Burger Crew meeting called to order on Sunday, December 12th, 2021 at 12p.
Members in attendance: Angela, Trevor, Wayne, Decay, and me (Innie).
Special guest appearance by Marty, burger scion.
Burger Crew has a few ongoing burger hot topics. Dill versus bread and butter pickles. The optimal bacon doneness. Tomatoes… friend or foe? However, there are other subjects that have historically been hive-mind gospel. American cheese is best cheese. Griddle > grill. And of course, plant-based patties do not compute as acceptable burger material.
But… times are changing, and the crew is game for the ride! Burger Crew is officially reviewing its first vegan establishment!
I. Ordering
Nomoo’s entirely vegan menu includes 2 burger options: the nomoo and the BBQ ‘Facon’. Both have the choice of being ordered as a single or a double patty. The nomoo consists of a brioche bun, ‘nomoo x Beyond’ patty, American Cheeze, pickles, onion, tomato, and lettuce (single: $7.95, double: $9.95). The BBQ ‘Facon’ has a brioche bun, housemade bacon, secret BBQ sauce, fried onion strings, ‘nomoo x Beyond’ patty, and American Cheeze (single: $8.45, double: $10.75). The menu also includes a hot chicken burger, “wings” (fried mushrooms), handspun shakes, and sides of fries ($4.25) or salad.
Wayne, Trev, and Angela all ordered a double BBQ ‘Facon’ with fries. Trev also ordered an Oreo milkshake.
DK and I both ordered the double nomoo, with DK adding bacon to his burger for an extra $3.
II. The Burgers
Let’s get right to the meat of the matter and talk turkey about the Beyond patty. For the members of the crew who have tried Impossible patties, the consensus was strong that the Beyond patty didn’t quite measure up. Angela commented that the Beyond patty has a distinct “pea protein” taste that the Impossible burger doesn’t have. The texture for the Beyond meat was softer and was comparatively more mushy as well, but no one had any real beef with that. The sear was pretty impressive, with Wayne comparing his to a smash patty, and with mine having some distinctly crispy bits. Angela, Trev, and Wayne all thought the BBQ Facon was too salty, perhaps due to the barbeque sauce. DK and I thought the nomoo burgers were seasoned the right amount.
The American Cheeze was unexpectedly close to the flavor and gooeyness of the real stuff. Vegan cheese has a pretty bad rap, but the texture of this cheeze was melty and melded nicely into the burger patty. The taste was not quite as savory as real American cheese, but it was overall a surprisingly good substitute.
The ‘facon’ was far less impressive. It was somehow neither crispy nor chewy, and while it didn’t detract from the burgers, it didn’t add anything either. It was basically a non-ingredient. Save the $3 add-on if your burger doesn’t already come with it, and spend it elsewhere. (Spoiler alert: don’t spend your savings on a milkshake.)
The real MVP of the burgers was the nomoo sauce. At first glance, it seemed like a standard thousand-island-style sauce, but the nomoo sauce was just better. I don’t know what they put in it, but it was flavorful and tangy, and easily my favorite part of the burger.
The veggie accouterments were all very fresh. The tomatoes were thinly sliced, sweet, and not at all mealy. The chopped red onions provided a nice crunch, as did the pickles. The butter lettuce made for a pretty picture, but didn’t bring much else to the game.
The buns were toasted and held up to the job. Not quite the gooey buns we tend to love, but still soft and blended well with the rest of the burger.
III. Sides
I always respect a burger establishment that can deliver a good fry, and this place did not disappoint. The fries here were delicious; double fried and well seasoned. They stayed crispy throughout the whole meal, and were still tasty when cold. The cute copper baskets they were served in didn’t hurt either.
On the other end of the spectrum, Trev’s handspun Oreo cookie milkshake was all sizzle and no steak. Trev thought that it tasted as if the person who made it didn’t know what an Oreo shake was, and then made that concoction into a Diet version. Between the alternative milk, and the freeze-dried texture of the oreo cookie bits, Trev rated his experience a negative 2 out of 5.
IV. Miscellaneous
There was both outdoor and indoor counter seating available, and space heaters were set up in the outdoor patio area. The crew met up at the start of their business hours and noticed that it was fairly busy the whole time we were there. Bathrooms are for customers only and were pretty clean. The fountain drinks are of the fancy sort (“Tractor Organic” brand), and according to their menu, can have CBD added for a $2 upcharge. Free parking wasn’t too hard to find in the neighborhood, with a 2 hr limit on the weekend.
V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers. The answers ranged from $8.50 to $12.50, with an average of $11.
VI. The Verdict
The ratings from the crew were 3.4, 2.3, 3.0, and 3.3.
Next Burger Crew meeting scheduled for Sunday, January 30th at For the Win.