In the midst of celebrating its one-year anniversary, Sweet Basil – a classy Thai cuisine restaurant – has something for anyone in the mood for authentic Thai dishes. Ideal for a group of friends or a casual but tasteful date, this restaurant perfects the art of mixing dining with style.
The menu’s many pages challenge indecisive customers who want to taste all of the restaurant’s tempting options. Like traditional Italian cuisine, a true Thai meal has several courses. For thrifty college students whose budgets allow for only an occasional indulgence, plates are large enough for two to three people to mix and match orders and revel in Sweet Basil’s cuisine.
For appetizers, choose from items such as pot stickers with a delectable plum sauce or fried tofu. Next, opt for curry (red, yellow or green), stir-fries filled with loads of fresh vegetables and meat, fried rice, noodles (Pad Thai makes an appearance, of course), soups and salads. Vegetarians can substitute tempeh or tofu for meat on most plates.
Many of the dishes are only for those who can handle spicy food. The menu denotes which dishes have a sizzling flavor, and customers determine the degree of fire suitable for their taste buds. The servers ask customers their spice level of preference on a scale from 1 to 5, 5 being extremely hot and 3 being just hot enough.
The restaurant carries more than its signature menu items. Each month new dishes make their debuts as the specials. January’s items include Fisherman’s Fried Rice – home-style jasmine rice cooked with crabmeat, calamari, shrimp and vegetables – and a traditional red curry with spinach, pumpkin and choice of beef, shrimp or tofu. The Dessert of the Month is Sweet Basil’s original chocolate cocoa cake with roasted almonds.
Prices at Sweet Basil range from $6 for simple dishes to $24 for dishes with salmon or scallops. With an appetizer, which averages $7, customers can leave spending only about $15 per person.
The unique presentation of the food is equally impressive to the taste. Each entree comes with a carrot carved into a flower bud and a side of jasmine rice (included with most meals) served in the shape of a star.
Sweet Basil’s ambiance feels like trendy-Manhattan meets laid-back-Eugene. During busy evening hours, the restaurant’s servers and employees dutifully attend to the customer-packed tables. With the tables situated a foot apart from one another, the room resembles a Thailand marketplace.
One of the restaurant’s main walls has a mural of daily life in Bangkok, while the other walls – painted in warm, bright shades of red and mustard yellow – make the room feel inviting. Ornamental masks and paintings line the walls, and a large canoe hangs from the ceiling. The room’s decor complements the theme of tranquility, and adds to the liveliness of the crowd.
Located in the heart of Eugene’s downtown at 941 Pearl St., Sweet Basil caters to 21-year-olds seeking a nightlife scene. The restaurant’s full-service bar with fine liquors, brews, an extensive wine selection and a Plasma TV blends the strictly dining side of the room with a lounge feel. On weekend nights, the restaurant’s younger crowd of swanky bar-hoppers socializes over martinis and authentic Thai drinks until Sweet Basil closes at 1 a.m.
Although reservations are not necessary to dine at Sweet Basil, they are recommended.