Photo by Maggie Pope
1. Incredi-Bowl
$8 at North End Juice Co.
This sweet smoothie nest of spinach, almond butter and kale, feathered with coconut flakes, mango chunks and house-made granola, is almost too pretty to mar with a spoon. Do it anyhow and eat like a bird (who’s having dessert).
2. Saigon Soup and Vegetable Spring Roll
$5 each at Sen Organic Small Plate
This artful primavera in pottery is a deep serving of hot, gingery broth brimming with organic asparagus, green onion and peas, and studded with Twin Oaks tofu. Enjoy with a vegetable roll cloaked with lettuce, basil and mint, for best results.
3. Japanese Flatbread with Juicy Tea
$8.75 and $2.75, respectively, at Goatocado Kitchen
Crash your mouth into naan chockablock with baby arugula, toasted nori, red pepper, cashews and blazing charred jalapeños. Experience this messy delight before washing it all down with a mint-lime cooler on the breezy patio.
4. Snow Pea Leaves with Oyster Mushrooms
$15 at Edo’s Squid
My adoration for snow pea leaves rivals that of a reoccurring summer romance: They’re highly anticipated out of season, then hungrily savored in all their fleeting glory. Edo’s sautés leaf tips, and blankets the dish with garlic and mushrooms.
5. Avocado Flan
$5 at C & M Galley Kitchen
A shimmering disk whose center blushes just-barely green, dripping with caramelized sugar; think of eating Italian cheesecake, full-bodied and weighty — more so than the familiar jiggle of a standard crème caramel.
