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.
