Basil Thai, Paso Robles

After a long day of wine tasting, we really needed a hearty meal. I did a quick search of the area and there was a vegan-friendly Thai restaurant located in downtown Paso Robles -- Basil Thai. Yes, yet another Thai restaurant with "Basil" in its name.

The restaurant was busy, but they were able to seat us right away. Zach was done with drinking so he ordered a non-alcoholic drink. I went for more wine and chose a nice Viognier. I mean, hey, I was on vacation so why not?! We started with the Golden Bags as an appetizer. These petit, crispy, rice paper bags were filled with sauteed sweet potatoes, onions, and curry powder served with a cucumber salad. I liked the pairing of a fresh cucumber salad with the fried golden bags as they complemented each other well.
 

For my entree, I decided not to be adventurous -- ordering the same kind of thing I usually enjoy at a Thai restaurant. So, I ordered the Chili Basil in Thai Spicy. A word of caution - when they ask if you want Thai Spicy and you tell them that you do, you better be ready to take the heat. This is burn-your-mouth-off hot, which is right up my alley. The tofu was fried just right and served with mixed vegetables like zucchini, carrots, and bamboo in a chili garlic sauce with Thai basil. It was delicious. And you are able to choose brown rice, which I absolutely love.

The food and service were good. The only downside was the high prices as the entrees were $15 each and the starter was $7. Not really that high, but high for a Thai restaurant in downtown Paso Robles. That said, with the few vegan options in this city, I think it was a great place to go for a nice, hearty dinner. And afterwards, you can stroll through the quaint, little town.

Basil Thai
828 11th Street
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 238-9945

Farmstand 46, Paso Robles

While driving through the beautiful wine country in Paso Robles, midway between Napa and Los Angeles, we came upon Farmstand 46, a little cafe/market. Farmstand 46 is all about preparing gourmet, healthy food from organic estate-grown vegetables and herbs.

I was a little surprised though to find that there was not a vegan sandwich on their menu. Luckily, there was a vegetarian one that was easily modified to become vegan. We placed our orders, then walked around the store where we discovered unique food items such as bars and drinks we hadn't seen before.

Outside you find their gardens, which are where they source the ingredients for their sandwiches and salads. Adjacent to the cafe is a winery because you really can't have a cafe without a winery in Paso Robles.

When our food was ready, we took a seat at a shaded picnic table outside and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The sandwich I ordered was about as good as it gets in this less-than-vegan-friendly town. The Badger, as it is called, had roasted squash, eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, onions, and basil pressed in a panini grill on ciabatta. It was quite tasty. It was served with pickled green beans, cauliflower, carrots, and celery.

We could have sat there for hours, but, fortunately, we had more wine tasting to do!  This is a great place to grab a quick, healthy lunch as you take a break from tasting the big, bold wines of Paso Robles.

Farmstand 46
3750 Highway 46 W
Templeton, CA 93465
(805) 239-3661