A couple of weeks ago I went to a tasting of the new menu items at Veggie Grill (the 100% plant-based comfort food restaurant). While we were waiting for our first item on the list, I informed my tablemates how I had walked away from Natural Products Expo West with the feeling that everyone was getting very close to the real deal in the world of plant based substitutes with things like chicken, but that nobody could master the art of seafood.
And within a minute I had to totally eat my words because Greg Dollarhyde, the CEO of Veggie Grill placed their new Crab Cake sandwich in front of me to taste.
I took a bite and the first words out of my mouth (honest, truly!) were: How is this possible?
A crispy “Crab” Cake with tangy tartar sauce, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and red onion along with a side of “sweetheart fries.” As a beach girl who grew up eating seafood in all forms (but the not the case anymore) I was totally hooked!
According to Dollarhyde the secret is a “certain type of seaweed adds the “seafood” umami to it.”
Veggie Grill’s constantly asking Americans to “taste and believe,” and after this experience I was totally a true believer. (And ended up going back less than two weeks later to experience it again!)
Hmmm. There’s really nothing crispy about the crab cake I had. Also, I’m nota vegetarian but go to veggie grill with friends...I love traditional crab cakes. Although this one has a look and texture that’s similar, the taste is not even remotely close. If I were blind tasting I wouldn’t have even come close to any kind of seafood.
ReplyDeleteSome of their fare is very good. Crab cake? Sadly a huge miss.