congrats veggie grill, you have yourself another return customer! i went once before, i was kinda impressed, and now i’m back! despite the rampant blog controversy, i trust you veggie grill, plus i don’t give a crap about the egg content of your wine, because i don’t drink it.

bali bliss: indonesian styled tempeh, sauteed and grilled, lettuce, tomato, red onion, chipotle ranch…with a side of kale (an additional $1.95) $8.45 total

the v-burger: marinated and grilled veggie-steak burger, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, chipotle ranch…plus a portobello mushroom (an additional $1.50) $9.75 total

now before you start to think this is merely a fluff piece praising the VG, i want to make it very clear that i definitely have some complaints about the restaurant:

1. it’s expen$ive!
and mostly because of add-on costs, which i completely hate. most restaurants give you a sandwich and a reasonable side for no extra charge. well, not the veggie grill. they give you a sandwich and thimble of coleslaw. if you want fries, salad, or kale you are gonna pay an extra $1.95. that’s like an additional 1/3 of the price! ugh. similarly, if you wanna add some avocado or mushrooms to your stack, it’ll cost ya $1.50. i myself prefer the pure luck model: they give you avocado on almost everything, and then charge you a buck if you want more of it.

2. bell peppers are inevitable.
yep, on every dish they sprinkle an un-announced bell pepper/parsley combo, not to mention the unexpected vomitous “relish” that sporadically appears on a number of dishes—this pukey mixture contains not just bell peppers, but other unmentionables that taste like fruit? pickles? onions? snot? i dunno. it’s the hotdog of condiments, you aren’t quite sure what you are eating. suffice to say, i always specify that i want my meal without any bell peppers or relish, and since these items aren’t even mentioned on the menu, you are on your own to remember!

3. i hate the word veggie.
i always have. it’s way too cute, and i feel embarrassed even saying it. i think “veggie grill” is a stupid name…not just because of that word, but also because it’s too damn literal.

phew. now that i can put all that petty animus behind me, i fully endorse the veggie grill. at the end of the day, the food is pretty damn good.

the v-burger was great. they’ve really got the fake meat thing down…maybe that’s why they offer so many burgers and sandwiches with proteinous patties.

(the burger isn’t mine, that’s why you see some of the disgusting relish in the picture above!) the side of slaw was just kinda meh, but what really took this burger to the next level was the their amazing custom-made hot sauce. we grabbed a bottle from the condiments section and completely emptied it between the two of us.

the bali bliss was also surprisingly tasty, made with veggie grill’s own “too good tempeh.”

“a tender yet crunchy blend of organic soybeans and rice culture that we grill or lightly fry.” yum! this also tasted lovely smothered in that spectacular hot sauce…i really need to find out their recipe. the side of kale was awesome, maybe not worth an extra $1.95…but i just couldn’t resist!

all things considered, i’m definitely looking forward to returning to the veggie grill. their sandwiches and burgers are so good, i don’t mind paying a little extra money and taking a little extra time to special order everything without bell peppers. they make it worth my while.