talking about it for a week. My Girlfriend got the Gluten Free Pasta with a Bolognese Sauce. She raved about it to anyone that would listen. I had taken some pictures, but the phone there were on died, and they were lost.

Overall, this is the type of restaurant you expect to see in a much larger urban area, not Dixon, IL. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was amazing, the service was incredible. If you want Italian food, you can’t pass up Basil Tree. We will definitely be returning, but next time we’ll make sure we have reservations…. And that I’m not dressed like I just spent the day...

Basil Tree Ristorante 123 1st St. Dixon IL. 61021

The Basil Tree Ristorante serves Italian Food in an old downtown Dixon building. The bar and dining area are small and it is decorated right out of a design school Italian Restaurant 101 text book. It is clean and the staff is friendly and professional.

I was dining solo so I sat at the bar. The bartender was great company, I enjoyed talking with her. I started off with bread, oil and parmesan. They make their own bread and it was very good with just a hint of herb flavor. I love dipping bread in oil and parmesan, it’s so good. Next I had pasta fagioli, the first thing I noticed is it was lukewarm. When you are served food that is off temperature it overshadows everything about the dish.

For my entrée I had Chicken Vesuvio. Chicken Vesuvio, a specialty of Chicago, is an Italian-American dish made from chicken on the bone and wedges of potato, celery, and carrots; sauteed with garlic, oregano, white wine, and olive oil, then baked until the chicken's skin becomes crisp. The dish is often garnished with a few green peas for color. Their variation of the dish uses boneless skinless chicken breast which can sometimes be dry and take away some of the moisture from the dish. This however was not the case. The problem with the dish was the over powering pepper flavor. That’s all I could taste. I like Chicken Vesuvio to be garlicy, the chef was heavy handed with the pepper and forgot the garlic. The presentation however was excellent.

According To The Big Food Jerk.

There is a difference between being a food critic and a restaurant critic. I critique the entire dining experience. From the restaurants web presence till I walk out of the door. So, overall I enjoyed my experience there and I think it is a nice, romantic and quaint place that I would take my wife to. I was not wowed but enjoyed the overall experience enough to recommend Basil...