Actually Yummy Veggie Burgers

Mention veggie burger to anyone ordering food in a restaurant and they'll blanch. Unfortunately this healthy food has a bad reputation, especially when ordered out. It's usually a vile greenish color with mushy peas and heaven only knows what else squishing out of it. However there are a few restaurants bent on changing the much maligned burger

Today's Dining section in the New York Times had an excellent article about this revolution. Dining regular Jeff Gordinier interviewed various American chefs who redefined the plain veggie burger. Some added beet juice to give the interior that look of rare meat while others added prunes(!) for chewiness. Most cooks stuck with using the typical veggies, of peas, cauliflower, squash and chickpeas to get a nice, healthy but delicious burger.A big help was how the burgers were cooked, mostly over hickory to give them a smoky flavor.

How did these rate? The priciest ones that Manhattan has to offer got the best rating. This comes out of Hillstone down in the Village is is a whopping $16.00 However it is also the best tasting and has the most meat like texture. The burger is made out of a composite of brown rice, black beans and red beets. Other sort of come close such as the croquette at Westville and the chickpea laden one from Burger and Barrel, both also in the Village. Some do fail sadly enough .It's probably because there's been little effort put into them. As with any dish a veggie burger has to be thought out and planned carefully, then expertly executed to make it work.

Veggie burgers can be just as tasty as other burgers. They don't have to have that "ugh" factor that puts diners off them. Thanks to a chef's creativity, they can be just as delicious and satisfying as the real thing.