Basil Leaf Café

In a neighborhood of Italian joints, this tiny, one-room restaurant doesn’t stand out. But don’t discount the allure of a place where you can get good pasta and where the waitstaff treats everyone like a ten-year regular. Waiters offer to sprinkle fresh Parmesan over everything, from the calamari and mussels appetizer, to the Alfredo–sauce–laden cheese tortellini, to the chicken breast topped with asparagus. We pass on the extra formaggio, but when we’re asked if we want more of the thick, crusty bread, we say, “hell yes.”