If it were not for the gift certifcate we had from a JDRF fundraiser I don't think I would have stepped foot into Basil. I always drive past it and from the outside..it just looks like another Thai place that might be mistaken for a Chinese/Japanese restaurant. However, as soon as we walked in we were very surprized and impressed with the decor and that they were packed..on a Wed. night! Our gift certificate had expired 2 weeks ago (I can't understand why a gift certifcate would expire). The hostess at the desk didn't look like we were going to wiggle our way out of this one. She called over the manager, Dillon, and he looked at the gift certifcate and said they would honor it and then thanked us for our donation to the JDRF. Dillon seated us and took our drink order. Hendrick Gin & Tonics - yes they had Hendricks AND they had cucumbers and didn't look at us strangely when we asked. A+ already. We started off with the Basil spring rolls. They were very good and the dipping suace was very spicy, but you only got 2 of them for $6.95. I thought that was a little pricey and I would have rather gone for the lettuce wraps. Dillon was very attentive and we had a great discussion about how the Uptown hotel market has been full for weeks and is booked until Thanksgiving. He also made an excellent recommendation for a Pinot Noir and it wasn't the most expensive wine on the list. For dinner, Jennifer our waitress was very helpful. She said she liked the red curry dishes the best and suggested the Red Curry Duck ($24.95). We ordered the duck and the Pad Thai ($15.95). The Red Curry Duck was awesome. The Pad Thai had chicken and shrimp and it was very good. One of the best Pad Thai I have had in awhile. It did not stick together like a big wad of starchy noodles. It was very good with enough of a helping of chicken and large size shrimp and a good amount of vegetables. After dinner we went to the bar and finished our wine and had a rum mojito that was also very good. The bar tender was personable and Dillon came over to check on us. It was a great night and the food was superb. Will definetly go back to Basil Thai.