Basil Board - Salem

Located in Salem, this restaurant has a nice atmosphere and convenient parking in the back. I highly recommend trying the Meatball Al Forno - the meatballs are cooked to perfection, tender, moist, and flavorful. The marinara sauce has a nice spice to it and pairs well with the meatballs, so much so that I would even try it on one of their pizzas. I paired my meal with a Zinfandel that is not typically on the menu, the Folie 'a Deux from Dry Creek Sonoma, which had fruity notes and a hint of pepper that complemented the marinara sauce perfectly. For dessert, I suggest trying the Red Dessert Board, as the Zinfandel also pairs well with the dark chocolate. Overall, I am excited to try more dishes from their menu in the future.

The food at this restaurant was not very good and overpriced. I decided to try the meatball sub while my sister ordered a Margherita pizza. Unfortunately, my sub was too spicy and I could hardly eat it. The server explained that the cook was experimenting with a new recipe. They kindly replaced my sub with a pizza, but it had very little cheese and did not taste good. My sister's pizza was mostly just sauce. Overall, not a great experience.

Let's talk about the food now! I have a strange habit of flipping over my sandwiches, paninis, and burgers, and it always seems to enhance the flavors. The Italian Stallion panini was outstanding both ways, and the kettle chips were delightfully crunchy. The strawberry frosé cocktail was a refreshing choice on a hot summer day. The dessert board was a hit, with lemon tarts and apricot blondies that impressed us. My friend enjoyed the Mt. Hood panini and a strong blended margarita. I highly recommend checking out this place for a great dining experience.

What a fun little space in Salem. This wasn't here when I lived in Oregon nearly 10 years ago, and it's quite chic. Met up with my friend for lunch and sat on the rooftop, which I preferred as the inside was very crisp with AC for my now California-izedsense of heat We had sandwiches and salad, with a three-set bruschetta, wonderful. I liked all three, very substantial and agood shareable plate. We also enjoyed a glass of tap cider. Yum.

Atmosphere, decor, and seating is more like fast food than expensive pizzas. It was insanely cold inside. They were out of many alcoholic drinks and you couldn?t pick up the pizza because the toppings would just fall off! Interesting place probably won?tbe back.