Lawrence is a unique destination for the empty stomach. Dining establishments range from your typical fast food places and a few other nicer places such as Pisanos. What some people may not realize is another great place sits hidden in the back of a Phillips 66 gas station.

Basil Leaf jumped into the restaurant business three and a half years ago, when Brad Walters and Jason Carter left JB Stouts which is now Johnny’s West. They both have had at least 17-18 years of restaurant experience so they decided to open their own place. After Walters borrowed some money and bought some equipment, the rest is history.

“We got tired of working for the man so we decided to become the man,” Walters said.

In a typical week they currently get 125 to 150 customers, and on the weekends they expect to see at least 100 more. About 85 percent of the customers order take out while the other 15 percent decide to stay in the unique atmosphere of the gas station’s somewhat spacious corner.

A good amount of customers come to Basil Leaf based mostly just on recommendations. Some of them accept the restaurant, while others cannot because of the atmosphere and somewhat uncomfortable seats. The interested customers led Walters and Carter to contact Food Network to be considered for an episode of Diners Drive-ins and Dives with host Guy Fieri, but sadly they were declined because they have not been open long enough.

 “The gas station was a good start because it was cheap, but we quickly outgrew the space and are about to sign a lease so we can get our own place June 1,” Walters said.

With the big step to getting their own place their creative abilities as a restaurant will definitely expand to showcase more salads, entrees, plates and a small bar. Currently some of their top selling dishes are: Lasagna, Basil Chicken Cavatelli and Chicken Cordon Bleu. They don’t always offer that last one since it takes the longest to make and they can easily get 20 orders of it in one day.

Basil Leaf is not a place to go to if you are only a little hungry. One order of pasta can get you at least two or three meals,although half sizes are available for 30 percent off. However, they do the big orders in the Styrofoam containers because of some of their number one customers–College kids.

Most customers think that Basil Leaf serves great Italian food. Walters and Carter like to think of it as seasonal world cuisine. Other than pasta they serve salads, sandwiches,soups, desserts and whatever else they can get their hands on. A few of their menu items are classic Italian pastas such as spaghetti and meatballs but the main difference is that Basil Leaf puts its own unique spins on their food and they aren’t afraid to do so. Take the Spaghettini Mol’e for example–crushed red pepper, coriander, cumin, and the shocking ingredient:chocolate.

 The rest of the staff consists of seasoned chefs Chris Parks, who has ten years of experience, and Billy Volle, who has about four or five years of experience. Walters is always looking for more people to join the crew. He’s looking for people who have some culinary knowledge, but he doesn’t want them to know more than he does. Interestingly, though, the main group of people Walters is considering on hiring is high school seniors.

“High school seniors with some knowledge of  a culinary background are go getters, while working in other places around Kansas the staff I have employed are seniors because they will do anything for you,” Walters said.

My opinion of the food never changes. By that I mean I’ve never had an item from Basil Leaf that I haven’t found to be delicious and creative at the same time. They always crank out new re-imaginings of dishes that leave you begging for more. Their Shrimp Fettuccine with Lobster Sauce is the perfect amount of surf without the turf. Sauces are always so rich and creamy. I give the Basil Leaf a 15/10 for their perfect pastas–excuse me, I meant to say seasonal world cuisine. Their food can make a fan out of anyone who is not afraid to try something new. They will make your stomachs full and help you forget about your current eating destination which happens to be in a corner of a gas station. Basil Leaf  will soon have their own location after June 1st and I can barely wait. I’ll see you in the long line of people I’m predicting that will be there on opening day.