The best vegetarian restaurants are those that downplay the vegetarian angle, acting as if it’s a preference the way certain chefs prefer certain garnishes. It’s no big deal. It’s just the way we do things. Mana Food Bar is discreet in its devotion to vegetarianism, highlighting instead the diminutive character of the place: small plates, small room, lean selection, all done with stylish flare. I was half way through my meal before I noticed that everything I was eating was meatless.
What really brought it to my attention was the bulgogi. Typically a Korean barbecued beef with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic, the version at Mana was seared tofu and shitake mushrooms and it went completely past me until my wife pointed it out. Look, no sirloin. I checked the menu. What ho! She was correct. The same was true of everything we’d eaten. A rich pallet of distinct flavors with nary a speck of animal flesh. I was impressed.
The tomato pumpkin ravioli was a homerun, the sage cream sauce introduced a mild, milky smoothness that gave way to a soft, crunchy pillow of vegetable complexity. The blue cheese tart with carmelized onions was quite yummy although the cheese tended to eclipse the flavor of the onions. The salad of raw yellow and green squash with basil pesto and cherry tomatoes was outstanding, while the thin-sliced beets with arugula and apple sauce in raspberry vinaigrette were quite good but failed to outshine other top-notch beet salads in the neighborhood.
Each dish is offered large ($7-$15) or small ($2-$7) but in keeping with the spirit of the place we recommend you go small and sample a variety of dishes from the rather abbreviated menu.
Not only is the menu small, but the room is a mere shoebox, housing six tables and an eight seat dining bar. When the sidewalk tables are taken in for the winter the place loses half its seating capacity. Yet what Mana gives up in size it takes back in style. The sage brick walls and Japanese shoji panels lend the room a zen-like quality and they keep a close eye on the music volume here, realizing that if they cranked it up as loud as their neighbors, it would be unbearable in a room this size. A calm, civilized air prevails.
The one place where Mana falls down is in the drinks selection. If you’re looking for Saki, you’re in luck, as they have a decent Saki selection given the size of the place, but there are only eight wines and four beers in bottle. Fewer than one might like.
Otherwise Mana Food Bar does small remarkably well. Subtle in disclosure, deft in execution, Mana Food Bar proves that minimal doesn’t mean deficient.
Mana Food Bar
1742 W. Division St.
773-342-1742 / Reservations Not Accepted
Hours: M-Th Noon-10pm; F Noon-11pm; Sa 11am-11pm; Su 11am-10pm
Features: Outdoor Dining, Carryout
Avg price of a meal for two including drinks and tax $72
Chef: Jill Barron
Website: www.manafoodbar.com
Comments