Art Burn: Food sizzles, art fizzles at Caffe Boa

Is that a plain black cloth triptych, or do our eyes deceive us?? Neutral walls, high ceilings, pretty brick -- we get that. What's not so clear is why this alcove's walls are dominated by a giant black sound baffle and nothing else. 

Admittedly, when our lunch arrived, the surroundings became an afterthought. For about $12, we paired "Cape Cod" ravioli (think cranberries, chicken and cheese) with a Greek-style salad of cucumber, olive, cherry tomato and mixed greens. The portions are small, but the richness of the pasta makes up for it. 

Now back to the art. It wasn't all bad. A jazz-themed mural by M. Brandon Vela adds color and life to the space above that apparently noisy alcove. We assumed the room is for live music (thus the speakers/baffles/whatever), but either way, Vela's cartoony caricatures bring the lofty space back to earth with a touch of humor that says "we take ourselves seriously, but we can still have fun.  

A second mural of vino, pesche (fish), bread and other Italian food staples was cute, but this quirky display of bottles and the accompanying shoe painting stood out. We figured the random elements were so out of place that there must be a story there, and there was. The painting was brought in by local artist Aleksandra Buha only a few days earlier, and the bottles are part of a contest Caffe Boa is currently running where patrons can "recycle" used liquor bottles as art for a chance at $100 in gift certificates and prizes.

Us left-wing liberal hippie writers are suckers for earth-friendly art projects, you know, so --despite the flowers -- we were totally won over in the end.