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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 2015)
Sweet Basil’s Sweet Basil’s Vegetarian Reuben features thinly cut, peppered Tofurkey instead of pastrami. Cannon Beach eatery delivers fresh ingredients I It was a gorgeous summer evening, the shadows just growing long. With clams and Osso Buco before me and an iced mug of beer at my side, Dr. John came over the stereo. The rich, indulgent tastes coupled with the canon- ical New Orleans singer’s raspy swamp funk whisked me away, far from Cannon Beach. Which, I imagine, is pretty much what owner and chef John Sowa intended. While Sowa originally hails from New York, he stud- ied in Louisiana under one of the original ce- lebrity chefs, Paul Prudhomme. After a decade or so in the region, Sowa found his way to the North Coast, where he opened Little Bayou in Seaside. It was big, boasted live music regu- larly, a lively array of hot sauce and a decor all be¿ tting of the Big (asy. In , though, Sowa and his wife felt it time to downsize, so he moved on to open Sweet Basil’s in Cannon Beach. At ¿ rst Sowa planned to do only lunch. He found a small place with a smaller kitch- en. It was — and in many ways still is — less equipped than the average home. (Rather than a stovetop, Sweet Basil’s uses three portable hotplate/camping burners. As such, the menu notes that because of the limitations, food might take awhile, though on my trips the speed was just ¿ ne. Demand quickly grew. “Lunch was pop- pin’,” Sowa told me. So he attempted to ex- pand, albeit incrementally, by offering tapas but quickly found that small plates weren’t what hungry tourists wanted. And so he re- turned to his bayou beginnings with a full dinner menu. But he did so with a strong and unwavering sense, knowing exactly what he wanted — and what he didn’t. For dinner, my companion and I began with the Clams 0ateo (.. In a white wine sauce and loaded with bacon, tomato, caramelized onions and herbs, they were as much a pleasure to look at as they were to eat. (Indeed, with clams the process can be just as enjoyable as the taste. A table adjacent to ours devoured their own bowl so fervently that they quickly ordered a second. “We had one order and we just thought: hey, we’re having anoth- er,” the wide-eyed diner told me. “They’re amazing.” I agreed. My companion and I then shared entrées, the Seafood Jambalaya (. and the Pork Shank Osso Buco (.. Of the two, the taste (and presentation of the Osso Buco tow- ered above the Jambalaya. It was marvelous- ly plated, standing on its head, bones jutting skyward out of a thick tomato sauce under- neath which sat the richest, creamiest parme- 14 | August 13, 2015 | coastweekend.com san-tinged polenta the world has ever known. Removing the caramelized meat from the bones was a delight, and wrapped in the center it remained juicy and steaming hot. The Jambalaya was less memorable, its red sauce almost bland by comparison. The sea- food in the dish — shrimp, craw¿ sh, salmon and crab — was ¿ ne, though not outstanding. The sausage offered a signi¿ cant back-of-the- tongue spice. My companion and I shared the two dishes (neither of which was outlandishly portioned and made a point not to over-eat. We took left-overs, and yet still both felt sig- ni¿ cantly slowed for at least a good hour after ¿ nishing, as if both the brain and body were operating at around percent. (In part, I blame that devilishly creamy polenta... The lunch menu, however, was much leaner. From it I tried ¿ rst the 9egetarian Reuben (., an idea so seemingly anath- ema to the original — it exists because of corned beef — I had to know: Was it fol- ly or innovation? Happily, I found it to be the latter. Thinly cut, peppered Tofurkey adequately appropriated the texture of pas- trami, and the remainder of the ingredients — lightly toasted wheat bread, sauerkraut, The Mouth found this salad to be fresh and fi ll- ing, featuring a base of organic greens, cranber- ries, walnuts, apples and chicken (as well as a few cucumbers and some tomatoes on the side, which had no business being on the plate). Swiss cheese and a lightly sweet Thousand Island dressing — were spot on. Indeed, un- less in the midst of an insatiable craving for red meat, the 9egetarian Reuben is a wor- thy trade — your gastrointestinal tract will thank you. As the menu noted, the Italian Panini (., is “Simply tomatoes, basil pesto, mozzarella and provolone.” Indeed, standard as it was, it sang. It was buttery, oily, full of pesto and balanced by bright tomatoes. (Both sandwiches were served with two or three bites worth of mixed greens, topped with a smidgen of house-made roasted tomato dress- ing, and both could be made vegan with soy cheese. mouth OF THE COLUMBIA COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com Sweet Basil’s Rating: 271 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach 503-436-1539 Finally I had a salad so familiar there ought to name it for it. On a base of organic greens were cranberries, walnuts, apples and chicken (as well as a few cucumbers and some toma- toes on the side, which had no business being on the plate. With a mango-lime dressing that was equal parts of each, the chicken on the Roasted Chicken and Apple Salad (. was perhaps the least appealing ingredient (besides those stubborn tomatoes. The meat was dry and unseasoned. Overall though, the plate was fresh and ¿ lling. It also differed from the menu. In fact, I found two different menus in Sweet Basil’s — the one posted on the win- dow differed ever so slightly from the one on my table. The distinctions were almost mean- ingless. For instance, on the salad one menu said it came with pecans, another said al- monds. I received walnuts. To me this isn’t so much carelessness as Sowa’s commitment to putting the best and freshest ingredients avail- able that are be¿ tting of the dish. And that’s pretty much Sweet Basil’s in a nutshell: Put yourself in Sowa’s hands, and occasionally he’ll carry you away. Hours: Lunch is served from 11:30a.m. to 3:30 p.m. KEY TO RATINGS Wednesday to Monday. Dinner is served 5 to 9 p.m. Wednes- day to Monday. poor Price: $$ – Entrées hover around $20, though lighter fare below average is available. good & worth returning Service: Attentive but structurally quaint excellent Vegetarian / Vegan options: Thoughtful and available, outstanding, the best in the Columbia-Pacific region though not overwhelming Drinks: An extensive selection of wine, as well as beer, coffee and tea.
