Sweetheart Corner, at the intersection of Route 11 and Taft Road in North Syracuse, is arguably one of the most iconic intersections in the greater Syracuse area. Yet one of the restaurants at that corner seems to be easily forgotten. It doesn’t help that for two years rumors circulated of the restaurant closing to be replaced by a Chick-Fil-A, or that the dimmed lighting often makes the restaurant look closed from the outside.

Alas, Basil Leaf Ristorante is still alive and kicking, serving up a full menu of scratch-made Italian dishes in a city chock full of Italian restaurants. Yet those of us who drive by regularly still fail to remember Basil Leaf as an option for dinner. But recently, while sitting at the traffic light, I glanced over at the restaurant and made plans for a date night there.