821 Café

I took a trip down to Richmond to visit my high school friend Christine for her 25th birthday and a weekend of fun festivities. Of course, I knew I had to try a few veggie burgers while I was there.



821 Café popped up in my research prior to the trip as the only restaurant that specifically advertised a vegan burger on their menu. So while Christine was at work one afternoon, I walked the mile and a half from her place to 821 Café on a quest for vegan burgers (I note the distance because, while I walk distances like that in New York all the time, it seemed nearly heroic in a city where everyone travels by car). Plus, their website describes the café as “hipster cool”, so I was curious to see what “hipster” means outside of New York City… (turns out, the definitions are pretty similar).

It’s a cute, quirkly little place. Definitely trendy, but I can’t fault any restaurant for that when it means vegan options on the menu. When I sat down, the waitress announced that they were out of a couple things that day: “the catfish, and the vegan burger”. My heart sank. How could they be out of the exact thing I wanted to order? “We can serve the regular veggie burger with the vegan toppings if you want, but it has egg in it”. Since I’m not vegan myself, I decided that was a fair compromise, although I was disappointed to not be able to write a true review of the vegan burger (I’m still tagging this entry as vegan because hopefully vegans will have better luck than me, and visit the café on days when they are not out of stock). I suppose it’s a good sign that there is enough demand for the vegan burger though!



So my non-vegan burger arrived topped with sprouts, spicy mustard, avocado, and tomato. The kind waitress even double-checked to find out for me that the bun was vegan, too.



Although the patty was a pre-made one, probably frozen (which explains how they could run out, if it’s something they purchase rather than making in the café) it was one of the better pre-made patties I have eaten. I tried to identify it’s ingredients: onions, peppers, beans, carrots, rice, and possibly mushrooms. It was crispy on the outside, and warm and textured on the inside. Not bad. Not as hearty as a homemade burger, but that’s to be expected.



The toppings were what really elevated an otherwise-mundane patty. Avocado is one of my favorite burger toppings, and sprouts add a great, unique crunch. Athough I am normally not a fan of mustard, I actually really liked the spicy mustard on this burger. The bun was pretty good too, so overall I found it to be quite a satisfying lunch.

The sides you can choose from (included in the cost of your burger) are numerous, but I ended up going with the herbed orzo – tasting strongly of rosemary, with bits of sundried tomatoes – which was delicious. The café was heavily populated with students from the VCU campus across the street, although I also saw an old man and a couple with a baby eating lunch on the other side of the room. Given the very reasonable prices and extensive menu, I cam imagine that if I lived in Richmond, I would probably end up eating here quite often.



Cost: $6.50
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 2      Bun: 3      Toppings: 4

821 Cafe
825 W Cary Street
Richmond, VA 23220
804.649.1042

YumVeggieBurger review #46

Recipe: Fiesta Tempeh-Bean Burger

When the delightful Lindsay of Cook.Vegan.Lover invited me to be a tester again for her latest ebook, I knew I would get to try some delicious recipes, but I hadn't expected to find a new veggie burger at the same time!

The recipe for Fiesta Tempeh-Bean Burgers is marvelous. They're vegan, and the patties hold together better than most non-vegan burgers that use eggs as a binder, because Lindsay has figured out the perfect combination of ingredients to make that happen. Even though they're called bean burgers, they aren't as bean-centric as most bean burgers that I've tried. Here, the beans combine with other vegetables resulting in great texture and flavor. Slightly spicy, very savory, and filling.

And they were really easy to make, thanks to the handy-dandy second-hand food processor that I inherited from my good friend Jeremy! The recipe could be pretty versatile too if you wanted to add or remove certain vegetables, or try different types of beans.


sizzling away on the frying pan

The recipe makes six burgers, but since I was only cooking for myself that day (what can I say, it was a snow day and everyone else was at work) I ended up freezing the extra patties. And they were just as good when I heated one up in the frying pan a few days later.


the burger patties aren't small, the (delicious) rolls I bought near my apartment are just oddly-proportioned and make them look funny!

I loved these, and will definitely be making them again (now that I've eaten all the ones I had stored in my freezer).

The recipe is included (along with many others) in the ebook:

available for purchase through Lindsay's blog
...and yes, that is vegan sushi you see on the cover!

UPDATE: Lindsay has posted the recipe on her blog as well - you can find it HERE.

YumVeggieBurger review #45

Counter

UPDATE: Counter is now closed. Original review archived below:

After hearing on several NYC restaurant blogs about the imminent closing of this well-known vegan/vegetarian restaurant, and after reading Marty’s Flying Vegan Review post about eating dinner (and veggie burgers) there, I decided I had to try it before it disappeared.



I arrived just as they were opening their doors for dinner, so I was the only person there for awhile, but I got to chat with the bartender about veggie burgers and filmmaking, and by the time I had finished my meal there were quite a few other people arriving and being seated at tables.

Even though I knew I was ordering the veggie burger – the “East Side Burger” (house-made seitan-mushroom burger & potato bun) – I took a few minutes to peruse the rest of the menu, and it all sounded delicious. And mostly vegan: the veggie burger is vegan, and the menu notes that the handful of items that contain dairy are made with “local – sustainable dairy with no animal rennet.”



The burger arrived with a side of very tasty fries (or “hand cut pommes frites” as the menu calls them). That burger might look a little small in the photo, but it was quite filling! The patty is about an inch thick, and the bun is very thick too (almost too thick, it was hard to fit my mouth around the burger to take a bite!), but very sweet and tasty.



There were some greens, tomatoes, and pickled red onions on my plate to the side of the burger, so I loaded it up with them before taking my first bite.

I was a bit wary of the taste of the patty since mushrooms are the second ingredient listed, and I’ve mentioned before how much I dislike mushrooms… but honestly, even as a mushroom-hater, I still enjoyed this burger. I could definitely taste the mushrooms, but their texture wasn’t noticeable (the seitan took center stage in that arena, and the texture of the burger was wonderful). And the flavor was rich and savory, just what you want a burger to be.


the candle-lit ambiance is lovely for restaurant guests, but unfortunately necessitates the use of my camera's flash in photographing veggie burgers.

I can see why people are sad about this place closing. Although the prices (what had kept me away until now) are a bit steep, I could definitely imagine myself bringing friends here for special occasions in the future if it were to stay open. And it’s close to my favorite vegan ice cream spot, Lula’s!

update: Counter closed. RIP :(

Cost: $16
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 4      Bun: 4      Toppings: 4

Counter
105 1st Ave
between 6th & 7th street
New York, NY 10003
212.982.5870

YumVeggieBurger review #44

Virginia is for lovers... of veggie burgers?

I'll be heading down south soon to celebrate an old friend's 25th birthday.
Does anyone have any recommendations for veggie burgers to try in Richmond, Virginia while I'm there?

Petey's Burger

It’s snowing again!

I ventured out of my apartment this afternoon to deliver Top Secret Cookies to my friend Jeremy, and decided to stop for lunch to try a new veggie burger on the way home.



Petey’s Burger opened a couple years ago, shortly after I moved to Astoria, but this was my first time visiting the restaurant. I admit, I wasn’t expecting too much from their veggie burgers, since although it is a locally-owned establishment, it’s still a fast-food burger joint. Even if their meat-burger did get a lot of praise from Time Out New York

But when I asked the girl at the counter if the burger was vegan or not (the first step in all of my veggie burger adventures), and she called back into the kitchen to ask the chef what ingredients he puts in the burgers when he makes them, I realized that this wasn’t just going to be another generic frozen patty heated up and slapped on a bun!

While the burger isn’t vegan (sorry, vegans!) it is house-made. They both are, actually – Petey’s menu boasts not one but two veggie burger options. The “Garden” (celery, peas, and carrots) and the “Southwestern” (black beans, corn, cilantro, and peppers). Maybe I assumed the burgers would be mediocre because those names sound like they are ripped from a box of Morningstar frozen patties. But now knowing that I had a house-made burger to look forward to, I excitedly ordered the Southwestern.



The bun was your standard fast-food burger bun, lightly toasted. Nothing special. And the lettuce was barely-green iceberg, although the tomatoes were fresh and the spicy mayo was quite tasty.



But the burger patty itself was a total treat – spicy and flavorful, with a fresh sweet crunch from the corn kernals, crispy on the outside just the way I like it, and only slightly falling apart as I bit into it. It’s burgers like these that really exemplify the difference between a homemade patty and one of those mass-produced frozen ones.



Not only was the quality of this burger a most pleasant surprise, it was also the cheapest veggie burger I have ever reviewed at a restaurant thus far! Not bad, Astoria (now can my neighborhood just get a vegan pizza place already? Please?) Plus, they deliver – in case you aren’t crazy enough to walk around in the snow like I am.



Cost: $4.29
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 4      Bun: 2      Toppings: 2

Petey’s Burger
30-17 30th Ave
between 30th and 31st Street
Astoria, NY 11102
718.267.6300

YumVeggieBurger review #43

B.A.D. ("Breakfast All Day") Burger

My friend and I came here for breakfast/end-of-the-night-food at 4:00am after ending a very fun Saturday night at The Whiskey Brooklyn. I had just read about B.A.D. in Time Out New York - A 24-hour breakfast place? Sounded good to me (yes, it’s not unlike a diner, but those get boring after awhile, and never have good veggie burgers!)

Michelle happily ordered the "lumberjack” pancakes with vegan sausage. But even though a lot of the menu’s offerings sounded delicious, I was excited to try a new veggie burger. There are actually three veggie burgers to choose from on the menu: black bean, portobello, or beet. I love beet-based burgers, so I chose the later option, with guacamole and soy jack cheese.



The burger arrived sans soy cheese – our waiter apologized, saying they were out of it. It’s a rather new restaurant, so perhaps they initially underestimated how much demand there would be for their vegan alternatives, since they were out of the soy sausage for Michelle’s pancakes too, and gave her a soy hotdog instead.



Since the waiter told me the beet burger was 100% vegan, I inquired about the bun as well – he told me normally they do have a vegan bun, but they were out of it that day (again!). Since I’m not actually vegan myself, I ate the bun anyway – a soft, slightly sweet roll flavored with onion and poppyseeds. Hopefully they’ll get their vegan products back in stock soon, but I’d recommend asking specifically for the vegan bun when ordering the burgers, as it is not mentioned on the menu.



The burger itself was delicious – the beets were juicy and flavorful, mixed with other things that I was honestly too hungry (and tired after a long night) to properly identify. It was more like a sloppy joe made of beets than an actual burger – I can’t really call it a “patty” since it did not hold its shape, but was more like a pile of chopped beets scooped onto the bun, which begs the question... does it really qualify as a burger, then? The guacamole on top of it was equally tasty, and I didn’t really miss the soy cheese I had tried to order, although I’m sure it would have added a nice layer of flavor.

Definitely the best veggie burger that’s available 24-hours a day though! I’ll have to come back to try the black bean one too. It certainly beats going to a diner at the end of a long night.

In the end, when we got our bill, they only charged us for the burger (I guess since Michelle didn’t get the soy sausage she had been looking forward to all evening with her pancakes), and offered complementary cups of coffee as an apology for the long wait for our food (which didn’t really seem that long to me, but it was a very nice gesture). Like I said, before, I think since it’s still a newish place they are working out a few kinks and hopefully the service will be running smoothly and they will have all their vegan products in stock the next time I find myself craving breakfast after a night out in Williamsburg!




Cost: $8
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 3      Bun: 4      Toppings: 3

B.A.D. Burger/Breakfast All Day
131 Grand Street
between Berry St & Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718.384.7275

YumVeggieBurger review #42

Café Bar

Although I’ve lived in Astoria for several years now, I still had not been to Café Bar until last week. It’s quite a pleasant place – full of interesting decorations and faux stained-glass windows through which sunlight was streaming in. I met a friend here for lunch, and took the opportunity to try out their veggie burger.



The burger (which the menu describes as “homemade”, and which the waitress assured me was vegan) arrived with a side salad, and a small pile of lettuce and tomato in case I wanted to put them on the burger as toppings (I did, but I opted for some greens from the salad instead of the provided lettuce, because the greens looked tastier and the lettuce was just a sad-looking piece with a thick stalk. The tomatos were fine though!)



The bun was delicious, light and sweet and flakey like a pastry, and covered in sesame seeds. Not overwhelmingly sweet, but just the right amount.



The burger patty itself was pretty good too - definitely homemade, soft and flavorful with grains and bits of vegetables, but a little too mashed together to tell exactly what those consisted of. I would have liked it a little chunkier or a little crispier on the outside, something to give it more texture. Perhaps some kind of sauce (aside from the bottle of ketchup provided at our table) would have helped as well.

It was still far better than being served one of those generic frozen pre-made patties, which too many restaurants try to appease vegetarians with! A homemade vegan patty is quite a pleasant thing to find at any restaurant in your neighborhood. We came for lunch on a weekday, but I can imagine the restaurant is a great place for a weekend brunch too.

Cost: $8.00 (fries cost $3 extra)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 3      Bun: 4      Toppings: 1

Café Bar
32-90 36th Street
between Broadway and 34th Ave
but the entrance is actually on 34th Ave, despite what the address is listed as!
Astoria, NY 11106
718.204.5273

YumVeggieBurger review #41

Goodburger

I did not have high expectations for Goodburger – it looks like your standard fast-food chain, afterall. But I have to admit, when I walked up to the counter to place my order, and asked the cashier if the veggie burger was vegan, her confident “yes” took me by surprise... as did her quickness to alert me to the fact that “the works”, which the veggie comes topped with by default, includes mayonnaise, but I could order it without if I wanted the burger to be completely vegan.

Then I saw this sign while I was waiting for my food:



Fast food that not only knows what vegan means, but advertises a menu item as such??? That’s something I had not expected at all! (the grammar might be a bit off, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

But, lest you get too excited (or fans of fast food too disappointed) – this is how my burger looked when I received it:



That’s more like what I had expected from such an establishment as this.

Barely-green iceburg lettuce, tomato slices that ranged from “okay” to “not ripe enough to eat”, red onions, pickles, ketchup and mustard. The bun was one of those generic pre-packaged ones, but at least it was whole wheat (another option which the helpful cashier had offered to me when I placed my order) and it was fresh – lightly toasted, but not stale like too many generic buns I have encountered over the course of this endeavor.



The best part of this burger was definitely the patty – I was surprised by how good it was, sandwiched between such mediocre buns and toppings. But it was grilled to a crisp on the outside, and warm and soft on the inside, and actually quite tasty. Filled with a mash of vegetables, I could pick out pieces of individual ones to identify: carrots, corn, red peppers, soy beans, and – the biggest surprise – zucchini!



Is Goodburger fast food or not? I don’t know – it’s not as bad as other fast food burger chains which shall not be named here…But the interior feels like a fast food place, and with six locations in NYC I think it qualifies. It’s actually a little more expensive than you would expect a burger to be from a fast food place – or at least you would expect that price tag to include fries, which this one does not! It's not "the best in New York" as their advertising tries to claim, but I still have to say it’s probably the best veggie burger I’ve eaten or will ever expect to eat from a fast food chain.



Cost: $6.20 (does not include fries)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 4      Bun: 2      Toppings: 2

Goodburger
977 8th Ave
between 57th & 58th Street
New York, NY 10019
212.245.2200
five other locations in Manhattan - check their website for the addresses

YumVeggieBurger review #40

Curly's Lunch

UPDATE: Curly's is now closed. RIP delicious veggie burgers! :(
Original review archived below:

I’ve walked by Curly’s hundreds of times, but was always on my way to eat somewhere else, or had just finished a meal at another restaurant. So in the midst of holiday shopping, I took a break to grab a burger for lunch here.

Inside is warm, colorful, and cozy – so cozy that I had to wait a few minutes for a table to empty up, even though it was a bit late in the afternoon for lunch. While I waited I looked at the crayon drawings customers have done on placemats, now taped to the walls as decoration.



Once I was seated, I looked over the menu and tried to decide which of the nine burger options I wanted to try. I love having so many options! I settled on the bacon and cheddar burger (the menu states that “we’ll make any item vegan if you ask! Vegan cheese +.75”).



My plate arrived loaded with curly fries, of course!



Look at that melty vegan cheese… pretty sure it was Daiya, although the menu did not specify. Quite tasty. Even though I’ve gotten used to eating burgers without cheese, it was a nice change of pace to indulge in on a cold, winter day.



The burger was deliciously crispy on the outside, and wonderfully hearty and nutty on the inside. The menu explains that the patty consists of “soy protein, black beans, seeds, vegetables, onion, and garlic”. I wish all “diner food” tasted so good! The bun was perfect – sweet and soft, just the right size and texture for a burger.

I was disappointed by the vegan bacon though – I was expecting something crispy, like tempeh bacon… but this was just slabs of too-salty tofu. Too soft, and more salty than smokey or bacon-flavored. I’m really not a huge fan of fake bacon to begin with, but I’ve had some vegetarian sandwiches where a crispy, smokey substitute really complemented the other flavors well. This burger was not one of those, unfortunately. I ended up pulling it off and taking the greens that were served on the side and eating the rest of the burger with them in place of the bacon.

Aside from that though, it was definitely a quality burger. I would certainly return to try the other burger options on the menu… and non-burger options as well. I really wanted to get some dessert, but the burger and fries were so filling that I couldn’t even finish what was on my plate. Oh well, next time!



Cost: $9.25 +&0.75 for vegan cheese
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 4      Bun: 5      Toppings: 3

Curly’s Lunch
328 east 14th Street
between 1st and 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
212.598.9998

YumVeggieBurger review #39

Happy New Year!

2010 was the best year yet - I jumped off a waterfall, jumped out of an airplane, quit the office job I hated, and worked on some amazing film shoots.

And somewhere in the midst of all that, I started this blog.

Half a year later, I am still loving it - and I plan to keep posting as many reviews as possible in 2011 (there are SO many veggie burgers in NYC that I have not tried yet! Not to mention other cities, if I ever have the time/money to travel outside of the five boroughs...)

To recap, the best and worst veggie burgers of 2010:

BEST:

Hillstone (or as I still prefer to call it, Houston's)
Starting this blog gave me the perfect excuse to treat myself to this delicacy again - and even after all the new burgers I've tried this year, it still remains #1.

But the best of all the burgers I tried for the first time this year would be from the new bakery that opened near my apartment:
Astor Bake Shop


and on the other end of the spectrum...

WORST:

Bridge View Cafe
So bad that the restaurant closed just a few months after I wrote this review. Well, I doubt it was just because of the terrible veggie burger... but anyway, good riddance!

Onto better things...
Which burgers that I haven't reviewed yet should be among the first that I try in 2011??

Hope everyone has a very Happy New Year! :)

Trader Joe's Vegetable Masala Burger

I finally have a chance to post a new review, now that film shoots, holidays, and family reunions are over...



I think these are my favorite store-bought burgers. I’ve been eating them for years, ever since they first caught my eye in the frozen food section at Trader Joe’s. Now I always keep a box of them in my freezer.


frozen patty, just taken out of the box

The patty fries up well – the inside stays moist and soft, while the outside gets browned and crispy. And it only takes a few minutes, so it’s perfect for a quick meal or when you are just too tired after a long day to prepare anything more arduous. Honestly I have never tried these on the barbecue grill, because I usually prefer a more traditional burger flavor when I’m grilling. These might be a little soft to keep their shape on the grill, but the box has written instructions for grilling them so I’ll have to do a test once warmer weather returns.



The box says “with authentic Indian spices”, and spices certainly are present in each bite of the patty. Not to the point where someone who can’t handle spicy foods would dislike it, but just the right amount to give it a strong, delicious flavor. You don’t even need to put any toppings on it, unless you want to of course – Today I just put a little mayonnaise on the bun (granted, I was out of lettuce and sprouts, which I have eaten with this patty in the past, and I must say they do compliment it well).



It’s kind of like a samosa, in burger form. And I love samosas.



Lots of potatoes, carrots, peppers, green beans… you can see chunks of each vegetable as you bite into it, and each bite is immensely satisfying. And it’s vegan!

Although it’s described as a burger, and tastes great as a burger, you can also just serve the patty alone without a bun. Like a vegetable-potato fritter. With a side of rice and veggies… mmm.

Fun Fact: Because I’m a huge dork, I noticed these burgers in an episode of Castle. I don’t remember which episode or season, I just remember seeing the familiar masala burger box for a split second when someone opened the refrigerator in Castle’s kitchen (and I thought it odd that they refrigerated them instead of freezing them). Anyone else notice this?

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burger
purchased at the Chelsea location in NYC
price: $2.49 for a box of 4 burger patties

YumVeggieBurger review #38

Amy's California Veggie Burgers

Believe it or not, after all these years of being a vegetarian, I had never tried Amy’s burgers… I pretty much stick to my standard favorites for frozen burgers (you’ll hear about those soon! – don’t forget to subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already). But then I started this website, so I started casting my gaze towards other burgers to try, and then my local grocery store had Amy’s frozen burgers on sale, so…



The California Veggie Burgers are the ones I picked first. I’m not sure why, since I’ve never even been to California (except for once when I was an infant and therefore have no memory of it). But they seemed like a good place to start exploring Amy’s burger repertoire.

I tried them cooked on the grill and then later in the frying pan. The grill dried the burger patty out more, which is a common problem for veggie burgers since they aren’t loaded with grease.


on the grill


in the frying pan

The taste is much more nutty and grain-y than any other frozen patty I’ve tried before. The vegetables are barely noticeable. The box says it contains walnuts, which you will definitely taste… and it’s vegan!

I really enjoyed this burger, and thought the nutty flavor made it very savory. It definitely tasted “healthy”, although it didn’t quite quench that craving for a really juicy burger that falls apart in your mouth. This one might be better crumbled up atop a salad than on a bun with lettuce and tomato (and sprouts and horseradish… mmm).



Yes, definitely not a bad one to keep in the back of the freezer for lazy evenings.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Amy’s California Veggie Burgers
purchased at Key Food in Astoria
price: $4.99 on sale ($6.89 regular) for a box of 4 burger patties

YumVeggieBurger review #37