Dec. 07--In too many restaurants, a frozen, supermarket-issued patty nuked and then slapped inside a bun is all one can expect out of a veggie burger. It's a happy surprise to find the housemade, kitchen-sink variety, when vegetables, legumes, herbs, spices, dressings and a surprise or two are mashed together to form a patty as savory and satisfying as the carnivorous version.
The veggie burger at Revolution Brewery's brewpub ($13) is one of those masterworks. According to general manager Gabriel Boden, every component of Revolution's veggie burger is made in-house, including the bun; and the recipe was not a snap to create.
"It probably took a year or more, trying various takes," Boden said. "We're very happy with this one. ... We plan to keep it around for a while."
The thick, juicy patty incorporates cremini mushrooms, smoked black beans and roasted red beets (delivering a rosy hue), and arrives topped with melty shreds of pepper jack cheese, tangy red onion marmalade and sprigs of fresh arugula. The mammoth burger, hulking inside a sturdy poppy seed bun, also comes with your choice of side; the fluffy garlic mashed potatoes are worth every forkful. Washing down bites with a frosty, seasonal can of Fistmas Ale doesn't hurt, either. 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-227-2739, www.revbrew.com/brewpub.
Leah Pickett is a freelance writer.
