I'm a big Pardes fan! But it's not meant to be your regular restaurant- more of a one-time experience. Go there too often and you'll soon become bored...
Also chef Moshe Wendel is the one who created Basil's menu. So if you like their weirder dishes you'll probably like Pardes. That being said- italian style / milchig cooking and flavors are a lot more familiar to many, so you might still find the fleishig Pardes too weird.
They have a great selection of interesting beers that come in their special glasses- we enjoyed the Kwak! It was deep and rich with great caramel undertones.
Regarding their menu- it's seasonal and changes quite frequently (sometimes daily), so it's hard to recommend dishes.
The chef updates the Pardes Facebook page regularly so check what new menu items might be available for just that day.
If you go for more traditional tastes- they always have some version of the Fries, 'BLT' and Meat Pizza (though the Tongue Pizza was a lot better than the current Beef Cheek Pizza) on the menu.
But really the specialty of the house is their 'Bacon' Mousse (basically a delicious, creamy lamb pate). The first time we went they served on the house, it was a warm dollop of mousse on paper thin crackers, topped with coffee roasted shallots- it was the tiniest, most flavorful bite I probably ever had. Now they hardly ever have it on their menu- but they usually have some in stock. You gotta ask for it and they might bring you a spoonful- it's still delicious cold.
Some people complain that the food takes a long while until you get it- the reason for that is that almost all the food is created fresh for you by the chef. Your waiter will also probably tell you which dishes take longer to prepare and which ones will come faster so that you aren't waiting hungrily for too long.
The paprika popcorn is great for munching on while you're waiting for your food.
