Critic's Notebook: Good (Veggie) Burger

I’m on the hunt for the best veggie burger. While I’m sure it’s harder to make a decent veggie burger than any other meat-centered patty, most restaurants treat the dish as an obligation or an afterthought, serving deep-fried commercial burgers like the ones you find in frozen food aisles. That’s why I applaud any restaurant that goes through the trouble of making their own.

One of my recent favorites turned up at Devil’s Alley. I was expecting typical bar food, but what I got was an honest-to-goodness homemade patty based on a garden’s worth of vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, asparagus), chewy wheat berries, oatmeal and bread crumbs. And the secret ingredient? Chef Mike Yeamans (formerly of Rouge and Striped Bass) tells me it’s pulverized cheddar-flavored Goldfish crackers.