Cafe Green

*Post by Mark.

I had started to believe that Cafe Green was only a tease. Over a year ago, the sign made its first appearance in a stretch of 17th beside Mr. Yogato, Sushi Taro and Komi. This sign proved to be a mirage providing nothing more than false hope of fresh, green and vaguely Asian things that I'd never consume as no restaurant ever materialized inside the vacant space. A few weeks ago, I did a double-take as I walked past. After over a year of unrealized promise, there was now a menu posted from the same folks responsible for Java Green.  Cafe Green offers an all-vegan menu, with soy-free, gluten-free, nut-free and raw options.

We chose to avoid the sun and checked out the casual interior. The decor inside is a warm mix of exposed brick and brightly painted wall. In addition to the outdoor patio (above, right) there is a main floor with limited seating and an upstairs dining room with even more space. 

Being a full-blown carnivore who appreciates his soy and his gluten and all of this world's unhealthy cooking processes, I walked in with an open mind but was expecting to hate the food. That didn't happen. We started out by ordering two appetizers. It took a little bit of time to arrive (which was understandable as I only saw a few people in the kitchen and they were handling a small lunch rush) and we were excited by the attractive offerings when they finally made their way to our table.

The first appetizer was the spring roll (above), a five-spice "chicken" with organic veggies blanketed in a traditional Vietnamese wrap. It was covered in a healthy portion of green onion and sesame seeds. It was really fresh and delicious, with nice, sweet notes.

We also ordered the Mandoo, sauteed Korean vegetable dumplings. They were served with peanut and tamari dipping sauces. I loved the texture of the dumplings but maybe felt like it was missing a little something. It's tough to critique when eating healthy, because you're automatically passing over ingredients and cooking techniques that would potentially make for tastier foods. That having been said, I remained fairly impressed.  And Angela actually really loved the dumplings, and could not stop dipping her fork into the sauces when the rest of the food was gone.

For my meal, I ordered the Steak and Cheese sandwich (above), which combines seitan with Korean Bolgolgi ("beef"), sauteed peppers and onions, and was then smothered in a home-made cheese sauce. This was probably our least favorite of the dishes we ordered. I wasn't completely in love with the combination of tastes. The cheese sauce was a little overwhelming. The proteins weren't particularly tender. That having been said, it was a new experience and I'm trying to stay open to healthier ingredients.

Angela's sandwich was the Club Sandwich. It was served with deli "turkey," soy bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and vegan cheese. The triple-decker had a surprising amount of flavor between the creamy avocado and the crunchy soy bacon.

Cafe Green has been open for about a month now. I'd heard mixed reviews on both the service and the food, and I sense that they're still working out the kinks. Two servers (albeit friendly) seemed spread a little thin between an upstairs, a downstairs, a kitchen and a patio. The kitchen also seemed spread thin, with only a few workers seemingly making dishes one at a time. Perhaps the slow pace is the tone Cafe Green wants to set going forward, or perhaps it will continue to evolve and adapt to the demands of its diners. 

All of the listed meats on the menu are actually just textured vegetable/soy protein, but I was confused and curious why the menu was misleading in listing them as meats. Why not list them using quotation marks (ex. "chicken")? Regardless, in my personal opinion, Cafe Green, with a few steps in the direction of improvement, could become a welcomed fixture in Dupont Circle.  I'm looking forward to going back sometime for dinner to get their Sweet Potato Gnocchi.

(The Prince of Petworth has Cafe Green's downloadable menu available on his blog.)