this is not one of those chicago diner menu items that is confusable with meat. the tofu seitan patty does actually taste very very close to a burger, but the texture is smoother and clearly seitan rather than having that “ground beef” sort of feel. that being said, it did taste very good and because i like those types of patties too, i enjoyed it.
the caramelized onions on top of the burger made it even better, and i liked the addition of the russian dressing with the cheese. the marbled rye was also a plus. i feel like it could have used a bit more cheese and a bit less russian dressing because it is advertised as a “melt” which implies the cheese is melting and not the russian dressing, but that’s more of a critique based on the naming conventions and not the sandwich itself.
overall it was a good patty melt, but not indistinguishable from a nonvegan patty melt. it is not always necessary to be indistinguishable and i don’t mind, but it is something to be aware of.
#veganpattymelt #chicagodiner #veganchicago
