UPDATE: Hillstone’s veggie burger actually contains bonito flakes and Worcestershire sauce. So it is not, in fact, vegetarian (!) though it is suitable to pescatarians. Bummer…
Undoubtedly, as a vegetarian, you have had your share of sad, bland, cardboard-like veggie burgers. But not all veggie burgers are created equal. More and more restaurants are starting to realize this and are actually offering appetizing options. Hillstone (formerly Houston’s) has been doing this for several years already, and as a result, their veggie burger has a cult following consisting of vegetarians and carnivores alike. Though I don’t know the exact recipe, the menu indicates that the burger contains brown rice, oat bran, and black beans. Ingredients that aren’t listed on the menu include beets and prunes. Cocoa is also rumored to be one of the ingredients.
via becomingdaddy.net
While the contents of the burger are important, the griddled exterior is perhaps an equally important characteristic. Griddling the burger gives the outside a crispy, almost crunchy texture akin to an onion ring; at the same time, the inside stays moist and even a bit chewy. While it in no way imitates the taste and texture of meat, this burger stands on it’s own as an extremely satisfying and tasty entity. Perhaps, a close second in this unique category is the invisible burger from Pop Burger. In any case, if you’re craving a real veggie burger instead of one made from processed paper, head over to Hillstone…or better yet, order take out.
Currently based out of Boston, Jesal is a blogger, freelance writer, yoga enthusiast and lifelong vegetarian who spent four years eating her way through New York City and various other cities around the globe. After answering hundreds of emails and phone calls answering the question, "Where's a cool place I can take my vegetarian friend out to eat" she started Veggiewala to efficiently share her knowledge of the vegetarian food scene with curious carnivores, flexitarians and other vegetarians.
Just want to inform you that the Hillstone veggie burger is NOT vegetarian. The patty contains bonito flake and they squeeze a good amount of Worcestershire sauce in the patty once it’s cooked. Not sure who told you it was vegetarian, but I’ve always been warned by servers that it is not vegetarian.
Wow – thank you for unearthing this! I looked up the recipe and couldn’t find all of the ingredients though a phone call to Hillstone led me to believe the burger was vegetarian and did not lead me to believe it included either of those ingredients. I’m very glad to know about this – though how disappointing!