5 Napkin Burger Happy Hour

I’ve been working such long hours that I usually don’t have time to eat anything for dinner before yoga classes. So it seemed inevitable that one day I would end up at 5 Napkin Burger for a very-late dinner after a hot yoga class, since the Astoria location of this restaurant is only a few blocks from my yoga studio…

And, lucky me, by the time my yoga class is over, their happy hour menu is in effect! $4 for veggie sliders? Yes please!



If you recall, I already reviewed 5 Napkin’s veggie burger – and gave it 5 stars. So I was pretty confident I would enjoy their sliders as well…



Oh, sweet deliciousness! These sliders are just as amazingly tasty as 5 Napkin’s full-sized veggie burger. The patties are moist and flavorful, and in case you’re unfamiliar with the 5 Napkin Veggie burgers, that’s not undercooked meat that’s making them look pink – it’s beets! One of my favorite veggie burger ingredients!



They are topped with plenty of pickles, and that yummy, tangy “5N” sauce. Really the only difference between this and the regular veggie burger, other than the size (obviously) is that the sliders don’t come with tomato and lettuce. Probably because there’s no room left for them! And the bun seemed softer and sweeter, maybe a different type of bread. A $4 order of sliders includes two adorable little baby burgers. I also ordered a happy hour guacamole, and that along with the sliders was filling enough for me. But if you wanted to get really crazy, a hungry person could probably eat 2 orders of the sliders (4 total – about the size of a regular burger).

I’m going to go ahead and say these are 5-star sliders, because the full-sized 5 Napkin veggie burger is a 5-star burger, and these mini versions of that burger are equally awesome!

Cost: $4 for two sliders
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Burger patty: 5       Bun: 4      Toppings: 5

Read my original review of the full-sized 5 Napkin veggie burger here.

Five Napkin Burger
35-01 36th Street
Astoria, NY 11106
718.433.2727
locations in Manhattan as well, check website for addresses

YumVeggieBurger review #111

SoL Cuisine Sprouted Quinoa Chia Burger

I was picking up some groceries at whole foods recently, and thought I would try a new veggie burger, so I picked this one out of their frozen food section (I like quinoa and sweet potato, so it seemed like a good bet, even though I had never heard of the brand before).


The frozen burger patty, before cooking


After frying for a few minutes with a little bit of olive oil.


I melted a slice of my favorite Daiya swiss “cheese” on top of the patty, and toasted a whole wheat bun.



It smelled really good when I took it out of the frying pan! But the texture of the patty was odd, it wasn’t grainy or bready or even mushy – which are the categories most veggie burger patties seem to fall into. Instead, it was very smooth, almost like it had some kind of gelling agent in it (I’m not familiar with chia seeds, but I did a little research and it turns out that they form a gel when they react with water, so that explains that!). This is a very weird texture for a burger. There were also very large, flat slabs of onion mixed in, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. I didn’t taste any of the sweet potato that the package advertised.

Overall, it was a disappointment – I was expecting more from a product that sounded so good on the box (vegan, gluten-free, healthy, tasty ingredients!). I don’t think there was any way I could have cooked it that would have made the taste or texture better. The melted Daiya on top was the best part, but I don’t think I would buy these patties again when there are so many better ones on the market.

Has anyone else tried these burgers? What are your thoughts?

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
SoL Cuisine
purchased at: Whole Foods in NYC
price: $5.49 for a box of 4

YumVeggieBurger review #110

The Grey Dog

The Grey Dog is my go-to spot near Union Square to meet people for tea, and my sister and I have shared many a cozy drink at its tiny tables (getting a seat can be tricky when it’s crowded though!). But until I met a friend there for dinner last week, I had not tried any of the food. And I hadn’t even realized that they serve a veggie burger!



My first thought was that the burger seemed kind of small, but maybe that was just because it was dwarfed by the massive pile of fries next to it? I substituted sweet potato fries in place of the regular fries – and they were delicious.



The bun was a little dry, and kind of dense. But the toppings were great – really fresh and crispy pea shoots, tomato, and onion. The pesto was quite tasty, (I am a big fan of pesto!). I only wished there was some other sauce as well to balance out the dryness of the bun.

The patty was homemade – a blend of veggies and some hearty grains. It was about average, there was nothing too special about the flavor, but it tasted hearty and healthy. I asked if the burger was vegan, and the café staff showed me this handy little ingredient card that they keep behind the counter:



So the patty itself is vegan, they told me – but the bun is not (contains dairy). They did offer to serve it on a bed of lettuce for any vegans who were interested in ordering it though. And kudos to them for being so well-informed about their ingredients and prepared to answer their customer’s questions! More restaurants should learn from that example.

Note: the veggie burger is found under the “Michigan Sandwiches” section of the menu, not the “Burgers” section!

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

The Grey Dog
90 University Pl
between 12th & 11th Street
New York, NY 10003
212.414.4739
two other locations in Manhattan, check website for address

YumVeggieBurger review #109

The Best Thing I Ate This Month That Wasn't A Veggie Burger

If you follow me on twitter, you've already heard this - but I am in LOVE with Daiya's new flavor of vegan cheese: swiss!

I used to eat grilled swiss cheese sandwiches all the time - so when I decided to (mostly) stop eating dairy, that was one of the things I missed the most. I had the occasional grilled cheese sandwich made with vegan "cheddar" cheese, but it wasn't the same. So I was thrilled when I saw vegan SWISS cheese at the store!



Of course it doesn't taste exactly like "real" swiss cheese. And the texture is quite different, as all vegan cheeses are. But still - it makes a delicious vegan grilled cheese sandwich!

I buy Daiya at several little health food stores near my apartment, and I've seen Daiya products at Whole Foods as well.
Look on their website to find out where they might be sold near you.

And no, Daiya is not paying me or giving me free stuff to write this. This is just the best thing I ate this month that wasn't a veggie burger :)