MorningStar Tomato & Basil Pizza Burgers

I bought these on sale awhile back, but they were just sitting in my freezer because usually when I have a craving for a burger, I don’t want it to taste like pizza. That’s a pizza craving – very different. And answered with a pita, some sauce, and daiya toasted under the broiler for a few minutes… mmm.

But eventually I had to try the “pizza burger”.



I figured since it was already pizza-flavored, I’d top it with tomato sauce and daiya mozzarella… under the broiler for a few minutes to toast the bun and melt the daiya.



Looks pretty delicious! And it wasn’t bad. I mean, you really can’t go wrong when you had sauce and gooey melty daiya. The burger patty itself was definitely strongly flavored with basil and oregano, the usual pizza flavorings. I don’t know if I would have really enjoyed it without the sauce and daiya though – on its own, or with more traditional burger toppings like lettuce and tomato, it just wouldn’t be that great.



And I was disappointed to realize that this was another one of those MorningStar products that is not vegan – actually, the box advertises that it has mozzarella and provolone inside the patty (I didn’t look at it too carefully). Since I can only eat a limited amount of dairy, I thought I was doing a good job by topping it with daiya – but I hadn’t counted on cheese being inside the patty!

I don’t think I’ll buy these burgers again – both because the taste wasn’t so amazing and because of the cheese. But there may be more pizza burgers in my future… those toppings were pretty delicious. I’ll just put them on a different patty next time.

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
MorningStar Farms Tomato & Basil Pizza Burger
purchased at Key Food in Astoria
price: on sale, 2 boxes for $7.00 (regular $5.49 per box -4 patties per box) for

YumVeggieBurger review #73

Yet another burger joint in Astoria?

Last weekend I snapped this photo as I walked past the under-construction facade of the new "Burger Club" restaurant on the corner of 30th Ave and 32nd street.



Although they already have their website URL printed on the awning of the building, the site itself doesn't offer any information aside from "COMING SOON".

Seems like my neighborhood is in the midst of a gold rush of burger joints right now. Will this latest edition be any good? Will it be able to stand up against Bare Burger's two locations?
Most importantly, will Burger Club offer a veggie burger on their menu?

Sunshine Burgers

I wanted to try a new brand of store-bought veggie burger, so I picked up a box of these the last time I was at Whole Foods (which has by far the biggest selection of frozen veggie burger patties). I’d never heard of Sunshine Burgers before, but they looked good (and weren’t as expensive as some of the other options!).



The box says “not meant to be a beef imitation but an excellent flavor sensation of their own” – that’s my veggie burger philosophy too! These patties are organic, vegan, and gluten-free as well.



I fried a patty (frozen, straight from the freezer – I never let them thaw, and some packages even tell you not to) with a little bit of olive oil on my stovetop. And because I was craving sweet peppers, I sautéed a few slices of those for toppings. With barbecue sauce. Yum.



The patty was delicious – the flavor was very rich and nutty. Slightly sweet but still savory. If you don’t like sunflower seeds, I can’t imagine you’d enjoy this, because it tastes very strongly of them. But that was a plus for me, as I enjoy them quite a lot. The ingredients are so simple – listed on the box as brown rice, ground raw sunflower seeds, carrots, herbs, and sea salt. That’s it! But so tasty.

And yes, that’s one of those amazing buns that I buy at my local Greenline Organic Grocery. These buns are my first choice for making burgers at home.


I was really, really craving barbecue sauce at the time.

While nothing beats the convenience of the Morningstar and Boca products that my local grocery store carries, and nothing beats the price of Trader Joe’s burgers… as far as taste goes, these Sunshine Burgers may be one of my new store-bought favorites. I bought the “original” but on their website it looks like it comes in other varieties too, so maybe I’ll try one of those next.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Sunshine Burgers
purchased at Whole Foods
price: $4.39 for one box of 3 patties

YumVeggieBurger review #72

Queens Restaurant Week

Did you know that it's Queens Restaurant Week? (well now you do)

And one of my all-time favorite veggie burgers is a part of it - Astor Bake Shop has a special restaurant week menu featuring their orgasmically-delicious lentil burger.



The $25 prefix menu for a dinner for two (how can you beat that??) gives you an appetizer (soup or salad), a burger, and dessert (and trust me, their desserts are amazing!). You have the option of the beef burger or the lentil burger, so it could be the perfect date night dinner for a vegetarian dating a meat eater ;)
Click here to view their events page and download the full restaurant week menu.

I'm definitely going to be heading there for dinner one night before restaurant week is over!

check out the review I wrote last year of Astor Bake Shop HERE.

lunch from 5 Napkin

I am getting seriously spoiled by the places we've been ordering lunch from at work... First Bare Burger and now 5 Napkin Burger!


decadence.

Don't eat this one too close to your computer! It will fall apart a bit in your hands and land in heavy pieces splattering delicious sauce everywhere. Although I have still never had to use quite as many as five napkins to clean it up ;)

read my review of dinner at 5 Napkin HERE.

El Ay Si

My friend had a groupon to El Ay Si, so he invited me to come have dinner with him after work. Since I’m working in Long Island City right now, I happily agreed to meeting in such a convenient spot – particularly at a restaurant I have been hearing good things about since it opened.

But somehow, despite having read numerous rave reviews of El Ay Si online, I had overlooked the fact that they serve a veggie burger! So I arrived at dinner armed only with my iPhone’s camera – which wouldn’t be such a problem in a brightly-lit space or in broad daylight, but we sipped drinks at the bar for awhile as we waited for a table, so the sun had set by the time we ordered our food, and the lighting in the restaurant is dim and romantic – great for a date, but not for food photography!



So I apologize in advance for the quality of these photos – because they definitely don’t do this burger justice.



The bun was flakey and sweet, just the way I love a good burger bun. The toppings consisted of a deliciously-smokey chipotle sauce, carmelized onions, lettuce, and tomato.

This is an example of a case where the bun and the toppings really make the burger – because they were both spectacular, while the burger patty itself in this instance was a little dry, and not quite up to the same level as the amazing flavors of the other components. It consisted mainly of beans, and its flavor was good, it just needed a little extra something.



The waitress told me it was made with eggs, so not vegan – and she didn’t know if the bun contained dairy or not, so the lactose-intolerant should err on the side of caution here.

I was so annoyed at myself for not carrying my real camera with me this day – the restaurant was beautiful, a great place for dinner (and would be an even better place for a date!). Hopefully I’ll return sometime in the future and get some better photos to share!

Cost: $8 +$3 for avocado
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 3      Bun: 5      Toppings: 5

El Ay Si
47-38 Vernon Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11101
718.389.8781

YumVeggieBurger review #71

Stand4

I came to Union Square after work yesterday to run some errands, but quickly realized I was starving. So I checked the yelp app on my phone where I’ve bookmarked all the veggie burgers I have yet to try (best idea EVER! Such a quick and easy way to look up a nearby veggie burger when I am out running around the city!). I thought I had already tried all the spots near Union Square, but to my surprise, I noticed one little arrow on the map that was unfamiliar – Stand4.


I’m not sure what the bull is for… beef?

It looked like a bar from the outside (complete with tealights spread across the bar), but the menu said it was all about burgers. And they had a $9 veggie burger, so I decided that would be dinner.



Fries are sold separately (I’m getting used to this the more I see it, but it still feels wrong), and there were additional toppings you could add to your burger for a few extra dollars, but aside from a variety of cheeses there weren’t many options, so I just ordered a basic veggie burger with no extras. The bartender who took my order confirmed that the burger was vegetarian, but not vegan – although she didn’t say what ingredient prevented it from being vegan (I’d guess eggs).



When it arrived, I was surprised and delighted to see the two tiny fried pickles on the plate next to it – what a cute idea! Unfortunately, the pickle slices were so small and the fried batter so greasy that all I tasted was fry grease. Big disappointment. I’ve been spoiled by Sweet Afton’s fried pickles anyway though, no other ones taste quite as good anyway, even when they aren’t smothered in grease.



Luckily, the burger itself was better than the pickles. The patty was tall and thick – I’d call it a very aesthetically pleasing patty (something I’ve never considered giving points for before, but this one deserved it). Packed with beans and bits of zucchini, it held its shape well – with a nice crispy fried exterior. The flavor was slightly earthy, very mild. Savory.



The patty was definitely the best part. The bun was fresh, but nothing exciting. Not even toasted. I thought the tomato and lettuce were not enough toppings to compete against such a large amount of bun and patty. There was some “onion marmalade” hidden underneath the patty (at first I thought it was part of the patty), but it didn’t add too much flavor. I added the house-made ketchup to the second half of my burger, and it did have an interesting zing to it that ordinary ketchup does not – but it masked the nice, subtle flavor of the patty which I had been enjoying. I think a different flavor of sauce would be a better compliment for it.

But still, I was pleasantly surprised by this burger place which I hadn’t noticed before (aside from having obviously bookmarked it on yelp and then forgotten about it). Especially since just a couple weeks ago I was right next door for the screening of a film I worked on last year...


Cost: $9
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 4      Bun: 3      Toppings: 2

Stand4
24 East 12th Street
between 5th Ave and University Pl
New York, NY 10003
212.488.5900

YumVeggieBurger review #70

Bare Burger Delivery

We ordered from Bare Burger for lunch at work today
(just one of the many perks of having an awesome job)


obligatory iPhone filter

I got the veggie burger (of course) California Avocado style on a brioche bun. It held together quite well in the little cardboard box it arrived in. And tasted just as good as I expected it too. Maybe even better, since work paid for it (haha).

read my original Bare Burger review HERE.

Sparrow's veggie burger is still awesome

A week ago, some friends and I went to Sparrow for a delicious brunch. I was tempted by the french toast and several of the egg entrees, but Michelle said she was going to order the veggie burger, and I remembered how amazingly tasty it was - so I had to order it too.


Yup, still as awesome as I remembered it!


And how lucky am I to live just a couple blocks away from a place with such great food (and such great drinks!)

And how strange to see, only a week later, its windows being boarded up for protection just before Hurricane Irene's arrival...


Luckily, the hurricane didn't cause too much damage to my neighborhood - and my friends and I weathered it just fine by throwing a big fun party with games and movies and any snacks the grocery stores hadn't sold out of yet (I have never seen such a pitiful selection of chips left in any grocery store! Either everyone else was using the storm as an excuse for a party too, or people really think that potato chips are a good emergency provision!)


Astoria Park the day after Irene

But, everything is back to normal now. I'm back at work, and as far as I know, all my favorite veggie burger haunts are open for business as usual :)

Read my original review of Sparrow Tavern HERE.

Catching up on the news...

I'm still catching up on all the blog reading that I got behind on while my computer was in the shop a week ago. So I'm a bit late to comment on this, but I just read Fooditka's post about the closing of the rather new Astoria restaurant Eco Table. They were only open a couple months, and I hadn't had a chance to give them a try. And they had a veggie burger on their menu, too! They were going to be my next Astoria review.

I wonder if it was any good... Did anyone happen to order it before the restaurant disappeared?

Cafeteria

Well, that was an intense past couple of weeks!

I've been adjusting to my new (and exciting!) job, and then my laptop suddenly died... But the guys at the Apple genius bar are awesome and replaced the hard drive for FREE even though my warranty expired a month ago. Now that's customer service! Completely reaffirming my resolve to never purchase any computer other than a Mac.

So this review is a few weeks old, but I haven't been able to post it until now...



I came to Cafeteria for a quick dinner when I was in the neighborhood for work and a meeting. Or I should say, I thought it was going to be a quick dinner – I actually had to wait over 45 minutes to receive my food, even though the table next to me got theirs in a mere ten minutes! I wouldn't have minded as much if the staff hadn't seemed entirely unapologetic about this. My waiter's (still unapologetic) explanation was that they were changing over from the lunch shift to the dinner shift. Which seems silly to me, since any restaurant that's been open for more than a few weeks should have figured out a smooth way to deal with that changeover.

Anyway – once the burger did arrive, I really enjoyed it!



The patty was piping hot and full of beans, with a surprisingly smokey barbecue flavor. And mixed in with rice, potatoes, and other vegetables with a nice slightly-charred grilled exterior. 100% vegan (as are the toppings and bun), according to the menu.

And the toppings were some of my favorites – fresh, crispy bean sprouts and creamy hummus with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Although in the act of eating the whole thing, the hummus and the patty got smashed together so it was hard to distinguish patty from toppings with all the beans.



The bun was very hearty, and loaded with sunflower seeds for a slightly nutty flavor. But delicious as it was, it had a small hole in the bottom of it (like a donut), that seemed to expand as I chewed my way through the burger, so it all began falling apart in my hands before I had eaten half of it. Oh well, that's what forks are for!



A very enjoyable meal, despite the long wait. I wouldn't mind coming here again, although I would recommend you dine here when you're in a very patient mood, since the service was so slow. Described as “comfort food with a contemporary twist”, the rest of the menu sounded pretty good too.

Cost: $11
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 4      Bun: 3      Toppings: 4

Cafeteria
119 7th Avenue on the corner of 17th Street
New York, NY 10021
212.414.1717

YumVeggieBurger review #69

The Organic Grill

This is one of the burgers I’ve eaten before, way back before I started this blog… but like several others, it has taken me awhile to go back and order it again to properly review it and photograph it (I can’t help it, there are just SO MANY veggie burgers out there in this city!)

But I met my friend Aaron in the east village for dinner after work one evening, and since I am a bit more familiar with the city than he, it was up to me to choose the restaurant. The only requirement: “something healthy”.


The Organic Grill – so charming inside!

Although Aaron is a meat-eater, he decided he was game to order a veggie burger for himself as well:


Topped with vegan mayo, roasted red onions, sprouts (one of my favorite burger toppings!), lettuce and tomato. Very tasty. As was the sesame-seed-covered Ezekial bun it was served on, although I must say, the bun was so hearty that it almost overwhelmed the burger!



The patty was very nutty-tasting, and according to the menu, consisted of brown rice, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, carrots, and herbs. It was more sweet than savory, although the onions compensated for that a bit. My only real complaint was that I found it slightly dry, even with the vegan mayo. But it still tasted exceptional.



And what did the carnivore think?
“I don’t like how it mushes out to the side,” Aaron complained, “Is that just something veggie burgers do?”
(the answer: yes, unfortunately, that is often a problem with veggie burgers – although it does not always have to be!)
But overall we both thoroughly enjoyed our burgers.



The potatoes served on the side were pretty delicious as well - I was way too full after that veggie burger to eat anything else, but I want to state for posterity that I have (on previous visits) tried several of the other side dishes at the Organic Grill and they are delicious too!

Cost: $9.25
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 4      Bun: 4      Toppings: 4

The Organic Grill
123 1st Avenue
between 7th St & St. Marks Place
New York, NY 10003
212.477.7177

YumVeggieBurger review #68