The opening of O’Naturals on Exchange Street marks another step in Portland’s lurch forward toward the realm of healthy eating. There is still lingering doubt as to whether there is enough of a health-conscious culture in the area to support such a movement, but hopes are still high as we begin to see the emergence of an actual health-food store competition (Whole Grocer vs. neighbor Wild Oats). The more traditional food marts have entered the fray as well, cordoning off sections of their stores dedicated to the Eden-esque splendor of apple-from-the-tree eating and environmentally conscious farming. These are typically dubbed " Nature’s Choice, " or " Naturally Yours, " or " Healthyville, " and give the average shopper a chance to see that natural eating does not necessarily mean what is still generally (and wrongly) perceived as fringe dieting: vegetarianism, veganism, and the dilutions of the two.

But O’Naturals’ founders, Mac McCabe and Gary Hirshberg, understand that there is a major difference between natural eating and vegetarianism. Far from being a meat-free environment, at O’Naturals there are steak sandwiches on the menu, as well as meatloaf, chicken, and salmon. According to their literature, all ingredients are " free of additives, preservatives, and multi-syllable stuff that you find in processed foods, " and their meats are " more flavorful because they are raised on the range without growth hormones, antibiotics or television. " If you’ve ever taken the time to find out exactly what your average stockyard cow goes through from birth to slaughter, you’ll appreciate that. (This coming from a staunch steak lover. I did the research, and it was enough to knock me off meat for a few weeks.)

While trying to convince the hesitant masses that eating naturally doesn’t have to change your diet, O’Naturals also caters to those with special dietary needs. Vegetarians and vegans aside, there are multiple wheat-free and dairy-free menu items for those with gluten allergies and/or lactose intolerance. All of these choices are outlined on smaller menus (titled " Wheat Free Diet? Come In & Try It! " and " Dairy Free? Naturally! " ) especially for those customers. This is a great service, because the large menu that you see upon entering the door is slightly overwhelming, even for the omnivore.

Once you make your choices, you wind your way through the cafeteria-like lunch line, placing your plates on a classic brown plastic tray and paying. Unlike other fast-food joints, you can lay down plastic for your stir-fry and sesame green beans, and this has dual implications: The first is that O’Naturals wants to be convenient for the customer, no matter what payment method is handy. But, then again, eating naturally can be expensive. Despite the recent movement to provide corporate sponsorship of sustainable agriculture, you still pay for the peace of mind that comes with eating chem-free. O’Naturals does a good job of keeping the costs down, but it won’t be a draw for those who choose McDonalds because they feel they can’t afford anything better.

Those who do walk into O’Naturals will be treated to a beautiful interior. Clean, colorful, and brightly lit (thanks to the plate-glass windows that look onto Tommy’s Park and Exchange Street), this healthy junk-food establishment can boast the friendly faces and pride in service that you only see in those other places’ commercials.

Truth is, those who choose to work with food that has been cared for tend to care for the food themselves. The dining area’s walls are covered with oriental rugs, and two antiquated bank vaults gape open, exposing the beautiful complexity of the lock mechanisms. The irony of this particular restaurant opening in an old bank is not lost:

Cold corporate capitalism overrun by earth-conscious food-lovers.

And the food is good. The flatbread sandwiches are consistently solid, especially the Bison Meatloaf specialty sandwich with roasted red peppers, cheddar, and mustard. The steak sandwich is pretty much just that, standing out because it’s tender and not stringy like so much lunch-counter meat. The flatbread itself, long, pale loaves that resemble a foccacia/ciabatta hybrid, is soft and chewy and for sale by the loaf. We also tried two of the side dishes, the Herb Roasted Heirloom Potatoes (crispy, sensibly seasoned, and hot) and the Sesame Green Beans (very crunchy, lots of sesame seeds, needed salt). The only real culinary miscues came from some heavy-handedness regarding salad dressings and stir-fry sauces, whose inherent delicate preparations are exceedingly difficult to do well in a cafeteria setting.

Soggy salad aside, the truth is that we need more eating establishments like O’Naturals in this country, and especially here in Maine. A decade ago, supporting local organic farmers meant buying some lettuce and carrots from the farmers market. These days, we can support them similarly by doing what we’d normally do on our lunch hour. Grab a sandwich and a salad, or a plate of noodles and some tabouli, and over time those higher prices will be driven down to where it won’t seem like such an expensive fad to eat chem-free.

Andy King can be reached at snandis@yahoo.com