Remember when, as a kid, you were faced with an unfamiliar
meal? You might recall wrinkling your nose at the new dish threatening to steer
your meat-and-potatoes palate into uncharted territory. Of course, if this
strange, scary dinner elicited a negative reaction from your immature taste
buds, it was probably green (gasp!), fresh (shudder!), and thus quite healthy
(the horror, the horror!).
Sadly, even many grown-up, otherwise daring foodies — ’fess up! —
continue to push away the plate when it comes to veggie dishes. Yes, eating
green (in color and consciousness) is hot, and its reputation has come a long
way, baby, since those disappointing birthday-party barbecues where someone’s
parents slapped Boca Burgers on the grill. But if you’re still not on board the
carbon-free train of healthy eating, be persuaded by Channel Café. Serving
dinner Thursday through Saturday, this underground gem is tucked away at the
Fort Point Artist Building, where local artists live, work, and exhibit in
gallery space just inches from your plate. A local drop point for
community-supported agriculture, Channel Café is by no means strictly
vegetarian, but we’re especially drawn to the Café’s Classic Veggieburger
($8.95), an attitude game-changer for carnivores: a spicy patty of roasted
veggies and chickpeas, nestled in flatbread, and topped with a radiant tzatziki
sauce (who knew cucumber, yogurt, and garlic was the new ketchup?). If the
mealy, tasteless texture of crumbled tofu has turned you off in the past, let
the Tofu Mojo ($14.95) work magic. This grilled tofu steak has a light heft,
akin to salmon, and is prepared with a spicy Puerto Rican sauce that’s anything
but blah. Since you’ve been so good, polish dinner off with a cup of coffee and
brioche donuts ($6 for three), bite-sized treats dusted with cinnamon sugar and
served with ice cream.
The bohemian dinner vibe is assisted by a Friday-night DJ, live
music on Saturday, and a preponderance of creative types like owner Ana Crowley,
a local artist, and chef Brian Van Etten, inked with tattooed tributes to his
beloved cats. He’s one animal lover who can keep them off our plate.
