Doing the Impossible: Impossible and Veggie Burgers of Tulsa
By: Ben Brown
Burgers. The crown jewel of western culture. Made from cows, loved by man, and unavailable to vegetarians… until now. More and more restaurants have begun introducing their own veggie burgers and impossible burgers leaving many vegetarians wondering “Are they good? Who’s is best?” The Torch is here to answer all these questions.
I’ll be evaluating these pseudo-burgers based on three criteria: general quality, price, and similarity to normal, meat-having burgers. The burgers I chose to put on my list are the two kings of Tulsa veggie burgers: Freddie’s and The Garage.
Freddie’s
The Freddie's veggie burger is not an impossible burger, it is technically a black bean burger, meaning it is made up of beans and tastes a little bit more like vegetables and beans. I typically don’t enjoy black bean burgers, but I think Freddie’s has found the secret ingredient to making black bean burgers desirable.
In addition to the patty, the burger is topped with lettuce, onions, and the key ingredient: freddie’s sauce. The sauce offsets the taste of beans and makes for a burger that is filled with zest and intrigue.
This burger doesn’t taste like a real burger considering it’s a black bean burger, but it’s a great price for how big it is at only $5.69. So I wouldn’t say this is the perfect burger, but this burger has no questions about its identity and embraces its black bean status, and I have to reward the confidence. This burger is a classic and one my favorites.
The Garage
The Garage’s burger is an impossible burger, meaning it is meant to emulate a real burger, so it automatically gets points for tasting like an actual burger. Not only does the impossible burger taste incredible, but The Garage allows you to have any of their mouthwatering burgers with an impossible patty instead of hamburger patty, so you have limitless options.
The downside to this is that the impossible patty costs $3.00 extra. This added price has most burgers sitting at around $8.00-$10.00.
My personal favorite burger at The Garage is the Kitchen Sink, topped with: mushrooms, swiss, sweet jalapeno relish, garlic aioli, BBQ sauce, (most importantly) onion rings, and I personally add an egg on top for a dollar.
In my opinion, this veggie burger takes the cake. From the variety of toppings, to the taste of the impossible patty, and the similarity to real burgers. No other restaurant stands a chance against The Garage if you’re a vegetarian who wants to eat a burger with their meat eating friends or if you’re a burger lover looking to see what the impossible meat hype is all about.
As a vegetarian, I owe Freddie’s and The Garage a lot for the advances they’ve made in the veggie burger world. No longer must vegetarians recoil in fear at the thought of going out to eat with friends at a burger joint. These restaurants, and their burgers, have given vegetarians more than a filling meal. They’ve given them an opportunity. An opportunity to eat a burger with their friends.