We Tried The "Bleeding" Vegetarian Burger And It Was Actually Good
We're honestly wondering if they're going to be like "PSYCH, THAT WAS ACTUALLY MEAT!"
Posted on July 27, 2016, at 1:49 p.m
So, there's been a lot of talk about "bleeding" vegetarian burgers — all-vegetable patties that somehow, miraculously, have the consistency of actual red meat.
Some of the first "bleeding" veggie burgers were made by Beyond Meat and only sold at a Whole Foods in Colorado. They sold out IN ONE DAY.
The latest meat-like veggie burgers are from a company called Impossible Foods. The magic ingredient, according to their website, is "heme," something abundant in meat but also found in many plants on earth. It's the part that gives meat its texture and makes it "bleed."
This week, David Chang's Momofuku Nishi in NYC started serving this "bleeding" Impossible Food veggie burger. So we — one vegetarian, one meat eater — had to go try it.
The burger and fries cost $12. It's obviously more than a fast-food burger, but on par with an average NYC lunch spot.
Our thoughts going in:
Chelsea: I was so pumped. I haven't eaten meat in eight years, and while I can find a substitute for hot dogs (they are both highly processed, veggie or not, so it's probably simpler), I haven't had something that actually satiates that primal appetite the way a burger does. Some vegetarians are like, "Meat is gross, why would I want to replicate that?" I do not understand those people. I didn't become a vegetarian because I hated the taste of meat. I become a vegetarian because I don't like where it comes from. And honestly, the only thing that I sometimes miss is a nice, juicy piece of meat. And yes, that juicy means "bloody." So sue me.
Joanna: I eat meat, so my last real-meat burger was maybe a month ago. The idea of a "juicy" veggie burger was a little weird to me. I know it's made out of vegetables, and I've never been one to seek out wet, juicy vegetables.
We arrived 20 minutes before the restaurant opened AND THERE WAS ALREADY A LINE.
And the line kept forming. We got a lot of "what are you waiting for?" questions from passersby.
It felt like we were waiting to be let into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Except this time, it was David Chang's No-Meat Burger Factory.
We got in and it was very clear who was the star today.
The restaurant smelled amazing, and when they brought this out Chelsea squealed. It basically looked like Shake Shack with higher-grade McDonald's fries.
What is this witchcraft?
The middle of the burger was pink like it was cooked medium-rare. It was kind of crazy to see and still trust that this wasn't ACTUALLY MEAT.
LOOK AT IT. IT LOOKS LIKE BURGER MEAT. LOOK AT THOSE JUICES. BUT IT'S VEGETABLES.
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