Place: T.G.I. Friday’s
Item: Gardenburger
Price: $6.89
We Lunch Guys consider ourselves equal-opportunity eaters. While we gulp
down more than our share of meaty, mayo-y sandwiches with sizzling bacon and
melted cheddar, we rotate in meals of salads, wraps and yes, veggie burgers.
Which is how we found ourselves at the high-end (for us) T.G.I. Friday’s
skipping all the way to the bottom of the beautiful burger listing to the
Friday’s Gardenburger. Variety is the spice of lunch, and a whole grain
patty infused with cheese and mushrooms sometimes hits the spot. But would
this be a hit or a miss?
Chris: The invention of veggie burgers ranks up there with
that of hamburger patties and thin-sliced deli meat for its contribution to
lunch. It represents a bold new offshoot of sandwich permutations unlike anything
before it. My freezer at home is stocked with them.
And therein lies the problem with the Friday’s Gardenburger. The exact
same large-coaster-sized patty is in my freezer right now, and I paid $2.99
for a box of four, not almost seven bucks for one (!) laid out on a jumbo
bun with some lettuce on it and a small salad on the side. The intricate blend
of soy protein, onions, mushrooms and brown rice interwoven with hints of
a dry bite of sawdust. With the same bun, pickles, onion,
lettuce, ketchup, mustard and the works, this is a great “burger”
that more than satisfies but gives zero guilt.
Chris, don’t kid yourself -- almost everything
you get at restaurants is pre-prepared in some mega kitchen. The Gardenburger
is 100 percent organic, low in calories, fat and net carbs, yet high in protein.
This thing is a decade ahead of its time, and the world is just now ready
for it.
Chris: But is it better than I could
do at home? No. Friday’s needs to put its own spin on the Gardenburger
to justify the price. Make it an “only at Friday’s” experience
as a monster half-pounder or a custom flavor blend. Otherwise I’m happier
eating the same thing hot off my Foreman.
Tom: I say it’s right already.
As an occasional healthy, non-standard alternative, this is great. Most of
us don’t have a fridge full of Gardenburgers so it is an “only
at Friday’s” item -- unless you’re inviting us all over
to your place for lunch.
Rating: 4 sporks (out of 5)
Food Facts (sandwich info not available;
Gardenburger patty only): 90 calories, 28% from fat, 3 g fat, 0.5 g saturated
fat, 580 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein.
E-mail The Lunch Guys:
tomandchris@thelunchguys.com
mozzarella, feta and parmesan packs in more flavors per square inch than
probably anything else on the menu. It hits the stomach clean without the
snail trail of grease following down the esophagus. Now I know restaurant
supply is so institutionalized that thousands of menu items at all restaurants
go right from the Sysco truck to the kitchen’s defrosting method to
my plate. I just wish that fact wasn’t so obvious and overpriced with
the Friday’s Gardenburger.
Tom: When did you become the Frugal Gourmet? The question
shouldn't be if something could be made at home more cheaply. It can be. The
question is, “Is it good?” And the answer is a resounding “Yes!”
This hidden gem has been on the Friday’s menu for nearly 10 years, and
it’s fantastic even if you aren’t a hippie into the Grateful Dead.
I’m telling you, no one eats more burgers than I do, and the Gardenburger
holds its own. Eaten next to a real burger, the Gardenburger is as you said,
packed with flavor. It has a grilled taste and a great texture. Granted, it’s
not dripping with juice like the hamburger is but neither is it
