Basil Pizza & Wine Bar at Levis Commons presents a menu of uniquely curated specialty pizzas along with a number of other Italian-inspired pasta, seafood, and other upscale dishes.
The servers accommodated the gluten-free needs of one of my dining companions, and the menu also extends several vegan options.
We started off our meal with the sweet-and-savory goat cheese al forno ($13), which was a delightful, bubbling blend of cheese with caramelized onions and balsamic glaze, served with naan bread and jam. We got a second plate of gluten-free bread for an additional $2, which was crispier than the naan, but we agreed it tasted great — a feat when it comes to gluten-free breads.
Basil Pizza & Wine Bar
★★★
Address: 3145 Hollister Lane, Perrysburg
Phone: 419-873-6218
Category: Italian-inspired
Menu: Artisan pizzas, pasta, Sunday brunch
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Wheelchair access: Yes
Average Price: $$-$$$
Credit Cards: MC, V, D, AE
Website:
basilpizzaandwinebar.com We selected two pizzas to compare the different crusts: the regular was light and fluffy while the gluten-free was so crisp that it was difficult to cut and hurt our jaws to chew. If it was a dinner roll, my friend said she would’ve been pleased. But because it was for pizza, she ranked this lower than she wanted to on her list of quality gluten-free crusts.
We were disappointed at how dry the pizza as a whole was, considering a large outer ring of the Athena ($17) had no toppings. I was pleasantly surprised by the pairing of Greek flavors on a pizza pie, but unimpressed by the execution: there was minimal pesto, tzatziki sauce, and feta; the chicken was flavorless; and the whole olives quickly rolled right off our slices.
All that to say, we were very satisfied with the greasy, cheesy goodness of the Bianca pizza ($17), which comes with white sauce, four cheeses, and is topped with shrimp and garlicky spinach.
By the time we had finished our three courses — ending with a good classic tiramisu ($9) and a whopping $18 seasonal mousse flight, which ... don’t get me started on something I tried so hard to find the good in — we had been at Basil for two hours. The joint wasn’t busy when we arrived around 5 p.m., but dishes took a while to come out and the server gave us a little too long before checking back in when we asked for more time to make our selections.
My second trip to Basil was for a Sunday brunch, which is offered between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., though dinner pizzas are still available. Make sure to book a reservation for a Sunday morning, and beware of the potential for live music hindering your group’s ability to mingle and converse.
The Breakfast Club pizza ($16) was the star of the brunch show: a perfect combination of flavors of sunny-side-up egg with sausage gravy, bacon, potato, and cheese. Our only complaint? The fingerling taters were whole, falling off as we handled our slices.
Cooking the perfect egg is a hard skill for anyone — but one would expect the poached eggs atop avocado toast ($12) and traditional eggs benedict ($14) to not be cold or for those in Eggs in Purgatory ($12) to be runny instead of overcooked.
The flavors in that sizzling latter dish of pomodoro sauce and cheddar cheese were as simple as canned tomatoes, rather than a spicy shakshuka.
From its other breakfast classics, some with a Basil flair, we also shared a side order of a cinnamon swirl pancake ($6), which was cooked just right and topped with a thick glaze and fresh berries.
Basil excels in its namesake pizzas, with some successful pairings of toppings. But when it steps out of its primary realm, you win some, you lose some.
The joint’s inviting atmosphere is reinforced by the open kitchen where patrons can watch their stone-oven pizzas bake.
You might find yourself bopping along to the slightly out-of-place selection of early-2010s pop music, and you just might end up belting “P-p-p-poker face” as you turn onto North Dixie Highway on your way home from a filling Tuscan meal.
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