Bard College's Down The Road Cafe

A week ago I went up to Bard College to watch my younger sister graduate. It was really exciting/sentimental, I got to see my whole family together, and the campus is beautiful so it was a nice break from the city for a couple days.


My sister, on the left

Although there were several big celebratory meals planned for the graduates and their families, some of the time we were left to fend for ourselves, so we ended up eating at one of the campus restaurants. And guess what? They served veggie burgers.


fried dough??? not exactly the healthiest menu I've ever seen on a campus!

You get your choice of toppings – there wasn’t anything fancy to choose from, so I just went for the simple: lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo. The bun was fairly standard fare – toasted but tasting a little stale. The side of black pepper potato chips was an extra 75 cents, I think. Students can use their meal plan here, so prices on the menu are listed in “points” as well as dollars.



All-vegan, this patty is actually homemade – which I thought was pretty impressive for a college campus! (the two colleges I attended definitely only served those pre-packaged frozen veggie burgers we are all too familiar with. Some of them weren’t bad for pre-packaged burgers, but they were nothing close to homemade!). Inside was a mix of black beans and rice with lots of vegetables including zucchini, corn, onions, and peppers. It fell apart quite a lot before I even took a bite – although it was fried to a slight crisp on the outside it was still very mushy. But surprisingly tasty, for a college campus!



I’m sure I’d get sick of it pretty fast if I had to eat here every day of the week, like the students do (my sister is so excited to never have to eat another campus meal again!) but still… not bad.

Cost: $3.50 [or 7 mealplan points]
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 3       Bun: 2      Toppings: 3

Down The Road Café at Bard College
30 Campus Road
Red Hook, NY 12571
845.758.6822

YumVeggieBurger review #58

Updates

I'm back from my roadtrip! And I managed to try two delicious veggie burgers while I was in Canada, so I can't wait to post those reviews - I also have to catch up and post the review of the burger I ate at my sister's college when I attended her graduation last weekend!

And in case you aren't already following Bianca's blog Vegan Crunk, you should definitely check out this great post she wrote about the top 5 burgers in Memphis!

Road Trip!

So it seems that I am heading off on a slightly spontaneous road trip with some new friends I made on the last film shoot!
Our route? Buffalo, then Toronto, then Montreal!

I don't know how much time I will have to track down veggie burgers on this adventure, since my companions most likely have plans to do things other than indulge my crazy obsessions... but I'd like to try to get at least one new out-of-town review. So, dear readers... Any recommendations for me in any of the aforementioned cities? :)

Just Burgers

UPDATE: Just Burgers is now CLOSED. Original review archived below:

A new burger joint opened up in my neighborhood while I was busy working on the film shoot, and I finally had a chance to check it out the other day. I knew from looking at their menu online that they offered a veggie burger, so I was eager to review it…



Since I’d read a couple blog posts reviewing Just Burgers, I already knew the difference between the “regular” burger and the “mini” burger option on the menu (hint: it’s not what you would think… the “regular” is really two patties, whereas the “mini” is just one. Rather misleading, I’d say…) Since I figured most people just walking in off the street, who hadn’t read blog reviews of the place, would automatically choose the “regular” burger, I ordered it for myself - even though, as I saw them toss the two veggie patties on the grill, I knew one (the “mini”) would have been plenty filling for me.

Speaking of the grill, I was initially very impressed to see that Just Burgers uses a separate grill for their veggie patties and buns, and does not grill them on the same surface as their meat burgers. The grill is right behind the counter where you order, so you can see everything that is going on. Unfortunately, just after I had admired the separate grilling surfaces, I saw one of the cooks use the same metal flipper he had used on the hamburgers to flip my veggie burgers.

I realize this probably happens with the majority of the vegetarian food I order when it is cooked in the same kitchen as meat – and I don’t personally police my food so strictly that I ask about that, or that I would refuse to eat it (I tend to date omnivores, most of my friends eat meat, and I have barbecues at my apartment with a “bring your own meat” policy and let my friends cook their meat on the same grill that I cook veggie burgers on. Life is too short to be uptight). But I realize many vegetarians and vegans feel differently than I do about this – so I want to make sure I make them aware of how the food is prepared at Just Burgers. And, honestly, it annoyed me too – because really, if they are already cooking the vegetarian food on a separate grill, would it kill them to have one or two dedicated flippers that are not used on meat?



But I still ate the burger - I had selected lettuce, tomato, chipotle aioli, and jalapeno relish from the selection of “free” (well, included in the cost of your burger) toppings, and then splurged $1 extra for fresh avocado. I’m a pretty big fan of menus that give you a wide variety of toppings to choose from – and Just Burgers definitely offers that. I especially enjoyed the jalapeno relish, and all of the toppings were fresh and delicious.



The patties (remember, the “regular” burger came with two patties!) were definitely higher quality than you would expect from a cheap and quick burger joint. They are made with quinoa (which none of the staff knew how to pronounce) and “daily fresh veggies” – which seemed to consist primarily of carrots. I asked the staff if the patties were vegan, and they confirmed that they were – although they were not sure if the buns contained dairy or not. Each patty was definitely large enough to be satisfying on its own, so if I come back here I will assuredly only order the “mini” burger next time. They were a bit too soft, no crispiness on the outside – and fell apart quite a lot as I ate my way through the burger. But the flavor was still very good.

I ended up with a “regular” bun because I was so distracted by the unfamiliar menu with so many options to choose from for toppings, that I didn’t realize until after I had placed my order that I could have chosen a multigrain bun instead. I asked if they could change my order while the patties were being cooked, and they assured me that they would, but I still ended up with a plain sesame seed bun. I can’t blame them for that too much though, since I did confuse them with the request after my order had already gone though. While the buns may or may not contain dairy (the staff couldn’t tell me for sure), the girl who took my order did mention that they will serve the burgers on lettuce instead of bread – so you could conceivably order an entirely vegan burger from them.



They have a nice outdoor seating area – which I enjoyed although the day was a bit windy and I had to pin down my napkins to keep them from blowing away. And with the choose-your-own-toppings style of the menu, Just Burgers could be a good place to eat semi-frequently without getting bored. But their confusing approach to the preparation of vegetarian food alongside non-vegetarian food was a bit off-putting, even to a rather laid-back vegetarian like me - if I do return for another burger, I will have to ask them why they bother with separate grills if they use the same cooking utensils on both! Logic...

Cost: $5.15 for a regular burger, $4.15 for a “mini” (my order was $6.15 + tax)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 3      Bun: 3      Toppings: 4

Just Burgers
33-01 Ditmars Blvd
Astoria, NY 11105
718.777.1078

YumVeggieBurger review #57

Just for fun...

You should watch this:

Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle Veggie Burger

Well, I’ve (mostly) caught up on all the sleep I lost during the film shoot I spent the last few weeks working on. I finally have a little free time now to post a burger review again, so here’s one that I cooked on the barbecue grill (first grilling of the year!) one afternoon while doing prep work for the shoot.



I had these in my freezer, I think I bought them awhile back to do a review of and then forgot about them. Gardenburger is not a brand I’ve bought before, but I figured you can’t go wrong with black bean burgers most of the time... and these ones are vegan, for all of my vegan readers out there!


frozen, just out of the box

They dried up a little bit on the grill, but that’s unfortunately a common problem for most veggie burgers. I compensate for this by putting lots of juicy toppings on top – like fresh spinach, tomatoes, and grilled onions in this case. As well as a generous spread of chipotle mayo. And you might recognize the bun – these are my favorite, which I pick up at a local market whenever they have them. They’re sometimes a bit small for burgers, but they taste so good.



Yum! Definitely a satisfying break in a long afternoon of work. I cooked one for Kelley, the art director on the shoot who was working with me that afternoon, and she enjoyed it too.



The patties are spicy, with a hearty texture of beans and corn mixed in with peppers and a few other veggies. Black bean burgers always have a richness to them that burgers which try too hard to imitate meat tend to lack. It was tasting a black bean burger for the first time that made me actually like veggie burgers in the first place (way back before I realized they could be even better – orgasmic, even – like some of the amazing ones I have since tasted!), so they are still one of my top choices for store-bought burgers. And Gardenburger’s version is worthy of that place too.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle Veggie Burgers
purchased at Key Food in Astoria
price: $4.29 for a box of 4

YumVeggieBurger review #56

Black Iron Burger Shop

I’m working on a film that starts shooting today, so I may not have time to eat any veggie burgers, let alone post about them, for the next few weeks. But since yesterday was my birthday, I made sure to treat myself to a burger for lunch…



The art director and I were in the east village already, and I remembered coming to Black Iron Burger Shop once before with some friends, but that time I had just eaten and so did not have room left in my stomach to sample the falafel burger! This time I came prepared with a hearty appetite.



The burger comes with lettuce and tomato, but since it was my birthday I treated myself to extra toppings of grilled onions and jalapenos. And it turned out that those were a brilliant choice, because their strong flavors complemented the falafel flavor amazingly well. Now I want to eat more burgers with jalapenos on them!



The bun was your standard soft, squishy, lightly toasted and topped with sesame seeds. I asked the waitress if the burger was vegan or not, and she kindly went to check with the chef, who confirmed that the falafel patty itself was vegan but the bun it was served on was not.



I know I expressed some disappointment over the falafel burger from the GO Burger food truck, but Black Iron Burger has now given me a new appreciation for falafel burgers. Or maybe I was just super hungry from a long morning of work? But this falafel patty was perfectly crispy on the outside, flavorful and rich on the inside, and not too dry in combination with the other components (patty, toppings, etc.) My choice of jalapenos and onions definitely contributed to how much I enjoyed it, and I’d recommend that you order them as well if you come here to try the burger!


First photograph taken of me at age 25!

A very satisfying (and filling – we were stuffed after our meal!) birthday lunch. We ordered a side of fries too, but couldn’t even finish them between the two of us.

I should also note that I think this restaurant has one of the coolest bathrooms in the city – look at these walls:


Cost: $6 (extra toppings $0.50 - $1.50 each, fries $4)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 4      Bun: 2      Toppings: 5

Black Iron Burger Shop
540 East 5th Street
between Avenue A and B
New York, NY 10079
212.677.6067

I did have to spend the rest of my birthday working, but my lovely art director gave me a cupcake from Champs Bakery, and I received happy birthday wishes from the whole film crew. And my awesome father gave me a gift certificate to Candle Café, so look forward to a review of their veggie burger coming soon!

YumVeggieBurger review #55

Vegetarianism in the news... in a bad way

I can't tear my eyes away from all the posts and comments surrounding the VegNews Controversy today...

Thistle Hill Tavern

A friendly reader named Jhonn first alerted me to the veggie burger at Thistle Hill Tavern last fall… but it’s in Park Slope, a neighborhood I must admit I don’t find myself in too often, so I hadn’t had a chance to check it out yet, although I kept hearing the restaurant’s name (it was honored in Time Out New York’s 2011 Food & Drink Awards).



But last weekend my dear friendCarlea, who just so happens to be a brilliant author, came up to New York to participate in a reading at Barbès in Brooklyn. We had to go somewhere for dinner afterwards, to celebrate, so why not someplace that was already on my veggie burger to-try list? (I’m sneaky like that… luckily, my friends humor me).


Carlea reading one of her short stories – check out her blog for a peek at some of her writing!

I tried to make a reservation once we realied we would have six people going to dinner together, but Thistle Hill does not take reservations. So we showed up at the restaurant just after 7pm, and was told there would be an hour-long wait for a table. Okay, we went across the street for drinks and photobooth fun. But an hour later when we came back, there were still no empty tables large enough to seat our party. We ended up waiting an entire extra hour (that’s two hours total!). The restaurant’s host was very apologetic to us though. I just hoped that the veggie burger was worth the wait…



We were finally seated and able to place our orders – the veggie burger is listed on the menu as “vegan burger” so there is no confusion there! Bravo, Thistle Hill Tavern. It arrived with a side of the same tasty fries the host had given us a plate of to snack on while we stood around waiting (a very nice gesture).



The burger was served on a potato roll, which was lightly toasted but still deliciously soft in the middle. And sweet but hearty, which is what I love about potato rolls. The patty itself was equally hearty – a mixture of white beans, mushrooms (tiny enough that they didn’t bother me!) and cracked wheat. I’m not sure I’ve had a burger with cracked wheat in it before, but it gave a great texture to the whole thing. I was quite impressed. Two of my friends also ordered the veggie burgers, and enjoyed them too, although Carlea noted that the patty fell apart quite a bit as she was eating it.


Carlea and Michelle bite into their burgers



I ate all my pickles separately before biting into the burger, because that’s just a habit of mine going as far back as I can remember. But I still kept the lettuce and onion slices on it as toppings – I have to say, I wish there had been a spicy or smokey sauce on top as well. It needed a little bit of an extra kick and some extra moisture. I think sometimes chefs forget that veggie burgers aren’t going to ooze juices like meat burgers do without the addition of any extra elements. A good sauce is the perfect way to make a veggie burger deliciously flavorful and juicy.

Overall, every one in our group decided that although we were quite famished and impatient by the end of our two hour wait for a table, the food was indeed worth the wait - both the veggie burgers and the other entrees that were eaten. And the restaurant staff were very nice to us (complementary appetizers, as well as the aforementioned french fries, won me over) and quite apologetic to us about the wait being twice as long as they had told us it would be. But I would recommend for others coming here in the future that you do not attempt it on a Saturday night with a party of more than two people! Or at least arrive later in the evening after the main dinner rush.



Fun Fact: The ever-observant Carlea pointed out that one of the owners of Thistle Hill Tavern is Fat Mike from the band NOFX

Cost: $13
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 5      Bun: 4      Toppings: 3

Thistle Hill Tavern
441 7th Avenue
at the corner of 15th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
347.599.1262

YumVeggieBurger review #54

Tandoor Chef's Vegetable Masala Burger

Last month I got an email from Tandoor Chef, an Indian food company that sells a lot of vegetarian and vegan dishes, asking me if I had tried their Vegetable Masala Burger. I told them I had not, and had not seen it in my local grocery stores, so they offered to mail me some samples. How could I say no to that?


getting this box in the mail was pretty exciting, I have to say!





I fried one up on the stove (they cook very quickly, probably faster than the average frozen burger) and loaded it up with roasted red peppers on one of my favorite multigrain rolls.



Delicious! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, full of potatoes, carrots, peppers, green beans… And… remarkably similar to the vegetable masala burgers I frequently purchase at Trader Joe’s. In fact, I would swear they are identical. So I grabbed a Trader Joe’s box from my freezer to compare: same ingredients! And also vegan.


Tandoor Chef's burger on the left, Trader Joe's on the right
(Trader Joe's was a bit more frozen since I just took it out of the freezer seconds before the photo)

According to Wikipedia, “Trader Joe's sells many items under its own private labels, requiring their sometimes brand-name suppliers not to publicize this business relationship, and offers these products at a significant discount to brand-name equivalents.”
Hmmm… same burgers? Seems likely to me! Which is good news for people who live in places (like my hometown) that do not have a Trader Joe’s yet, as Tandoor Chef may distribute this product to your local grocery store (check the list of locations on their website).

And like I said when I posted my review of Trader Joe’s burgers, they are truly tasty, and a very versatile patty well worth a place in your freezer.


Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Tandoor Chef’s Vegetable Masala Burger
purchased at: sent to me as a free sample
price: unknown (if anyone sees or buys these at their local grocery, let me know!)

YumVeggieBurger review #53

The First Annual NYC Vegetarian Food Festival

A vegetarian food festival... in a city that loves its food... pretty brilliant idea, no? I was pretty excited about this event, so yesterday I headed over to the west side of Manhattan to check it out just in case there was a veggie burger or two to see...

I knew it started at 10am, and I had thought about trying to arrive early, honestly I did, but I ended up getting a bit distracted that morning, and did not arrive at the venue until 2:45. I saw a line of people as I was walking west on 18th street, and figured there was probably a bit of a line to get in but wasn't too worried - until I realized that this line, sizable though it was, was merely for people waiting to order food from The Cinnamon Snail food truck. The line to for the festival itself was coming towards the doors from the other direction... I followed it the length of 18th street to 7th Avenue, up the avenue, and then back east on 19th street where I finally saw the end of it. It was like waiting in line for a huge concert (and the last time I was in a line that long was probably indeed for a concert).


view of the line going down 7th Avenue

To make a long story short, I waited in line for just over two hours. Security guards from the building the festival was being held in came walking past the line several times and were quite rude to everyone waiting in line, telling us that the doors would be closing at 5:00 and that we would not make it in, and that we should just leave now. When I just stared blankly back at one of them (I was halfway through the line by this time, judging by how fast it was moving I guessed I would just squeeze in through the front door before 5pm) he snapped in my face "Hello? Do you understand me?"


I decided this sign was wrong, since I had gotten halfway through the line in "only" an hour by the time I reached this point... maybe it was a joke? or put up earlier when the line was moving even slower (if that was possible!)


18th Street... half a block away from the entrance! I would point it out in the photo but you still can't really see it yet...

The highlight of the whole tedious line-waiting experience was when the guys from The V-Spot started walking down the line selling vegan empanadas for $3.



Tofu with vegan cheese - it was delicious!

Finally, the line reached the door!


Some of those rude security guys guarding the entrance



Inside was absolutely packed full of people. It was extremely difficult to walk from table to table, people were pushing and crowding, eagerly grabbing at the free samples and trying to shove their way to the front of some of the displays. I didn't see anyone get into an altercation over it, but I would honestly have not been surprised to see a fight break out, it was just that crowded!

I had been a bit worried that there would be no more samples of actual FOOD left by the time I got in, after that lengthy line, but most of the people who had set up tables had thankfully brought enough samples to appease even this insanely large turnout. I tried so many things that I couldn't photograph or write down everything, but it included a lot of vegan chocolate, other desserts, healthy vegetable-based snacks, etc. Some were from companies I'd heard of before (like Earth Balance), others were smaller brands I was not familiar with, and some (like V-Spot, who had a table inside as well) were local restaurants. While most places were giving out small samples for free, others were charging a dollar or two for a small plate of vegan macaroni or a scoop of vegan ice cream.


vegan marshmallows from Sweet and Sara - I was so excited to be able to buy vegan Peeps!


I LOVED the Teese mozzarella sticks! They probably had the biggest crowd of pushiest people around their table, too, all waiting to get a sample.


And I picked up a pack of marshmallows to bring home, since I've never had the chance to buy Dandies before.


The The V-Spot guys posing for a photo!


Delicious vegan macaroni and cheese with mock-chicken from The Loving Hut


There were even samples of Coconut Bliss ice cream


The raffle tickets being drawn for prizes...

I didn't see any veggie burgers anywhere, but I wasn't too disappointed by that (they would be rather hard to serve samples of, I suppose... unless they were sliders!)

Overall, I was glad that I was able to get in and have time to sample everything. Too bad I missed the cupcake and donut eating competitions (not that I wanted to participate... just watch!). Was it worth the long wait in line? I'm not sure. The fact that it was so crowded inside, and so hard to walk around or see anything, was quite a bummer. While I loved the samples that I tried, it seemed like there still weren't really enough different products and restaurants for what turned out to be such a big festival. Clearly the organizers were taken by surprise by the huge turnout, but I'm still a little baffled as to why that came as a surprise, when the event was being promoted so extensively in the last couple weeks.... Technical/organizational difficulties aside though, it was clearly a success - its popularity pretty much guarantees that it will happen again a next year (hopefully bigger and better then!)

When I left, The Cinnamon Snail was still outside - with no line now! I've been dying to try their food for ages (but have never made it out to Hoboken to visit their truck before)... so I was really excited to purchase one of their cinnamon buns. Unfortunately, it was just really stiff and dry, like it had been sitting out all day... which I'm sure it had. I couldn't even finish it. It was probably good when fresh, alas :(



I heard other people in line raving about the sandwiches they got from the truck though, so I'll give them another chance as soon as I can.

Connolly's Pub And Restaurant

My friends’ band, Vonesper played a show here last weekend – along with another awesome band, Erosian Exile. They played a kick-ass show, and it was a great night. I had just come from a long day of working on a video shoot, so I had to grab a bite to eat from the pub’s food menu before the music began….


Vonesper
Photo by Dwayne Burgess

So I ordered the “Big Apple Vegetable Burger”. Connolly's is a crowded pub right next to Times Square, so I didn’t have high expectations. I just wanted something that would fill my stomach, and couldn’t pass up the chance to review a new burger for the blog anyway.



It arrived loaded with melted swiss cheese and sautéed mushrooms (which I, mushroom hater, promptly removed). In addition to lettuce, onion, and tomato, it was also topped with a basil mayo – a new variety of mayo in my book, but one that tasted surprisingly delicious, and added a really unique note to the otherwise standard burger. The swiss cheese was also a really dominant flavor – so I’m not sure that the burger would have tasted as good without it, but with that topping, it was quite flavorful. Although I don’t eat a lot of dairy, once in awhile I make an exception, and this was one that I enjoyed.



In case you couldn’t tell from my description of the toppings (swiss cheese, mayo…) this is not a vegan burger. The patty itself, beneath all that melted cheese, although an obviously pre-made one, was pretty decent. Cooked to a crisp on the outside, and soft on the inside – the usual mix of carrots, soy beans, and other indistinguishable chopped vegetables and binding ingredients. The bun was weighed down beneath all the toppings and patty; the bottom half was squished nearly flat, and a bit soggy, but the top was light and sweet, toasted just a little bit, crusted with sesame seeds.



Overall, I have to hand it to Connolly’s – this was not bad for a veggie burger at a pub in midtown. I was definitely bracing myself for something closer to inedible, but instead I found myself actually enjoying it. Having a pint of Magner’s to wash it down with helped too.

And the show was awesome. You should check out the bands’ websites and give their music a listen:
Vonesper
Erosian Exile

I mean to take photos of the show, in addition to the photos I took of my veggie burger… but I got distracted by watching and dancing, and forgot to. Haha.

Cost: $12
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 2      Bun: 3      Toppings: 4

Connolly’s Pub & Restaurant
121 West 45th Street
between 6th and 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10036
212.597.5126

YumVeggieBurger review #52