Bazil on the bay

(more photos here)

Tonight we celebrated my grandmother's 86th birthday at Bazil on Irondequoit Bay. Its extensive menu meant that all five of us went home happy--and our group was composed of two vegetarians, a seafood lover, a health-conscious diner, and my grandmother, who ordered her steak not just well-done but "cremated." I don't think I've ever seen a restaurant with so many "special" sections on its menu: gluten-free, low(er)-calorie, vegetarian, and low-carb.

We had a friendly and fun waitress and all the salad and breadsticks we could eat. That's a good start! I could eat those breadsticks all day -- although I suppose if you put lots of salt, garlic, and butter (I'm guessing that's their secret) on a piece of cardboard, I might just be tempted to eat that, too.

For dessert, Clem and I shared a giant piece of chocolate cake with ice cream, but I wish we'd ordered the smaller, lighter, and more refreshing lemon ice. I think Italian ice is the perfect summer dessert.

TIP: When you go, fill out the form for Bazil's e-mail list at the table next to the hostess station. The form asks for your birthday and wedding date, and pretty soon after we signed up, we received a coupon for our anniversary. (By the way, we have a designated coupon 3-ring binder at home and a spreadsheet with all their details. A SPREADSHEET. That's courtesy of Clem the engineer.) I think the email coupon was good for a free bottle of wine, appetizer, or dessert. And we didn't have to use it on our anniversary, just by a certain date a week or two after that.

NEARBY: One of my favorite antique places, All That Jazz. We've gotten a couple of small things there, like salt and pepper shakers and an old map of Brighton.