The word cozy is used to describe Italian restaurants almost as often as garlic is used to flavor its food, but it's nearly impossible to avoid when it comes to the Basil Leaf Cafe. Offering just more than a dozen tables in the shoebox-size corner restaurant, Basil Leaf is about as intimate as it gets despite its location on one of the busiest strips of Lincoln Park. You might expect a long wait here, but even on Friday nights, seating is typically prompt (let the fools who passed this spot up wait to dine elsewhere). Check your pretensions—but not your expectations—at the door, and take a seat at one of the sun-soaked tables or, in good weather, on the outdoor patio that nearly doubles the restaurant's capacity.

Open since 1998, Basil Leaf serves up typical Italian fare, including pastas, salads, sandwiches and meaty entrees. The eatery shuns the typical cheese-heavy execution of most American renditions in favor of burst-on-your-palate freshness. For instance, penne broccoli with roasted garlic and walnuts in basil oil is addictive and flavorful without being the least bit greasy. The tomato cream dishes are particularly popular here, as are some of the more inventive pasta plates, such as fettuccine jambalaya, with shrimp, chicken, mushrooms, artichokes and Cajun spices.

Portions run huge, so your best bet may be splitting an entree and indulging in an appetizer, such as calamari or grilled portabella in balsamic vinegar. Lunches are a bit more reasonably sized and a bit cheaper, though a recent order of soup and salad yielded a cauldron-sized bowl of savory minestrone and a salad that would pass in some restaurants as dinner-size. The sandwiches here are no afterthought either, with skirt steak, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes on ciabatta competing for favorite with chicken, avocado, alfalfa sprouts and tomatoes on multigrain.

A full bar near the back serves up well-paired wine offerings. Dinner entrees run $9.95-$24.95; lunch averages $9.95-$16.95.

Centerstage Reviewer: Kate Rockwood