#12 Mushroom burger reco from Beeburger's FB pal

Let me start by saying that, if you’re doing the math, you may have noticed that I am not on track to eat 100 veggie burgers in 2011.  It seems like any veggie burgers after #60 would probably be rated harshly because at this rate, I would have to start eating them practically every other night to make my goal!  So, I’m all about flexibility.  Let’s call it a cool 52 veggie burgers…one per week for all of 2011.  Any objections? 

One of Beeburger’s pals recommended that I test out making a more mushroom-y burger and sent me this recipe.  Last week, I tested it out and actually thought it was pretty tasty.  For recipes, I’ll use a slightly different scale, since part of what makes a recipe good is how complicated it is…weekend affair or quick week night meal?

Grade: B

What I liked:  It’s odd because at first blush, I wasn’t too into this burger.  It seemed a little blah to me, just not enough spice (and I doubled or tripled whatever the recipe called for), but after having one, I started picking off of the other “leftovers” still sitting in the pan.  So did Husburger.  I am not really a mushroom gal, but this was a tasty burger! 

Was it worth it? Should I have just spent 5 minutes in the P.Terry’s drive through instead?  I don’t think so!  Especially since I made these crispy enough, it was well worth investing time to cook vs. carryout.  Cook + prep time was not bad at all.  Slider hit the hay at 6:45PM and we were eating by 7:45, just in time for Big Love!

What Missed: Oh, I just think that all of that bean paste is kind of insurmountable when it comes to flavor.  It’s like the mashed up beans really take over whatever spice you add, so you’d need half a bottle of pepper to truly taste it.  A little mushy, and hard to get that crispness that I like, but not too shabby.

#11 Guest Spotlight on Veggiewurst and Kimchi Fries

Okay, I know this is a site dedicated to veggie burgers, which are probably not even remotely related to veggie dogs or kimchi, but for anyone who loves good veggie meals, these are a must-try when in Austin.

Must-must-must try: Chi’lantro kimchi fries (w/tofu…you could get pork, chicken, or beef).  Husburger came home one day raving about these kimchi fries he ate one day at work.  Apparently the truck visited their office.  When my sis, Beeburger was in town, I wanted to give her a trailer tour of Austin, so we hit up a few good places.  I searched for “kimchi fries Austin,” and immediately Chi’Lantro came to the top.  I had to deal with all kinds of weird twitter schedules and whatnot, but eventually we figured out their route.  Turns out they are nighttime crowd, like 9PM onward downtown.  That is too late for parents who wake up at 7AM latest on a weekend!  We were in hot pursuit of Chi’Lantro for the whole weekend she was here, and then finally gave up on it.  I’m back at work a few days later, and for some reason, I decided to check the schedule again…guess what? Chi’Lantro comes to my building every Thursday!  I called Husburger and he came over for a rare lunchtime date.  Kimchi fries in the Prius.  Yum.  Those badboys lived up to all of the Yelp reviews.  I guess I always thought that the French fry was the perfect food, but all of that kimchi goodness piled on top of them left me thinking fries have much more potential than just sitting on the side.

Try it if you’re in the neighborhood: On our trailer tour, I took my sis over to South of Congress to experience trailer-mania + outdoor market all at once.   To my brother-in-law Mikey’s disappointment, we ended up not going to Coat and Thai and instead tried out BestWurstTex.  You guessed it, the veggie bratwurst.  There were 2 options, and we went with the sautéed onions, peppers, and sauerkraut.  Delish!  I am not usually a veggie dog person because they are just too darn soy-y for me, but this was really flavorful.  Not to mention that the line was far more manageable than most anywhere else there.  Oh, and what did Slider like?  The waffle fries, topped with truffle oil, of course.  

#10 Your Mom's Burger Bar

Husburger had been out of town for several days, so I was excited to hear he was coming home early.  But of course that meant that we would need to eat something other than what I typically make myself when he's out of town: popcorn and chocolate (Beeburger gave me that great option) or heating up one of those Indian pouches of food that they sell at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Yum.  I used to fry up a veggie burger, but now I am pretty much only eating to review if you catch my drift.

Now that I have gone to many of the burger joints that I already knew in Austin, I thought it was time to start branching out.  I am a new and ardent fan of Yelp, so went to check it out and came across Your Mom's Burger Bar.  I think that the chair masseuse at the airport also mentioned it.  Not to be confused with Mother's (a veg joint in the city), Your Mom is over on the East Side and has some pretty fantastic sounding burgers.  I think my first clue about this burger should have been when I noticed that there wasn't a featured veggie burger.  Instead, you had to just substitute any burger with the veggie.  People like it though, at least on yelp they do, so I figured we would give it a try.

Grade: C

What I liked: I ordered the John D. Rockefeller, and the toppings on my burger were pretty awesome.  It's not every day that you get sauteed spinach, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes all nicely cooked and piled on your burger.  I like the menu at Your Mom's and the overall inventiveness and feel of it.


What Missed: Not enough flavor in the burger.  The burger itself left a lot to be desired.  Granted, I left off the pepperjack cheese that is stuffed in the burger (at least advertised like that for regular ones), but still, it was pretty cardboard-y.  Too much rice, too thin, didn't really stick together well, and not very distinctive.  To add to that mix, the bun was dry and really big.  It dominated so much that I had to eat the burger without bread at all in the end, to keep from having dry mouth.

What Husburger Liked: The guy who answered the phone to take our order.  Apparently he was pretty hilarious and when asked for his opinion on what type of wings to try, he told him, "I like chipotle lime.  And you'd be a fool not to order them."

#9, BGR (in DC)

To my few but loyal followers, please accept my delay in reviews!  It has been a crazy few weeks for work and my husburger has been out of town so much that I have been pretty focused on work+slider+fun for myself when I can.  Speaking of, I spent a few lovely days in DC for work...well, technically work. I was there for the Teach for America 20th Anniversary Summit.  (tfa20years.com)  It was inspiring, and would have by itself been an amazing weekend, but there was icing on my cake.  Since the summit took place in DC, I was able to stay with Natburger and Mikey (no nickname, he is just Mikey) at their place, and BeeBurger, who came to visit from Philly.  Friday night, we went to this amazing new spot (well, new since I moved away) called ZenTan.  That slaw was off the charts delish.  I still crave it.  Saturday night, however, was a different story!  We went out with my cousin L, who has a great blog (www.lucyactually.com) and my BFF since childhood, K.  Natburger and L went to Estadio to reserve us a table (it's a total scene), and when I arrived an hour later...we still had an hour left to wait!  Ridic.  Natburger is usually VIP'd, and this was the opposite of that...check out her review on yelp for a laugh.

While in DC, we visited Bgr, after trying to go to Commissary but seeing an hour long wait (as per usual) was out of the question.  It was me, Mikey, Natburger, and Beeburger.  We had 3 veggie burgers and one non (Mikey, obvi).  And the result was really good!  The place is pretty low key and unassuming, tucked right across the street from the Starbucks in Dupont Circle.

Grade: A

What I liked: This burger had everything.  Yum.  It was totally BBQy in taste, with all of the goodness baked into it. It was so tasty that you probably didn't even need that mojo sauce, but I did, and it was awesome!  This burger had really amazing flavoring and it was so hearty.  Natburger even said it was one of the best she's ever had.  It didn't try to imitate beef burgers, it just stood on its own and I wish I could go get one this weekend. We also went with a family favorite, extra extra pickles.  And tested out all of the fries.  Yummm, the fries.  


What missed: Nothing, really.  I guess that if I had to say something, it might be that this burger was a tad bit heavy on the rice.  It had noticeable texture like that, and I prefer a bit more mushroom/soy, but this still stuck together well.


What the fam liked: Fries, absolutely.  And both sisters were really satisfied with the burger.  Beeburger still claims that the best veggie burger ever is in SF, so I'll have to go there.  Overall, this burger is in the running for favorite overall!

#8 (am I really only on 8?), 24 Diner

I write from a hotel room in a fabulous local resort...Husburger and I are taking a stay-cation!  As I was telling a friend recently, I used to hate that word.  Remember when the economy tanked and the news was talking about how we all were taking staycations instead of going away over the summer?  But really, I'm on one, and it's fantastic.  The best part is that my parents are in town and taking care of little Slider (who I do miss!) to give us some adult alone time.  Their first night in town, we stayed in and ordered from 24 Diner.  Pamburger has eaten the veggie burger there before.  She is like me and once she finds something good, she can eat it over and over and over.

Grade: A-/B+

What I liked:  I love eating the 24 Diner veggie burger primarily because of its unique flavor.  This isn't a pickles, tomato, and lettuce show.  Nope, this veggie burger comes replete with goat cheese, roasted tomato (ick), and arugula.  Fancy shmancy.  I think those are shredded beets that give the burger that nice magenta color and lentils that let the flavoring take hold so completely.  Brussel sprouts as an option for a side, or


What Missed: The food at 24 Diner is delish but it's super rich.  From the mac'n'cheese to chicken and waffles, it is yummy.  The veggie burger is definitely something special and unique to any other burger I've had.  It's just that all of that goat cheese and the roasted tomato (I am not a fan) make it a little too rich for me.

What the (Grand)Parents Liked: Pamburger and Husburger liked their veggie burgers.  I think Husburger thought it was a little too much bread...we went sans bun, so I can't comment.  But it is a lot of bread.

#7, P. Terry's

This past week little Slider got sick..again.  We don't really know if he was sick or it's just his teeth, but either way, you know what it means: mucho late night wake-ups, crazy days trying to work and care for him, and absolutely no normal meals.  Which brings me to P. Terry's.  Even though his appetite was almost nonexistent, Slider still loves him some french fries.  Who wouldn't?  So my loving Husburger gave me a break, and the boys went out for some burgers and fries and brought me one home.  This isn't my first time eating a P.Terry's burger, but it is since I started the blog.  In fact, when we first came to Austin, I used to ask people where they liked the veggie burgers and almost without fail, they'd recommend P. Terry's.  Actually, our first interaction with P. Terry's came back when we lived in the 'Burgh.  One of our neighbors in Regent Square was a Texan and former Austinite and told us about his friend being a big success story and opening a fabulous local burger chain called P. Terry's.  Who knew we'd be .5 miles from one and that it would be good, relatively healthy (as burger joints go), and have a drive through....essential for when we used to have to drive Slider around to get him to sleep!

Grade: A-

What I liked: This is such a go-to veggie burger.  The first time I ever tried it, I thought, "why does everyone love this so much?"  It seemed good, but not great.  The thing is, I now crave that burger on a regular basis.  And no, I don't always get the fries, so that's not the reason...although they are good.  I think it's the consistency, the way it kind of mushes up with the cheese and shredded lettuce and special sauce.  With extra pickles and a wheat bun, you can't lose.  It's not super fancy but it does do the trick and I don't really get bored of it.

What Missed: I actually don't think much misses with this burger truly except that, as veggie burgers go, it's a tad bit without a distinct flavor.  That's probably why I don't get tired of it.

What Slider Liked: The fries, as per usual!  I tried sneaking in pieces of my veggie burger but it didn't go over well.  Rejected....but he was sick, I'll try again next time...

#6, JFK

You might think that a snow storm could keep a girl from getting out of JFK on time, but thanks to reliable Jet Blue, I was out 5 minutes early and home in no time.  One of my favorite things about JFK's JetBlue terminal are those awesome touchscreen stations where you can charge up, order from the screen, and in about 5 minutes, someone delivers your food to you.  Voila.  In theory, it's great.  And in the past I have done this without problem...it's great because I can charge my many gadgets and even video chat with Slider while he eats.  I guess the snow storm also impacted wait staff and technical ability though because half of the touchscreens were broken and it took waaaay too long to get my veggie burger.  To be honest, I was surprised by this burger, it was not at all what I expected for airport fare.

Grade: C+

What I liked: This is a hearty burger and the first few bites were great and very surprising.  I ended up just eating the burger (no bun...I can't have this little project packing on the pounds!) which was more than enough food by itself.

What Missed:  Tooooo potato-y!  This reminded me a lot of something that Dr. Praegger (sp?) would make.  He has those potato and spinach cakes, you know?  It reminded me of that.  I started to get really tired of such a distinct taste after a while.  But it is an airport veggie burger, and as they go, I would have to say that I am impressed.  So, on an absolute scale, a C.  On a scale with other airport veggie burgers, probably more like an A-...I'll have to do more research before I make that final!

What Slider Liked: Nothing at all!  The wireless was ridiculously slow because everyone was on, waiting for their delayed flights....so we couldn't video chat after all.

#5, New York New York, Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop

This week I was reminded of what it is like to live on the East Coast during the winter.  My my my, New York was snowed in, but thankfully I had enough time to go to dinner with my good friend from grad school, P.  She lives LES, so I figured we should order from someplace near her.  P swears that Otarian is the best, but their West Village shop shut down, and they wouldn't deliver from Midtown.  And with impending snow, it's like the whole city was shut down.  Kind of magical, actually, but I was definitely not headed to midtown.  So we hit Yelp along with recos from P's other friends and came up with Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop.  This burger sounded amazing...with the works, even fake bacon.  I have never had a veggie burger with fake bacon, but that sounded good.  I accidentally deleted the photo from my phone, but I promise you that it looked incredible.  Thick burger, layers of goodness and toppings...not to mention that P and I were two hungry working girls!  Probably all of that chatter (it had been way too long since we last saw each other) got our appetites going...

Grade: B
What I liked: Toppings galore!  Who wouldn't like fake bacon (well, if you already like veggie burgers).  I mean, the thing is called the "Big Mack Daddy," yes, spelled with a K.  The special sauce, whatever is in it, was awesome, and there were a ton of pickles, something I really appreciate.  Everything that was not the veggie burger was awesome!  Can you guess where I'm going?
What Missed: The burger itself was way too protein-y for me.  It definitely stuck together, but it was far too Boca Burgerish.  All protein and no veggie.  That is not for me.  Also, they didn't serve anything but that owl-brand of chips.  That's kind of ridic.
What P liked: I think we are in agreement here.  P, weigh in if you have other thoughts on this.  And let people know what is so fabulous about Otarian's burger...which I will try next time I'm in NYC.

#4, Whole Foods (Austin, TX)

My cousin wrote me the other day to tell me about an amazing veggie burger she had from Trader Joe's, the marsala burger, and sadly, we don't have a TJ's here in Austin.  Can you believe it?!  When I was in grad school, that was my only walking distance grocery store, so I definitely OD'd on it, but I sure do miss that one down the road from us in the 'Burgh.  Maybe Pamburger can send me some of them from the new store at home...don't laugh, she did send me oodles of those Indian veggie meal starters, and they're good!  Although I do feel bad that TJ's basically just stopped selling Tasty Bite and started making their own version.  I digress.

As I've mentioned before, I am a working mom (we all are, but the kind who goes to an office), but I have Fridays off to hang with Slider.  Yesterday, the two of us hit up our neighbor and second home, Whole Foods, to test out the veggie burger.  Believe it or not, even though we spend like every other day there and almost every dollar of our paychecks, I hadn't ever tried the veggie burger.  Pamburger is obsessed with the grain burgers in the Florida Whole Foods, which I agree are good....kind of dry and gross but good in that weird vegetarian way...but these are different.  They serve 'em up at the Grill (the Whole Foods here is HUGE) "restaurant," where I ordered mine to go.  Sorry, no picture for this one.  This is their harvest walnut field burger.

Grade: C

What I liked: Pickles!  They were so awesome and cut thick, that was a crowd pleaser.  I also think that when I'm in the mood for veggie burger junk food, I would probably hit this one up again, but it felt pretty not good for me, which is one of the bonuses I actually enjoy about eating veg.  Fries were pretty good too.


What Missed: I touched on it above.  Just too fried and thin for me.  It was frozen originally, so that explains it, but I guess I was just disappointed.  Doesn't it just stand to reason that Whole Foods should make and AMAZING veggie burger?  This was definitely not it.  Crispy and not terribly flavorful, save for those awesome pickles.


What Slider Liked: He was into the swiss cheese on this burger.  He kept pointing and making his signature "huh" noise until I'd give him more.  He did take a few bites and liked it...and apparently he's not allergic to walnuts, so that is good news too.  Fries.  He ate a bunch on the walk home.

#3, Hopdoddy (Austin, TX)

At this rate, I won't eat 100 veg burgers in 2011.  As my husburger pointed out, I would have to eat one every 3 days, and I have been delinquent.  I started this blog with so much gusto, I have to keep the momentum going!  First and foremost, I promised a set of basic criteria for judging.  Here are the elements of a veggie burger that matter most to me...followers (few but mighty) and friends, please comment if I'm missing something important to you:

- Flavor
- Texture
- Consistency (grainy, fall-aparty vs. stick to-edness)
- Does it satisfy?
- Uniqueness
- Extras/Toppings (if restaurant)
- Bread (if restaurant)
- The intangible: will I crave it again?

Last weekend, we took a family trip to Hopdoddy.  It's a fancy new burger joint South of Congress that is in the tradition of Shake Shack.  The line was soooo long, but it's the second time I've tried to go, so we waited it out, even though Slider was breaking my back!  During the 30 minute wait to order, we decided against the beers that everyone else in line ordered, and shared a chocolate shake (mostly Slider's) that was delish.  The ambiance at Hopdoddy is really cool too.  Sleek, minimal, greens and browns, a nice bar in the center.  And not for kids.  High tables only = no high chairs.  The line made me think that I must be waiting for the best veggie burger in town, or had better be...

So, I ordered my oh-so-Austinite named Janis Joplin burger and we were escorted to a nice booth.  They do have a good system going on there.

Grade: B-/C+

What I liked: 
Presentation - I love the parchment paper on the silver tray, and a bunch of fries thrown on there.  Speaking of, I did like those fries.  The burger was unique for sure, and I did like the hempseed idea, and haven't ever tasted a veggie burger quite like it.  I also liked the sprouts they put on without my asking, and the avo.  Those definitely added to the experience.

What Missed:
Too grainy!  Little Miss Janis was falling apart the minute I lifted that (huge) veggie burger up.  Also was just too sharply mustard-y tasting, and just not the right mix of seasoning for me. Pickles at the restaurant were not dill, they were like bread and butter or something gross and gaggy.

What Slider Liked: 
Fries, big time.  I agree, they were that perfect fresh-cut, hot and flavored salt. Yum.  Rejected the veggie burger after multiple tries.

#2, Jo's Coffee (and Good Food)

This post is out of order, because technically I also ate at another restaurant over the weekend, but I haven't written the post yet.  Since I had Slider with me today, though, I  couldn't take notes, so in order to give Jo's a fair shake, I figure I better get to writing.

Today we are celebrating MLK Day and so I had the day off from work.  This morning, I met up with some friends of mine (B&R) and their little boys at the Children's Museum here.  Even though that place gets ridiculously crowded with kiddos and hovering parents, it is still a nice way to spend a morning.  Slider pretty much remains in a 10 foot area which involves the put-the-golf-ball-in-the-hole-and-watch-it-slide thingee and a slide that he could probably go on all day long if I let him.  Needless to say, we all worked up an appetite.  On our way home, we decided to stop at nearby Jo's coffee, an Austin spot with a modern but laid back atmosphere.  The original Jo's is on S. Congress, but this is the slicker Downtown version.  We ordered and then tried to make do with the 1 remaining high chair in the restaurant (they are those pricey Trip Trapps, but still, they only had 2!) even though we had 3 tots.  You do the math.  1 chair + 3 nuggets = ridiculously messy floor and loud corner.

Next time, I promise to do an overview of my criteria for judging, but for now...I'll just get to the dish...

Grade: B/B-

What I liked: Simplicity and nice flavoring.  Save for the grilled onions (nice touch, but they were diced, which was kind of annoying), this was a super simple situation.  Burger, lettuce, tomato, nicely grilled bun.  No nonsense.  Not even ketchup or mustard.  I did add mustard, but probably didn't need to.  This was a really nicely seasoned burger, and I liked the flavor of the spinach and peppers, it really came through.  Even though it looked like the burger might fall apart, it definitely remained in tact, even as I ate it with a fork.  I think this is a good example of using just the right amount of mushrooms.
Publish Post
What Slider liked: At first, Slider rejected my offerings, but the third time was a charm.  He actually seemed to like this burger.  Or at least he didn't make a weird face, take it out of his mouth, examine it, and throw it on the floor with a yell.  Not that he ever does that.

What missed: I think that I am just not a die-hard fan of the bean burger.  I do like it, but after a while it can start to be mushy.  Even with the other veggies in there, it tasted a little too bean-heavy for me.  Bun was too thick and not tasty enough to merit so much bread.  If I'm going to eat a big old bun, it had better be worth it.   I'd definitely order it again, and it is a solid score, but I don't see myself craving it either.

First official visit, Galaxy Cafe

Thanks to my sisters (I include cousin Lucy in that) for all of the posts so early on.  See, when you have family, you can always get some lovin'.  BeeBurger says I am cheesy (no pun intended), so I thought I should also add nerdy to that mix.  I have now started up a doc to track all of the recos I get.

Drum roll, please.  Onto my first formal burger review.  To kick it off, I thought I was going to go to the 24 Diner, where we are pretty much regulars, on a rainy Friday afternoon with Slider.  The parking lot was crazy full though, so we kept on driving, and ended up at the original Galaxy Cafe  in the heart of Clarksville.  I love this part of the city with the bungalow-style houses and community feel.  If it weren't so damn far from where we work, maybe we would move here.  I have been to Galaxy once before with Slider and Husburger, but it was the newer, shinier version at the Triangle, and that time we ordered breakfast.  Maybe it was the rain or our timing, Slider and I hit mucho crowds on our visit, but I was determined to try that burger.

When Slider started moving and trying to break free of being held, I knew I'd just have to order to go. He's learning to walk (kinda) now, so restaurants these days are hit or miss.  Below what you see is the "deluxe" version (that means adding avo and sauteed mushrooms) of the Galaxy Cafe veggie burger.



Grade:
B+/A-  (I'll give more definitive grades once I have a better basis)

What I liked:
This is definitely my kind of veggie burger. I like dense burgers that are still more veggie/mushroom than soy, but keep their shit together.  This burger was substantial and had a nice BBQ-y flavor to it, kind of smoky and with that avocado and pesto mayo, it was almost creamy, especially as you hit those last two bites.  Yum.  I am also a fan of the bun they used.  HBurger always says it's all about the bread, and even though this is just a run-of-the-mill bun (I think), it was lightly toasted and added a nice crunch.  This is the kind of veggie burger that is really solid - and it makes me want to go back and try it again.  It's not a stunt, and doesn't have any one super strong flavor, but it's definitely one that delights, and I think would appeal even to hamburger-eating crowd.

What Slider loved:
The avo and the delicious sweet potato fries...he hardly left any for me!

What missed:
Mushrooms were kind of under-sauteed, like still too mushroom-y.  No cheese?  I think they should at least ask if you want cheese with your burger.

Faux Veg Seeking Burger

I used to be a vegetarian.  10 years ago, maybe more like 15.  Now I eat bacon and sausage, and organic (or fried) chicken, yada yada.  It was a slow roll, but I am now officially not a veg.  But my sisters, we can call them BeeBurger and NatBurger, they both are, and I still fancy myself a vegetarian when I have to go to a wedding and check my box (beef or veg?), or when I see a veggie burger on the menu.  No matter where I go, if there is a veggie burger on the menu, I have to try it.

When I had my son a year ago- we can call him Slider- I hardly cooked for a few months.  My job gave us $500 for take-out reimbursement (cool, right?), so I used that to buy exactly 1 month's worth of veggie burgers from this spot down the street from us, D's.  Oooooh, I loved that burger!  We have since moved, and I miss it, and it's kind of like I am now on a quest to find my favorite burger.  And since I'm new to Austin (where I live now) and new-ish to motherhood, that means I have some, er, free time on my hands.  So lucky followers can join in my quest.  I had this bright idea to chronicle my taste tests at restaurants around town and when I travel.  My hubby, Husburger, said that I should do something more Julie and Julia-esque and choose a finite number.  Like 100 veggie burgers.  I like it.  So, Husburger has convinced me.  My plan is to test 100 veggie burgers in 2011, mainly at restaurants, but I'll throw in some posts on the freezer aisle, recipes, and the like.  And please, by all means, if you think I should try one (no matter the location, I like to travel...or used to, before Slider started making it kind of a challenge), chime in.

I have never done anything like this, so it's an experiment to say the least.  We'll see where it takes me.  Maybe one day I will be brought on as an expert to talk about the rise of the veggie burger.  I mean, look around, burgers are so hot right now, but veggie burgers should have their own time in the sun.

Alright world, or family, friends, and Pamburger & HBurger's (my parents') friends...let's eat!