The Green Bean Cafe

It’s not too often that I find myself in New York’s Upper East Side neighborhood, so when I do, I make an effort to find a new veggie burger to try while I am here. The Green Bean Café sounded like a great spot with an extensive vegetarian and vegan menu, so I stopped here for lunch.



After ordering the vegan “chedder burger”, I was surprised when my meal arrived looking like this:



I guess “7 grain bread” meant sliced bread, not the bun I always imagine when I hear the word “burger”. That isn’t just me, right? When you hear “burger” you picture a patty on a bun too, don’t you?

Now, this was quite tasty bread, I must say – just not what I was expecting.



The burger patty seemed to be of the pre-made variety, some kind of soy and vegetable mash blend. Not faux meat, but not particularly exciting either.

The toppings – sautéed onions, mushrooms, tomato, lettuce, vegan mayo, and mustard – were all good. Except the mushrooms, since I am a mushroom-hater, so I picked them off. And there was tons of melted cheddar daiya cheese. Tons!

It was really more like a vegan grilled cheese sandwich with a veggie patty thrown in. Which is actually not a bad idea, and could be really satisfying on a cold, rainy day. But if you were looking for a traditional burger, you would probably feel a bit disappointed to receive this instead.



Cost: $7.50
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 2       Bun: 2      Toppings: 3

The Green Bean Café
1413 York Avenue
between 75th & 76th St
New York, NY 10021
212.861.1539

YumVeggieBurger review #119

Rest In Peace, delicious vegan food

2014 is not starting off so hot for NYC Vegans... two of my favorite restaurants have closed this month!

Last week I walked past Viva Herbal Pizzeria, my go-to Manhattan location for vegan pizza by the slice, only to find the lights off and a for-lease sign in the window. A quick google search turned up a report on its closing from EV Grieve.

And now one of my favorite vegan bloggers, Abby Bean, reports that Foodswings has closed too.

Foodswings, also known to my friends as "that greasy spoon vegan place" and "the vegan stoner restaurant", was one of my favorite guilty pleasures. None of their food even pretended to be healthy, but it was all so delicious.

Their veggie burger was one of the first earlist ones that I reviewed back when I started this blog in 2010!


Although truth be told, I usually ordered their vegan buffalo wings and a pistachio-peanut-butter milkshake instead of a burger most of the times I ate there. I never even ate buffalo wings before I became a vegetarian, if you can believe that! (I used to be such a picky eater) But in the last couple years I became addicted to Foodswings' wings, and I am deeply saddened to see them disappear.

While vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more accepted and more popular, and more non-vegetarian restaurants are offering vegan options on their menus, it is scary to see some of my favorite all-vegetarian/vegan places in NYC being driven out of business by rent costs and other factors.

RIP, Foodswings - you will be mourned and missed, from the bottom of my empty belly which is currently craving vegan buffalo wings! :(

I took my boyfriend to Hooters

Last weekend, I took my boyfriend out to dinner.

Me: Want to go to Hooters?
Boyfriend: Wait, seriously???

Why? Because I had heard that they have a secret veggie burger that is not listed on the menu!

For those not familiar with the American restaurant chain, allow me to refer you to the Wikipedia article which explains ”The Hooters name is a double entendre referring to both its owl logo, a bird known for its "hooting" calls, as well as an American slang term for female breasts.”



And believe it or not, there is a Hooters location in Manhattan. It’s kind of hidden off to the side behind this parking garage, but it’s there.



I have actually been to a Hooters before. A couple years ago I was working on a film shoot in Massachusetts, and when we arrived at our hotel late at night, Hooters was the only restaurant nearby that was still open. I didn’t know about the secret veggie burger back then, so all I could eat were fried pickles and some fries. Despite what the chain is -ahem- known for, I was surprised to see that the restaurant was mostly full of families with young children.

The Manhattan crowd was a bit older. There were less children and more grown men, some in groups, and some sitting by themselves… I mean, I’m sure they just wanted to come enjoy the famous chicken wings in solitude, you know? There were a few families with children, other couples on dates, two girls celebrating a birthday together, and foreign-speaking tourists who seemed like they had made Hooters one of the sight-seeing stops on their American tour.



I spent several minutes looking over the menu, but could not find any mention of the veggie burger option. It is listed on the Hooters website: ”Veggie burger patties available.” but if it is actually printed anywhere on the menus they hand you in the restaurant, I would love to have someone point it out to me, because I could not find it!

So when our waitress arrived to take our order, I asked “Is it true that you offer a veggie burger that’s not listed on the menu?” she confirmed that the mythical Hooters veggie burger does indeed exist, and I happily ordered it. To be honest, I had actually called ahead just to make sure it was real. And on the phone, I asked the restaurant if it was vegan or not. They were not sure, but thought that it might have some cheese in the patty – so vegans, try at your own risk!



Ta-da! It’s real! The oblong patty looked very similar to the Don Lee Farms veggie patties which I’ve bought at Costco in the past. It was a bit thin, but a nice mix of rice and grains, with a pleasant hint of pepper and spice.



I requested lettuce, tomato, and mayo for my toppings. What can I say? They were average. The waitress gave me a little packet of mayonnaise to squeeze out onto the burger. I wish they would just put the veggie burger on the menu with a list of options for toppings! It also came with a pickle and a choice of several sides – I chose potato salad, I think coleslaw was another option. The bun was also average, a bit too dense and dry.


I look way more excited than I had any reason to be about this burger!

Overall, a disappointing veggie burger compared to some of the amazing ones I have been fortunate enough to enjoy – but realistically, pretty much what I expected from Hooters. At least now I know that the secret veggie burger really does exist! And my boyfriend and I had an amusing dinner experience quite different from the usual restaurants we go to!

I wouldn’t willingly seek out this veggie burger again (especially after we got the bill and saw what they charged for it!), but if I am ever stuck in the middle of nowhere with Hooters as my only dining option, at least now I will know I can order something more substantial than sides. Although if you are thinking of trying the veggie burger at a different Hooters location, I would recommend that you call ahead to make sure that it is something the other branches of the franchise also carry.


Oh, and these are the weird wet-wipes they gave us after our meal. I don’t mean to sound elitist, but… given the reputation Hooters has crafted for itself, and the demographic they are marketing to, do they really think their average customer gets the “joke” printed on these?

Cost: $12.29
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 3       Bun: 2      Toppings: 2

Hooters
211 West 56th Street
between 7th Ave & Broadway
New York, NY 10019
212.581.5656
chain restaurant with locations throughout the U.S., check website for addresses

YumVeggieBurger review #118

Energy Fuel

Happy New Year! Now that the holidays are over and work has slowed down, I've got a whole bunch of exciting new reviews to share. I was recently working over near Fort Greene for a few days, and took the opportunity to check out a new veggie burger on my lunch break:



Energy Fuel bills itself as a restaurant and juice bar – with a ton of different mostly-healthy sandwich, salad, and wrap options, including many more vegetarian choices aside from the burger.



The burger arrived inside a whole-wheat pita. I guess because that’s healthier than a bun? I don’t mind a burger inside a pita (example, Sparrow Tavern’s excellent veggie burger!), but it’s usually not my first choice just because when I am craving a burger I am usually imagining one with a bun.



The greens were very fresh, and the tomato slice was nice and juicy. The slices of cucumber mixed in were a nice surprise, something I don’t often see in burgers. But I really wish there was some kind of dressing or sauce! It just needed that extra kick of moisture and flavor.



The patty was some kind of average pre-made mash of carrots, corn, and soy beans. It was served steaming hot, and it did fill me up for the rest of the day, but its flavor was not particularly memorable. I asked the restaurant staff if it was vegan, and they seemed confident in saying that yes, it was.

I would probably return here to try a juice or smoothie (they had so many different options, including smoothies made with soy milk instead of dairy!), or a different sandwich on the menu, but if I really want a burger I’ll go someplace that serves a more exciting one.

Cost: $7.00
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 3       Bun: 3      Toppings: 3

Energy Fuel
386 Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
347.889.6990
additional locations in Brooklyn and Queens, check website for addresses

YumVeggieBurger review #117

Joy Burger Bar

I was expecting one of those modern choose-your-own-toppings trendy chain burger joints, but when I walked into Joy Burger Bar I was greeted instead by nice old-fashioned charm! From the old menu board and other signage to the tables and chairs, this place had great character.



You still choose your own toppings here, and their slogan is “the sauces make the difference” because they offer a wide variety of sauces – I went with the spicy mango chutney!



I asked if the burger was vegan, and they couldn’t tell me if the bun was or not (so possibly/likely not), but they showed me the label from the store-bought veggie patties that they use. They are made by a company called Maplecrest. I thought I would be able to google them and find them online, but no luck so far – has anyone else heard of these veggie burgers? Do you know if they are vegan or not?


After you place your order, you get a playing card instead of a number to tell when your order is ready!



The bun was whole wheat – soft and fresh, but not toasted. Just your basic bun. The patty tasted very starchy (potatoes? Rice?) with bits of carrots and peas. It was very soft, and kind of bland.



Luckily, the toppings made up for the lack of flavor – I had chosen lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, and added avocado for $1.25 extra, because why not? Those alone are great toppings, but the spicy mango chutney stole the show. More sweet than spicy, I loved this chutney! I could put it on everything and eat it by the spoonful, seriously. It totally elevated this burger to a more enjoyable level.

Cost: $6.55 – add an extra $1.25 for avocado
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 2       Bun: 3      Toppings: 5

Joy Burger Bar
361 6th Avenue
on the corner of Washington Place
New York, NY 10014
212.414.9500
second location in the upper east side as well, check website for address

YumVeggieBurger review #116

Veggie Burgers in the News

Ha, did anyone else catch this bit of news featuring Anderson Cooper and Bareburger?
Anderson Cooper's Favorite Black Bean Burger from Bareburger

Read my original review of Bareburger here.

The Best Thing I Ate This Month That Wasn't A Veggie Burger

...was this Soyatoo vegan whipped cream made from rice milk. Mmmm!



Especially on top of leftover pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving!

Thanks to the guys from the Green Radish Food Truck for serving this delicious whipped cream on top of their vegan hot chocolate, and telling me that they found it at Whole Foods! I braved the pre-Thanksgiving grocery-shopping crowds to pick up a can of it for myself, and it was totally worth it :)

My Vegetarian Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving - I love cooking, and hosting dinner parties, and I love eating foods that bring back memories from my earliest years of eating Thanksgiving dinner with my grandparents. And when people ask what a vegetarian eats on Thanksgiving, I can't help but laugh, because I eat SO MUCH! I have never felt like I am "missing out" by leaving the turkey out of my Thanksgiving dinner.

This year I'm staying in New York for the holiday, and hosting dinner at my apartment. So I've been spending the afternoon prepping things for tomorrow, cooking anything that can be made a day in advance and heated up again so there is less to do and less fighting over oven and stovetop space tomorrow!

As I do every year, I made my favorite vegetarian entree: Holiday Cashew Nut Roast - from Vegetarian Times

This is the loaf before it goes into the oven - I made a half-recipe because we're having a smaller group of guests this year. And I put a second row of tomatoes on top after I took this photo, but I wanted you to be able to see the yummy eggplant first!

And of course: Vegetarian Gravy - from NPR.org

Even meat-eaters love this gravy! My family used to make two batches of gravy each year, one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian, but recently we've switched to just making the vegetarian one, because everyone likes it anyway!

Tomorrow I'll make the roast potatoes and root vegetables, peas, rolls, my grandmother's sweet potatoes (topped with vegan marshmallows from Sweet & Sara) and pumpkin pie!

What are you cooking for Thanksgiving this year?

Fiddlesticks

I should note that this pub was a second-choice for a very belated lunch, when our first choice had no empty tables and what looked like a significant wait…



Nonetheless, I like a good pub. They had a veggie burger on the menu, so I was game to give Fiddlesticks a try. The décor inside was quite nice, I liked all the little nooks and crannies and different areas of seating, and they had candles and Christmas lights all around. There was an American football game on the large tv screens, which kind of killed the mood, but sadly that seems standard in many otherwise-enjoyable bars and pubs.



Unfortunately, the service was disappointing. Our waiter was slow and unnattentive; he seemed more interested in the football game than his customers. And it took over 30 minutes for our food to come out of the kitchen - although oddly enough, another couple sitting a few tables away had ordered after us and received their food much faster.

And, to continue the theme, the veggie burger itself was a disappointment.



The bun was nice – soft, with lots of sesame seeds – but that was the best part of the whole burger. The toppings consisted of a very sad piece of lettuce that was mostly stalk, the lone tomato slice was small, there was too much raw red onion, the pickles were the most bland pickles I've ever eaten, and there was no sauce (the little cup of sauce in the previous photo was the curry sauce for my fries, which were overfried to the point that most were rock hard and inedible). The waiter didn’t offer us ketchup or mayo, or ask if we needed anything else.



And the patty itself, well, as you might have expected, it was an average, boring, premade patty. A thin, dry mash of vegetables with little flavor. And no idea if it was vegan or not (probably not). I wasn’t expecting much else from a pub that most likely caters to the meat-eating crowd, but I was kind of offended that they would dare charge $14 for something so mediocre! And the fries (which came with it) weren’t even any good!



Definitely a place I will avoid returning to.

Cost: $14
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 2       Bun: 3      Toppings: 1

Fiddlesticks
56 Greenwich Ave
between Charles & Perry Street
New York, NY 10011
212.463.0516

YumVeggieBurger review #115

The Green Radish Food Truck

EDIT: The Green Radish no longer serves the chickpea burger, but I posted an updated review HERE describing how much I enjoyed their black bean burger!

Ever since The Cinnamon Snail reported the arrival of a new vegan food truck in NYC, I’ve been eager to check out The Green Radish (and by the way, isn’t it awesome that there is so much demand for vegan food in NYC that a second vegan food truck is welcomed as a friend instead of as competition?)



Work and travel and life kept me from visiting the truck – until yesterday, when I finally caught up to it parked on 38th Street and Broadway in Manhattan.



I really wanted to try the black bean burger, but sadly I had gotten there at the end of lunchtime and they were sold out of it! Luckily, they offer not one but THREE veggie burgers – so I simply opted for the chickpea burger instead (the third one is a Portobello burger).



I’ve tried a couple chickpea burger patties before, and I have to say, I always found them rather dry and unimpressive. But this burger totally changed my mind! There was so much juicy, tangy flavor in it! The patty was thick and hearty– a mix of mashed up chickpeas and some chickpeas that were still whole. It did fall apart quite a lot as I was eating it – it was a bit more like a chickpea salad sandwich than a traditional burger, to be honest. But as someone who replaced tuna salad with chickpea salad when I converted to vegetarianism, I thoroughly enjoyed it.



The toppings were what really made it exceptional though – the tomatoes and the pickles were great, the onion puree was rich and flavorful, and the “Green Radish Dressing” was tangy and absolutely delicious! These toppings ensured that the burger was drippingly juicy, and not in the least bit dry as I had feared it could be. The wheat bun was dense enough to not get soggy even with all those juicy toppings, but not so thick that it made the burger hard to eat. Grab some napkins, though! And a fork – because you’ll want to eat all the bits that fall out of the bun, because they are just that tasty.

The workers on the truck were very friendly and happy to answer questions about their food. I also tried a cup of their hot chocolate (made with almond milk, and topped with rice milk whipped cream!) which was DELICIOUS. I will definitely return not just to try the black bean burger, but all the other amazing-sounding vegan food on their menu as well!

Cost: $10.00
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 4       Bun: 4      Toppings: 5

The Green Radish
Parking in various locations around Manhattan, check their Twitter feed for current location
917.512.1599

YumVeggieBurger review #114

The Best Thing I Ate This Month That Wasn't A Veggie Burger

The best thing I ate this month that wasn't a veggie burger was the ultimate comfort food: vegan macaroni and cheese!

My friend Michelle wanted to get macaroni and cheese for her birthday, so we met at the 33rd Street S'Mac location. I hadn't eaten at S'Mac since before I started avoiding dairy, so this was my first time trying their vegan option.



I was sad to see that their iconic macaroni styles are not available in vegan versions (I really wanted a vegan version of the masala Indian spiced macaroni!), but you do get to choose from different options to customize your macaroni - so I ordered mine with buffalo hot sauce, tomatoes, jalapenos, and breadcrumbs.

It was delicious! Sasha said she thought the base for the vegan cheese sauce was coconut milk, but it didn't taste coconutty, so whatever else they add to it hides that flavor well and tastes more cheesy. My craving for warm, cheesy comfort food was satisfied. I got the small portion, which was quite filling. I would definitely go back and order it again - I think it's on par with the vegan macaroni and cheese from Brooklyn Mac (although I wish S'Mac offered tempeh bacon in theirs...)

S'Mac
157 E 33rd St
between Lexington Ave & 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212) 683-3900
(2nd location in the east village - check website for address)

Siggy's Good Food

This place caught my eye for brunch the other weekend because of this sign out front:


Then I looked at the menu and saw a ton of vegetarian food, which sealed the deal. We didn’t see any aliens eating brunch inside, although there were a lot of little alien decorations and signage… I couldn’t quite figure out why, it wasn’t like it was a theme restaurant. It seemed like the owner just really really likes aliens!



The veggie burger is vegan, including the bread (I asked the waitress). The patty was really yummy, it was a nice rich and hearty vegetable blend (the menu said “garden vegetables and black beans”) with a hint of sweetness as well. Mushy, but not oozing out the sides of the bun. Although I was disappointed that the bun was just slices of toast – when I order a burger, I want a proper bun! The menu said “served on soft brioche bun. Optional – on 7 grain, gluten free bun, wheat flax wrap, or over baby greens” and I picked the 7 grain, assuming that was a bun like the brioche and the gluten-free bread options. But apparently I was wrong! I wish the menu was a bit more clear on that, because no one wants a burger on toast… right?



But, at least I was enjoying the taste of the patty. And the toppings were pretty good – there was too much raw onion for my taste, but I just took it off the burger. The hummus was good, and the tomato and greens were nice and fresh. Because it was the weekend and I was having a good day, I splurged and paid extra for tempeh bacon on top of my burger too.

Totally worth it. I love tempeh bacon.



I was very pleased to see so many options both vegetarian and non-vegetarian on the menu, so this place could definitely be a good brunch location to take friends to - and it wasn't as crowded as many of the other restaurants we walked past! No line!
and Aliens eat free!

Cost: $10 ($2 extra for tempeh bacon)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 4       Bun: 2      Toppings: 3

Siggy’s Good Food
292 Elizabeth Street
between Houson St & Bleecker St
New York, NY 10012
212.226.5775

YumVeggieBurger review #113