In Pike/Pine’s lofty, fir-floored Piston and Ring Building, Makini Howell cooks up feisty-flavored plant-based renditions of classic comfort foods and elegant New American staples: spicy Cajun Mac ’n’ Yease, a jerk tofu “burger,” Cajun-fried seitan (wheat gluten) “steak” with wild-mushroom gravy. Vegans and omnivores alike can relish Howell’s bold flavors and plate-filling portions of decidedly nonvegetal textures, but she also knows when to keep things straightforward, like pan-roasted cauliflower or betruffled gnocchi.