#9 - Burger Heaven - UES - 2.5 out of 5

Burger Heaven

1534 3rd Ave, New York 10028

• (Btwn 86th & 87th St)

• Burgers, Diners & Coffee Shops

Veggie Burger - $7.50

I've been curious about this place for awhile. I mean, Burger Heaven is a pretty promising name, even to the non-beef burger eating individual. You would think if burgers are their thing, they would also master the veggie burger, kind of like Joy Burger or the Good Burger.

On the outside, this place looks pretty dumpy which is one of the reasons I haven't rushed to eat there. However, today I decided to go with the name instead of my perceived idea of what the inside looks like.

Before actually eating my burger I made two discoveries. The first is that after reading the menu, I have basically found yet another UES diner. Their selection of burgers is no greater than any other diner and reviews don't indicate them to be any better either. I was still determined to give it a shot. I ordered on seamless for pickup. When I walked in, I was surprised to see that it is actually pretty cute inside, especially in comparison to the other diners in the neighborhood. It's also very clean, or seemingly so.

Ok, now for the veggie burger. It was served on a whole wheat bun that was mysteriously soggy. It came with lettuce and tomato. I've taken a stand to not order cheese on my veggie burgers anymore because it really shouldn't be necessary. I think it may have been at this place. The patty was good, though much like many of the other diner veggie burgers I've had. It had lots of identifiable veggies like corn, peas, and soy beans. I think they could benefit from blending the ingredients more. The patty had some good taste, though nothing that stands out.

All in all, basic, nothing exciting to report on though nothing horrible either. I can't speak for the beef burgers, but based on the veggie burger experience, I think the name "Burger Heaven" might be a bit presumptuous of them.

#8 - Wrap Star - UES - 4.5 out of 5

Wrap Star
1315 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10021

(Btwn 80th & 71st St)
Sandwiches
Veggie Burger - $6.95

My leg still hurts. So, I'm being a lazy ass, trying the R.I.C.E.VBD strategy- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Veggie Burger Delivery.

Where to go? I did the find-a-food search on Menu Pages for veggie burgers in the Upper East Side. There were a lot. I weeded out the diners, bars, and got down to more vegetarian places or sandwich shops. I came to Wrap Star. I've seen this pop up on Seamless and Menu Pages but always ignored it. I think because I hate the name. It could also be because there is a place I've walked by in the 70's that spell the word "wrap" wrong on their sign. They had "wrapp". I knew I would never eat there and for some reason thought that was Wrap Star. Fortunately for them (and it turns out me), I realized I was confused. The place I was thinking of is on 3rd Ave.

So, I went to Seamless Web, which by the way, is the greatest invention ever and has made me become a person that will no longer order from a place that I have to actually call. Fortunately, those places are becoming fewer and fewer. Anyway, Wrap Star had a veggie burger wrap and sweet potato fries (the latter becoming almost as important for me to try now as the former). So, that's what I got. A half hour later, I was forced out of my RICE position to answer the door and get my VB. It looked good from the getgo.

It was in a wheat wrap (I was given the choice of 3 kinds). It was held together nice, nothing is worse than a wrap that falls apart. Ok, there are many things worse, like war and oil leaks, but it still sucks! The wrap had pickles, lettuce, and tomato in it. I was concerned there was no sauce and I wasn't going to be able to open it up and put some on without failing in getting it closed again. Turns out, it didn't need any sauce. The burger itself was very flavorful. I am not certain what it was, but there was a great mix of veggies: zucchini, carrots, corn, potatoes, and more. I really want to say it had TVP (textured vegetable protein) in it as it's binder, but I'm not really sure. Whatever it was, it was great. It had a really good consistency, and the potatoes were a nice addition to the mix. The whole sandwich together was really good too.

All in all, I learned an important lesson today. Don't judge a restaurant by the lameless of it's name. I guess that means I will be eating at Yummy Sushi at some point afterall.

P.S. the sweet potato fries were AWESOME!!!

#7 - 3 Guys - UES - 2.5 out of 5

3 Guys Restaurant
1232 Madison Ave, New York 10128
(Btwn 88th & 89th St)
Multiple other locations around the city
Diners & Coffee Shops
Veggie Burger - $7.75

When your office is located on 89th and Madison, it's best to bring your own lunch. Otherwise, you only have a few options close-by, all of which will leave you feeling broke and unsatisfied.

Friday I had a lunch date planned with my coworker Britney. I had told her I needed to stay pretty close because I had pulled a muscle the night before and could barely walk. It was very true, but add in the severe hangover and I was even more useless. She suggested Corner Bakery (not on a corner) or 3 Guys Restaurant, but it's really a diner. I said 3 Guys. I have a moral opposition to eating at Corner, mainly because they need to get over themselves with their prices and figure out what the deal with their scale is for the frozen yogurt. It NEVER makes sense!

Anyway, at 3 guys I so badly wanted a grilled cheese and french fries, i.e., my hangover favorite. However, after looking around this dumpy oh-so-typical UES diner, I knew I'd never be back, so therefore I HAD to get the veggie burger.

Not much to tell here. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. It just was. It was BIG, I'll give it that. And sometimes size does really matter, especially when you're not offered anything else with it for $7.75. Standard bun--fresh, and standard concoction of burger--veggies & bread crumbs. I enjoyed it, but if I ever did go back to 3 Guys, I wouldn't order it again. Fortunately they have 10 other pages of menu options to chose from.

#6 - Pita Grill - Multiple Locations - 2 out of 5

Pita Grill
1570 1st Ave, New York 10028
(Btwn 81st & 82nd St)
Multiple Locations
Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Health Food
Veggie Burger - $8.25

First off, this is the most expensive of the veggie burger I've tried for this blog, and it's the worst. So, let that be a lesson to all of us!

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that my veggie burger came in a pita pocket. It is, after-all, the Pita Grill. It was not only a pita, but a chincy white flour pita that fell apart every time you touched it. If it was one of those awesome flatbread pitas, I probably would have given this a much better rating. The pita pocket had lettuce and tomato sticking out the top, at first I didn't even think there was veggie burger inside. There was. It was a patty that looked like it got ran over.

The patty itself wasn't bad, it was veggie-based. Zucchini, carrots, corn and I believe a lot of breadcrumbs. It was decent, but the whole package wasn't, and it was messy to eat.

I had ordered sweet potato fries as well, which were $4.25 (Pita Grill needs to get over themselves with their pricing). Anyway, when I got my burger and fries, I also got this unidentifiable cup of some deep orange colored sauce. It was very watery and had no distinguishable taste. I have no idea what it was and if it was meant for the burger or the fries. It wasn't really useful for either.

If you do ever got to the Pita Grill, try the goat cheese salad. That is delicious and probably more of their forte.

And I just realized that I've once again forgotten to take pictures!

#5 - Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop - Lower East Side - 2.5 out of 5

Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop
129 Rivington St, New York 10002
(At Norfolk St)
Sandwiches
Veggie Burger - $7.50

So, this place is two blocks from my old apartment. I love it. Next to veggie burgers, sandwiches are my favorite food and for vegetarians, there aren't enough places that make creative veggie sandwiches. Tiny's does. In addition, they have this gigantic menu that caters to meat eaters and vegetarians equally.

I normally order the vegetarian Spicy Rizzak from there. I first ordered it because it is named after my brother and friends old band. I continued ordering it because it is freaken' amazing. But, that's not what I'm here to write about. I'm here to talk about the veggie burger. Up until last night, I had never had a Tiny's veggie burger. I've got to say, I wasn't impressed, which was quite surprising to me.

The burger is called the "Big Mack Daddy". It's a soy-based veggie burger topped with mild cheddar, tofu bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, mustard, and special sauce. It's served on a brioche bun. So, for starters, mustard on a burger? Isn't that a no-no in the city? I thought that was just for upstaters. It was yellow mustard too, and way too much of it! The cheese was weird, I couldn't tell if it was soy cheese or regular. And that tofu bacon I think is the same treat I used to give my dog, but packaged under the name, "beggin' strips." She loved 'em, me, not so much.

I am beginning to realize that my enjoyment of soy burgers is declining. This was a very dry soy burger, pretty much just like the vegan Boca but thicker. Fortunately, there was so much else on this concoction, I was able to ignore the blandness of the actual burger patty.

Overall, it wasn't horrible, but they were trying too hard to be the exact vegetarian replica for the bacon cheeseburger. It didn't work for me, though I ate the whole thing so it wouldn't be right to put anything less than a 2.5.

I will definitely hit up Tiny's many more times, just not for the veggie burger.

#4 - Shake Shack - Multiple Locations - NO RATING

Shake Shack
154 E 86th St, New York 10128
(Btwn Lexington & 3rd Ave)
Multiple other locations around the city
Burgers, Hot Dogs, Desserts
Veggie Burger - $6.75

I've always heard Shake Shack this, Shake Shack that. As somebody who doesn't eat burgers, I paid no mind. I read what their "veggie burger" was and thought it sounded kind of gross, and it was definitely not worthy of standing in line for an hour or so.

Recently they opened a Shake Shack in my neighborhood. I still didn't really care. The one day I was walking home from work and passed the Shake Shack. It was 6:00- there was no line. Next thing you know, I'm ordering. It was like I blacked out for a moment and woke up to utter the words, "one shroom burger, please."

I brought it home and dove in. It was a standard size bun with this deep fried oval thing as it's filling. I wanted so bad to hate it. Then I took a bite. Wow! Cheese was dripping out the sides and the mixture of bread, cheese, and the crunchy fried patty was delicious. It reminded me of one of my favorite college hangover cures - grilled cheese with onion rings inside (I never wonder why I gained 20lbs in college).

The burger is actually a crisp-fried portobello filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato and shacksauce. Really, it is so fried it could be anything, I never once tasted mushroom, but who cares, it was delicious.

So, I didn't hate it, but I got it out of my system. To me, it's not really a veggie burger, not in the way I'm looking for. So, I'm not going to rate it officially, but I will say, Shake Shack-1, Ally-0.

#3 - Energy Kitchen - Multiple Locations - 4 out of 5

Energy Kitchen
1628 2nd Ave, New York 10028
(Btwn 84th & 85th St)
Multiple other locations around the city
Health Food, Smoothies/Juice Bar, Sandwiches
Veggie Burger - $6.99 (occasionally have $5 burger months)

I have tried a lot of things on the menu at this place. Most are good though I wasn't crazy about the smoothies. Anyway, I've eaten this veggie burger many times, so I think that says it all. I love it. It's served on a delicious whole wheat roll that is always fresh. The veggie patty is made from soy, onions, carrots, zucchini, corn, peppers and it is served with lettuce and tomato. It's fairly mushy at times, but not falling apart the way so many do. Overall, it's a really great burger and designed as a fast food (healthy though) place so it's quick and good to take out.

I am not sure why I am only giving this a 4 when I have said nothing but good things, I am not sure what will get a 5 yet. I think it's consistently great, but doesn't blow me away or maybe I just need to continue my search to find out. Who knows, maybe after I try enough, I'll go back and adjust my previous ratings. Maybe there is no such thing as getting "blown away" by a veggie burger. We'll see!

Oh, and pictures to come soon. I usually only remember by the last bite, but I'll try harder next time!

#2 - Anneliese's - Upper East Side - 4 out of 5

Anneliese's
1516 1st Ave, New York 10075
(At 79th St)
Deli, Desserts, Bakery
Veggie Burger - $6.95 (well worth the price)

I had never even heard of this place before when I had walked by it one day. They had a sign outside that listed some delicious sounding soups, sandwiches, and a veggie burger. Bingo! I wasn't hungry at the time, but I made a mental note to go back.

I ordered take-out. The phone service was insanely friendly. It almost felt like it was their first day in business and they were excited about taking one of their first calls. It was kind of cute. I ordered a veggie burger and was offered a side of honey mustard. I accepted. I also had to get a chocolate chip cookie because from some research I found that they are known to have some great cookies.

My delivery arrived pretty quick. The veggie burger looked amazing right away. It was a colorful patty on this amazing looking bun. A 9-grain bun that I found out was homemade. It was so fresh and light. The burger had lettuce, tomato and mixed greens on top. The honey mustard offered on the side was really delicious. The patty consisted of: peas, carrots, corn, broccoli, lima beans (?), and maybe bread crumbs. It held together nicely. The patty was nothing original, but the whole package was really dgreat, that's why I'm giving them a 4 out of 5.

Side note: the chocolate chip cookie was amazing!!

#1 - Green Kitchen - Upper East Side - 2.5 out of 5

Green Kitchen
1477 1st Ave, New York 10021
(at 77th)
Diner & Coffee Shop
Veggie burger - $6.95

For some reason I thought it was a "healthier" diner. I think it was the word "green" in their name. I was quick to realize it is no different from any other diner in terms of their menu options (i.e. a menu the size of an encyclopedia). For some odd reason, diners are a dime a dozen in the Upper East Side/Yorkville. But alas, they do their own veggie burger, so they get respect from me for that.

I gave this burger a 2.5. It's not bad, it's not great. The bun was your standard white bun, not much to it. It was served with lettuce and tomato, nothing exciting there. The burger itself was good, though I believe fried. It didn't have an abundance of taste, but it wasn't bland either. It was made up of veggies like: carrots, green beans, peas, and maybe a pureed squash. Something, probably breadcrumbs, were binding this together nicely. It was mushy, but annoyingly so.

I walked out underwhelmed, though I can't say I had high expectations for a diner veggie burger anyhow. However, living in this neighborhood, I doubt it will be the last one I try.

The store bought veggie burger

I often buy store bought veggie burgers as well. However, my taste is becoming more and more favorable to restaurant creations. I think that is why my taste of store bought brands is changing so much. I used to be all about the Boca - Garlic burger. Now I can barely eat it. It tastes so bland to me and the consistency is kind of weird (think hockey puck).

My current favorite store bought veggie burgers are:
-The original Gardenburger
-Morningstar Farms Asian veggie patties
-Don Lee Farms veggie patties (Costco)
-Amy's California burger
-Boca bruschetta burger

Side note: I used to get SO annoyed when restaurants started making their own veggie burgers and they weren't that great yet, but they'd call them Gardenburgers. I was fooled a few times thinking that is what I'd be getting was the brand Gardenburger. I'd explain to people (and nobody cared), that it was a brand name and was false advertisement to call it that and have it be their own concoction. It should just be called veggie burger.

It was a stupid battle that I ALWAYS lost, but back then it was so much harder to be a vegetarian when you went out to eat, so it was frustrating to be duped.

The evolution of the veggie burger

Veggie burgers have come a long way. In 1994, when I first gave up meat, I am not even sure I knew about veggie burgers. That was probably because they barely existed. I remember certain grocery stores had one or two frozen varieties, but that was about it. Eventually, a few restaurants started adding them to the menu, but it was just a bun with one of the aforementioned store-bought frozen veggie patties.

Slowly more brands started to pop up and more restaurants started to carry them. I remember a point where healthier restaurants started making their own. I don't recall liking those in the beginning, they were always so mushy (a word you will find often in this blog). I was far to the texture you'd get from the Boca's and Morningstars. Suddenly, they started getting better, and more restaurants were taking their spin on them. Now, it seems like everywhere you go, a restaurant makes their own veggie burger, and let me tell you from experience, they are certainly not created equal.

You can do just about anything with a veggie burger, but there are some typical bases that are used: grains, vegetables, beans, or textured vegetable protein/soy. What is used to bind them together is always different, but a lot have some sort of dairy or eggs, so unless specified, I would never assume a veggie burger is vegan.

What brings me to writing this blog is that I LOVE veggie burgers. This latest boom of so many restaurants having one and the great variance from one to the other is incredible. I have found that I can't go to a restaurant and not order the veggie burger if I haven't tried it yet.

I have decided to start blogging my findings, offering an eaters guide to veggie burgers in NYC. I don't believe veggie burgers are just for vegetarians, some people eat them because they are simply tasty or just healthy alternative (which by no surprise I am finding can be entirely untrue at some places - ah America!).

A few things to note:
-I had already started this months ago and lost all of the notes I had taken when my Macbook decided to crash. So, I'm starting over. It's a tough job, but somebody as to do it (well, not really, but still..).
-Speaking of, this isn't really a job, it's a hobby. It could get expensive. If you want your veggie burger "reviewed" quicker, hook me up! I can't promise I'll like it, but I can promise I'll write about it.
-I am not a vegan, I am also a very low-maintenance vegetarian, i.e., I will go to a BBQ and allow my veggie burger to share the same grill meat is being cooked on, even the same utensils. In sum, if you are really hard core, please note that I am not dissecting where these are cooked or if they contain dairy.
-A lot of these will probably begin to be from places in my neighborhood in the UES, but I'll expand my horizons eventually.


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