The Sweet Basil Grille, one of the area's original authentic Italian restaurants, is an all time favorite for tourists and locals alike. The restaurant is chef owned and operated by Rick and Lynn Penna, which is typical of many of Berkshire County's best restaurants. Upon entering The Sweet Basil Grille, the aroma that greets you lets you know that you have undoubtedly made the right choice in the dining department.

If you have been a patron in past years, don't look for The Sweet Basil Grille on Routes 7 & 20 at Brushwood Farms, where it was located for so many years. The Sweet Basil Grille now resides in South Lee on Route 102 in a charming brick building, right next door to The Historic Merrill Inn, and across the street from the Federal House Inn. This happens to be an ideal location for the inn guests as well as a great place to eat before or after hitting any of the great local area attractions, such as Berkshire Theatre Festival and Norman Rockwell Museum. Although the new location borders Stockbridge proper, being in South Lee gives it a flavor of it's own.

As you are being seated you can smell the delicious herbs and spices that have simmered all day long, including the Sweet Basil (not pun intended) that gives the restaurant its name. The lower dining room is well lit with a casual atmosphere, while the upstairs has a slightly more formal approach with table clothes and is well equipped to handle large parties. Even with the menu's Italian theme, The Sweet Basil Grille's atmosphere incorporates the famous Berkshire country charm in its décor.

Besides the excellent variety of Appetizers and Entrees to choose from, it was nice to see the children's menu that also followed the Italian theme. There is also a very nice choice of wines to accompany your meal, and the right wine with an authentic Italian meal can help to fully appreciate the experience. In our case we had an Italian Pinot Grigio, which is my summer favorite with just about any meal.

The menu's Appetizers were difficult to choose from, only because every one of them seemed like the one I wanted. So, I called in a little help from the server, whose advice was…let's just say, she knows her business. With her recommendation I ordered the Sweet Basil Spinach and Artichoke Dip (and I want the recipe by the way), which was so good that for the next week I found myself craving it. My dining partner finally decided on the Deep Fried 3 Cheese and Vegetable Raviolis, served with a light pesto Alfredo cream sauce, and we split a cup of Cream of Chicken soup with vegetables that happened to be the soup of the day.

To make my conclusions brief, but to the point, the soup was superb, and it came with a salad, lightly dressed with; in my case a Dijon dressing, where Wendy chose the Caesar dressing that did not include the anchovies. Bread was served along with a small bowl of lightly spiced, aromatic Chickpeas, to help further whet the appetite and in the Italian tradition the bread was also served with an herbed Olive Oil. All of this was devoured heartily. At this point I will advise you to come with an appetite, because the servings are as large as they are delicious.

There were two specials mentioned to us at the beginning of the evening by our server. The first one was a baked, stuffed Eggplant, breaded with a three cheese stuffing; Mozzarella, Ricotta and Parmesan, topped with a marinara sauce and melted Mozzarella and served with a choice of pastas, penne, linguini or spaghetti.

The second special of the night was a Penne Sweet Basil, which is penne pasta with sautéed Eggplant, portabello mushroom, onions, broccoli and scallions in a pesto marinara sauce. I did not ask, but my guess is that there is always an evening special or two.

Getting back to the menu, once you hit the entrée section, the choices are neatly split up into Pasta with Sauces, Pollo (Chicken), Pesce (Seafood), Vitello (Veal) and Carni (Beef). I decided to simply try the Pasta Primavera with Linguini in a white wine sauce. Now, when I say simply, I used to think that this was a fail-safe choice until I was once (not long ago) served this same dish and somehow it was strangely unappetizing. This was not the case at The Sweet Basil Grille, and no need for a doggie bag; I consumed the entire serving, which is something I had never done before with this dish. I will admit that it was a conservative choice as the menu goes, but an excellent one.

Wendy, always much more adventurous, was inspired to choose the Pollo (Chicken), and her description was short and to the point. She used one word, “sensational!” The dish is made up of tender sliced chicken, sautéed with fresh broccoli, mushrooms and prosciutto ham, finished in a light cream sauce and tossed with penne.

Before this review goes on too long, I will say that, “in-a-nutshell”, if you plan to be in the Berkshires or just going by on Interstate 90, the Pike, it is a great place to enjoy a fulfilling meal for the family or for an occasion of any kind. It is approximately 10 to 15 minutes off I-90 on Route102 headed toward Stockbridge. Also, don't forget that they will book and accommodate large parties and may be available for some catering in the area as well.

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