Teany

I’d been to Teany once before, and noticed the veggie burger on their menu… but that was an evening when I did not have my camera with me, and this was before I had the iPhone 4 so I didn’t want to risk taking crappy cellphone pictures at the time.



But last weekend when I was in the Lower East Side to shop for some sandals at Moo Shoes, I decided to treat myself to a veggie burger brunch.



The menu notes which items are vegan or can be made vegan upon request. Oddly, the veggie burger was not marked as such, although the waitress assured me that if I ordered it without the feta cheese, the patty, bun, and everything else were indeed vegan.



My first impression was surprise - the patty had already fallen apart before I even picked up the burger! Although I’m well aware that many veggie burgers don’t hold together so well, and sometimes a messy, drippy meal is part of the fun, I usually anticipate the patty at least looking whole before I eat it. However, it tasted good – lots of quinoa, which I’m becoming quite a fan of in burgers, and a very nice blend of spices that were more savory (did I detect a hint of cinnamon too?) than hot, although the menu called it a chipotle veggie burger.

The patty by itself was rather dry, but luckily, there was enough vegan mayo to compensate for that. Actually, maybe too much mayo (and I, mayo lover that I am, hardly ever say that!). Perhaps they gave me extra to make up for the missing feta cheese? The tomato slices were nice and juicy, but the arugula was actually slightly cooked in the center by the heat of the patty! Another unexpected feature.



The bun was a delicious, light brioche. Overall, the flavors of the burger were great – the execution just had a few flaws. I like Teany, and I’d eat here again, but the veggie burger is not the strongest feature of their menu. Luckily, they have a lot of other veggie and vegan sandwich options to choose from.

Fun fact: Several of my friends have informed me that musician Moby owns Teany, although Wikipedia clarifies that he co-founded and used to co-own the restaurant, but does not anymore.

Cost: $10
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Burger patty: 3       Bun: 4      Toppings: 2

Teany
90 Rivington Street
between Orchard & Ludlow Street
New York, NY 10002
212.475.9190


YumVeggieBurger review #84

Meet Lynx

By the way...
In all the chaos of various film shoots last month, I neglected to mention some exciting non-veggie-burger news:

I have a cat now!


His name is Lynx. I adopted him from the ASPCA in Manhattan.


And I'm in love with him :)

The Cinnamon Snail Vegan Food Truck

I’ve been dying to try the Cinnamon Snail’s veggie burger for a long time. Last year, I was planning to go to Jersey just for the sake of their food (that’s how highly it came recommended to me by other vegetarians and vegans!) – but then they started parking their fabulous truck on the streets of Manhattan! Unfortunately, I was always working in Queens during the same hours.

So when I recently had a week between film shoots, I immediately sought out this mecca of vegan food.



Of course there was a line – and it wasn’t even noon yet! I’m sure the line gets even longer at peak lunch hours. While everything on their menu sounds mouth-watering, I had my eyes set on the veggie burger, of course. Actually, there are TWO veggie burgers on their menu (is this heaven or what?). I opted for the ancho chili seitan burger.


Look how massive that is!

The first bite was all bun – which normally would have left me dismayed, but in this case the bun alone was so tasty I didn’t even care! Wow. Herbed focaccia bread, lightly toasted. Delicious!



The patty was rich and chewy, with just the right amount of spice. I like seitan, I think it lends itself very well to the texture of a burger, and this was one of the best ones I’ve eaten. It’s also quite filling! I could barely finish the burger, as hungry as I was – you’ll definitely get a full meal out of this one.

And the toppings were excellent too – “beer simmered” onions and garlic, arugala, pepper sauce and horseradish cream (I thought I tasted wasabi, but looking at the list of ingredients now I suppose that was just the spiciness of the horseradish). The patty might have been a little dry on its own, but all these toppings saved the day, creating the perfect combination in my mouth.

Definitely a five-star burger!

Yes, my stomach was totally full after devouring that monster of a burger – but I couldn’t resist trying one of the award-winning crème brûlée donuts too… vegan as well, like everything that the truck serves!



See that picture of the Maker’s Mark bottle on the truck? That’s because these amazing donuts are made even more amazing by BOURBON. Yes, I was seriously in heaven. The friendly truck employee told me that the Cinnamon Snail is now actually sponsored by Maker’s Mark! Can you get any more perfect than that? A vegan food truck that serves a five-star veggie burger and the best donuts I’ve ever tasted… sponsored by a bourbon brand??? That must be what heaven is like.


my new favorite donut

I think I have to go back this week to try the other burger, the “gochujang burger deluxe”, especially after reading A Soy Bean’s review of its amazingness

Cost: $9 (plus $3 for that orgasmic donut)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Burger patty: 5       Bun: 5      Toppings: 4

The Cinnamon Snail
Parking in various locations around Manhattan, check their Twitter feed for current location.
201.675.3755

YumVeggieBurger review #83