Eat This Now: Basil Delight

By Jackie Fender on September 16, 2014

I've always daydreamed about living in a city where everything can be delivered. You know, deliveries we see in films and popular sitcom shows.

Ding-dong ... enter Chinese cuisine.

Ding-dong ... enter Italian fare.

Ding-dong ... enter deli delectables.

In Tacoma, delivery food options are sparse. Ignoring pizza, the delivery area is very limited, too.

So, take-out it is.

Mor eoften than not, I throw on a sweatshirt, run my fingers through my hair and jet to East West Café in Tacoma's Proctor District. It's close to home, offers flavorful exotic cuisine and serves the Basil Delight ($8.75-$11.25).

How do I even begin to communicate my adoration for this dish?!

The Basil Delight is complex. First, you have the choice of protein (chicken, beef, pork, prawns) sautéed with aromatic whole basil leaves. Next, the dish arrives with lots of perfectly-cooked veggies such as carrots, broccoli, zucchini and peppers - all evenly coated with a fabulous matrimony of curry, bourbon and East West Café's "special sauce."

What's in the special sauce?

I couldn't begin to tell you, but it's damn tasty and holds a special place in my heart.

The East West Café follows the typical Asian 1 to 5 star heat system - 1 being not spicy and 5 being HOT, though this tends to be an inconsistent form of measurement and dependent upon who is cooking up the dish. I recommend addING a squirt of sriracha if you like it hot.

Sure, dining in at East West Café yields a comfortable atmosphere and friendly service. If you can't swing it, the flavors hold in the take-out containers.

Arriving at home, I often ring my doorbell so my family may enjoy the cool kids sitcom experience.

EAST WEST CAFÉ, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, 2514 N. Proctor, Tacoma, 253.756.5092.