French Meadow vs. Leaning Tower: Who's veggie burger is best?

Lisa Gulya

French Meadow's veggie burger

A hamburger is straightforward--a hunk of cooked beef on a bun--but a veggie burger is a more malleable thing. A recent episode of Future Food proved it, serving veggie burgers made not just from vegetables but from the sort of vegetables cows eat--a way to have a burger and eat lower on the food chain, too. Since Twin Cities veggie burgers don't get quite that philosophical, we opted to try out a couple of basic veggie burgers. We stopped by the French Meadow Bakery & Cafe and the Leaning Tower of Pizza to find our favorite.

French Meadow
French Meadow serves a $9 veggie burger with a choice of sides--we took the greens. The burger is toothsome and filling, with chive aoili and Swiss cheese to add flavor and moistness.

Lisa Gulya

Leaning Tower
Leaning Tower serves a veggie burger with salty, soft French fries and peppery and sauce-soaked coleslaw for $7.95. It's unpretentious bar food, and the veggie patty isn't bad--quickly grilled and heavily spiced, with visible chunks of carrot and mushrooms.

Lisa Gulya

The winner: The French Meadow Bakery burger has our vote, for delivering a balance of flavors plus texture that could satisfy the molars of any carnivore. But if you're just looking for a happy hour or late-night bite, Leaning Tower's burger is a decent option, too.