Veg Out: Faux Burgers That Don't Suck at Nourish and Houston's

I'm about to blow your mind. Ready?

There exists a veggie burger that's as good as the real thing. And I found it.

It's always tough to find a restaurant that suits my vegetarian and vegan buddies as well as it does the rest of us omnivores. They're usually stuck with one bland dish or a pre-frozen veggie patty with "hydrolyzed" and "autolyzed" proteins that are about as close to the plant kingdom as a hunk of plastic is. So this week I went in search of a homemade faux burger crafted with real ingredients -- one that doesn't taste like paste or tofu. This one's for you, veg-heads!

In One Corner: Nourish
7147 East Rancho Vista Drive, Suite 107C, in Scottsdale
480-684-2233

One of Nourish's two veggie burgers, served with gluten-free mac and cheese.

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Nourish is billed as "healthy comfort food." Located in the gorgeous Optima Camelview Village on Rancho Vista just north of Camelback Rd., the eatery sports full glass windows, pretty glass tiles and two patios covered in climbing vines and other greenery. Owner and certified public speaker Kirstin Carey was smart in placing Nourish here. The flowing water fountains, gardens and overall chill vibe of Optima make you want to be healthy here. The pristine swimming pool and gym (for residents only, damn!) don't hurt either.

​Nourish offers hummus, meat- and gluten-free pizzas, and salads like the fun Kitchen Sink with garbanzo beans, chiles, zucchini and a bunch of other random fresh produce. Earlier this month, Carey added Sunday brunch. Though you will find bacon on the menu, there are plenty of vegetarian options including veggie Eggs Benedict, waffle platters and quiche. I'm always wary of website testimonials, but Dave S.'s declaration that he'd "eaten countless veggie burgers in the last 5 months, and this was clearly the tastiest" piqued my interest.

There are two veggie burger options at Nourish; one a sweet potato and chickpea patty, the other a spicy black bean version with red potatoes.

I ordered the latter, thinking it might have more flavor. I wasn't disappointed there. The faux burger showed up on a bed of lettuce with a small stack of air-fried sweet potato strips (other sides like gluten-free mac and cheese can be subbed free and a gluten-free bun can be added for $2 more). Unfortunately, the first two things I noticed were that my fries were totally charred and the burger wasn't firm.

Veggie burgers made without all the chemicals and unpronounceable ingredients of the store brand (yes, Boca, I mean you) tend to be a little mushy. This one had chunks of potato that held together, but the rest of it fell apart onto my plate as my fork slid in. The burger was very starchy -- it had that unmashed potato grit, with the visible whole black beans lending an unfortunate pasty texture.

Nourish's bean burger was flavorful, but lacked something other than meat.

​The flavor was much better. Every ingredient shined on its own. The earthiness of the potatoes and beans contrasted nicely with the spicy chopped bell peppers and onions. The only listed ingredient I couldn't taste were the cashews, which if ground up could've contributed to the odd pasty texture. If you've ever had fresh cashew butter, you know what I mean. Fresh cucumber slices on top gave the dish added crunch and avocado slices provided creaminess and rich flavor when mixed together with the other components. 

Nourish's burger doesn't even resemble the real thing. But that's a bonus. There's no perfect substitute for real meat, so why try? Nourish's burger tastes like real, unprocessed food without trying to be something it's not.