Ed U.
Yelp
So have you heard about the Impossible Burger? Well, Jamie W. read about it and thought we should try it here since we are on a continual quest to eat healthier. Sure, we've had veggie burgers before, some really good ones like the Black Bean Chipotle Veggie Burger at the Garden Grill up in Guerneville (photo: http://bit.ly/2sn9ifr) and our personal favorite, the Butterbean Burger at the Boiler Room Oyster Bar in Kinston, North Carolina (photo: http://bit.ly/2sAkJAS). So we were intrigued enough by this all-plant variation that we ordered a couple of the $14 ones they served here where our previous dining experiences involved jalapeno poppers, deviled eggs, their regular PH burger, and oh yeah, beer on tap to facilitate the guzzling of such cholesterol-infested grub.
Well, apparently there is no cholesterol in an Impossible Burger nor antibiotics nor meat of any kind. What gives the burger its meaty flavor is heme, which is the non-protein, insoluble, iron protoporphyrin constituent of hemoglobin. Say what? I just copy-pasted that from an online medical dictionary, but that's what makes the patty look, smell, sizzle, bleed, and taste like a regular burger (photo: http://bit.ly/2rgs1pq). And amazingly it did. I was dumbfounded how a vegan burger could taste so carnivorous, but it did even if beef purists likely balk at the notion. It came with provolone melted on top with caramelized onions and a smoke & spice sauce to give it even more of a barbecue flavor (photo: http://bit.ly/2szkciw). Hell, I liked it.
But it's not a perfect substitute since it has five times the sodium and more saturated fats than a regular burger. It's also about the same number of calories in case you are counting, about 220 calories for the patty itself. Give us credit though since we did add the $3 Mixed Greens as a side rather than the fries and ignored the free chips on our plates (photo: http://bit.ly/2rgljQn). We also went with a $6 order of the Crispy Cauliflower with Sweet Pepper Relish, which was a pretty healthy choice for a bar bite (photo: http://bit.ly/2t0UJvO). The vibe was still the same since it first opened, still an extravaganza of flatscreen TVs in a warehouse-size space with a lot of loud youngsters. Regardless, I'd still come back for the Impossible Burger. It was delish...and so good for me?
FOOD - 4 stars...that Impossible Burger seems kinda impossible and a bit overpriced but the meatiness tastes real
AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...same loud, cavernous bar it's been since it opened
SERVICE - 3 stars...perhaps tired from his shift, the first server seemed bored with us from the outset but the second was more enthusiastic
TOTAL - 4 stars...definitely will come back for the Impossible Burger