Lewes Restaurant Review- Beseme: Small Bites Will Travel

We tried this place on a whim while we were in Downtown Lewes one night. We didn't know much other than we were hungry and wanted to try something different; we certainly didn't know much, okay, anything, about Beseme, so we figured, "Why not?" Turns out the place is a gem. There are a few reasons I say this, but the main two is its unique character and inventive, delicious food. As it also turns out, these two elements are intimately intertwined.

In feel and flavor, Beseme is a reflection of the influences its owners took back with them from each and every European visit, particularly those it seems, from Spain and Italy. As such, their look and their food is fresh, simple and relaxingly elegant. In the case of its look, Beseme is open and airy with warm and earthy overtones and colors. Similarly, its menu though very diverse, is based around carefully selected ingredients classically prepared and creatively inspired.

A case in point is their menu selections known as "Small Bites." These dishes are directly inspired from time spent in Venice where, I'm told, people literally eat their way home, stopping off for bites at local cafes, sampling small but wide varieties of foods and combinations. Since we didn't know what we wanted to eat and still wanted that something different, we thought this was the way to go.

Really wanting to taste it all, we started with a soup trio that consisted of a wild mushroom soup, a butternut squash soup and a light, beef broth based vegetable soup. Each one came served in a cup about as big as an espresso cup and while they were all tasty, I have to say the mushroom was our hands down favorite- creamy, it was very rich and satisfying, one of those soups that you could taste way beyond your taste buds, the kind that you taste as it travels down your throat all the way down to your stomach. Very nice.

Keeping with the spirit of the night, my wife and I both ordered more small plates. She got the Crispy Avacado and I ordered the grilled eggplant salad. The avacado was done nicely, baked with a nice crusty coating and served with wasabi. Honestly though, the thing I like about avacado is why this wasn't my favorite dish; true to good form, the avacado was firm but very tender and for that reason, I didn't think it stood up well to the crusted coating or wasabi dipping sauce. My wife on the other hand loved it, so try it for yourself and see what you think. My eggplant though, was something else. Lightly breaded and fried, it was stacked and mingled with sun dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, shaved Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese, goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. I have to say, this was one of the best things I've ever tasted, full of flavor and texture, it was simply, amazing.

With our main courses over, we figured a quick stop off in Dessert City would be the perfect layover on our way to Pleasantly Fullville so, we ordered a house specialty: cupcakes. Like the rest of the menu, they were simple and delicious - home-made and hand-iced, we ordered more just so we could take them home and give them to some friends.

When we were done, we sat back and smiled not just because we had great food but because we knew we had just found and experienced that something different we'd been looking for. The only down side was that we'd missed it so many times before.

By the way, Beseme has a lot more than small bites plates and portions. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and from what I hear, an amazing Osso bucco.

See You Round Town-
JB