Matt the Millers Tavern: "The Vegan" Burger

A couple weeks ago Andrew's dad heard about a burger at Matt the Millers Tavern in Dublin called "The Vegan". While the title isn't the most clever name ever, I have to applaud them for their directness. If you're ever wondering if a restaurant has any vegan options, it's nice to see it clearly labeled.

Anyway, this was our first time going to MTMT and from our office, it's way the heck out in BFE. But we were excited and eager to find some new vegan far in the Columbus area. The standard restaurant rotation can get kind of tired -- Qdoba, Aladdin's, Taj Palace, Mad Mex. All good places, but some variety is nice.

I guess the first thing I should note is the ambiance. It's a very nice looking, clean, modern tavern. It has a large restaurant area and a pretty sizeable bar. On the Friday night we went, it was busy as heck, too. I think we had a 40 minute wait, with nowhere to sit in the bar. So plan to wait around a while during prime hours, or get in there early before the after-work crowd. When we were eventually seated, our waiter was friendly and knowedgable. And because we are the way we are, we double checked to make sure "The Vegan" was in fact vegan and not just a silly name. It is. As was the hummus and pita appetizer.

The hummus and pita appetizer was deliciously amazing, as to be expected. I haven't met a brand of hummus I don't love. And while the white flour pita is the bane of my existence [[because of the white flour]], they were still fluffy and soft.

Now onto "The Vegan". It's a seasoned black bean burger patty topped with grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, cilantro pesto and lettuce with a side of crinkle cut sweet potato fries. Firstly, I must say their crinkle cut sweet potato fries are freaking AMAZING. They're my favorite fries ever, I think. I usually hate crinkle cuts but they work really well with sweet potatoes. Sweet potato fries can come out kind of soggy sometimes, but when you use the crinkle cut, it keeps them crunchy. The burger itself had a lot going on. The cilantro pesto was strong, so if you don't love cilantro, I wouldn't get this burger. But it really helped to lubricate it since it lacked cheese and condiments. The mushrooms were good, but I may ask for extra next time since they were sparse. The patty was a little mushy [[as so many vegan burgers end up]], but it packed a lot of flavor. The whole wheat bun made it all the better, too. Check them out next time you're in Dublin. It has great food for omnivores, as well.