Boneshakers

It’s not always easy for vegetarians to have a good time eating out in the city. As most can tell you, menus usually contain one or two good vegetarian options, unless one wants to stick with the salad. I was talking the other day to a couple friends who live up in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. It’s far, but at least there’s good food up there, I said. Not if you’re vegetarian, one declared! “When we move away, we’ll have no reason to go back. Especially not to the one weird Italian restaurant that doesn’t serve meat!” Yikes. Limited food options are definitely one way to make a neighborhood less fun. I haven’t even mentioned those of the vegan persuasion, they get the even shorter end of the stick! And with vegan option like Pennylicks on Bedford Ave going out of business, where’s a guy to go to get a vegan fix?
After my conversation with my food challenged friends, I realized that I myself am a little bit guilty, as I haven’t really given much space to vegetarian options in this column beyond noting one or two meatless dishes. Enter Boneshakers, a coffee shop I began going to when it opened last year at 134 Kingsland at Beadel. It’s located in the nebulous region of East Williamsburg where houses peter out and warehouses run up to the Newtown Creek. It’s a bit tricky to get to, there aren’t even cross walks to keep you from being run down by a tractor-trailer, not to mention that it is a little bit far from public transportation. That said, the biker aesthetic of this café makes perfect sense. It’s probably the easiest way to get there, and once you are you can park you bike inside.
There is almost always plenty of seating inside, and tall ceilings and giant storefront windows make it a pleasant place to sit down and get some work done. The coffee is from the upstate roastery, Gimme!, just outside Ithacan, NY.
As for the menu, there is nothing on that has meat in it. It’s all vegetarian, and is often vegan. That sort of flips the usually situation on its head doesn’t it?
First off, the salads are delicious. Try the Let Coppi Go made with mixed greens, braised pears, goat cheese and walnuts, ($8). The extra step of braising the pears really makes this one.
But why have the salad when you are no longer relegated to that part of the menu? Go for the Kevin Bacon, ($8). It’s a tempeh bacon, tofu cream cheese, roasted red pepper, and sprouts sandwich on a pressed hero. The bread, by the way is brought in fresh for Balthazar in Manhattan.
There is also the Rueben, ($8.25), with beefurky, purple cabbage sauerkraut, vegan cheese, and Russian mayonnaise. Or there is the Merckx Werkx, (the x’s on the end of the name provide another clue as to the clientele,) with tofurky, sham, and olive tapenade on ciabatta, ($9.25).
All of the different names for fake meats can set your head spinning, and at times the food falls into the bland trap often set by soy meat substitutes. But the atmosphere is great, and even for those who would rather sink their teeth into a burger, stop by for the coffee and one of the vegan baked goods made in house daily.

Boneshakers
134 Kingsland Avenue