Day 5: Ratatoullie (the burger, not the lovable rodent)

Yes. I've been an absent blogger over the weekend. Mostly because it was so gorgeous out and I was busy doing awesome things and whatnot (by that I mean shopping and taking naps, not kite boarding or repelling). I can't say if that will be the case over the next three weekends or not, but I am realizing that committing to one blog post a day was a lofty goal. The next thing I realized was how pathetic it was that I couldn't commit to moving my fingers over a keyboard each night for a month. Bloggin' ain't easy. I didn't choose the blog life, the blog life chose me. Have I made enough rap-culture blog jokes yet?

On Friday (the official Day 5), I made a taco salad for lunch (spinach, corn, black beans, tomatoes, black olives, and salsa as a dressing) and it was awesome. I highly recommend it. It's like the last bites at Qdoba when you're scooping up the leftover mess that fell out of your burrito and shoveling it into your face because you have no shame and Qdoba is a no-judgement zone.

For dinner, we went to The Eatery on Farwell near our house with Scott's parents. If you google "best non-meat burgers in Milwaukee," their Ratatouille burger comes up over and over. People go absolutely insane over it. We were excited to have found a place that would cater to all four of us without issue and I was excited to have my first vegan experience at a restaurant. For reference, this is the description I kept finding on U.S. Top 10 lists:

"3. The Eatery on Farwell, Milwaukee, WI
Mushroom enthusiast? You’ll love The Eatery on Farwell’s vegan Ratatouille Burger. This veggie burger puts a healthy spin on the American classic with its alternative portobello mushroom cap patty, and packed inside you’ll find roasted vegetables, Vegenaise, and Teese mozzarella cheese. What ties this burger together and makes it exceptional is the side of hot crispy steak fries that are out-of-this-world. I repeat: out-of-this-world."

I am a mushroom enthusiast! I like steak fries! If they said "out-of-this-world" twice, it must be INTERGALACTICLY GOOD!

We both ordered "the ratatoullie burger, vegan please, with fries" and let our coolness wash over us as we waited for our food. We are so vegan! Scott's dad's fish fry arrived (and looked amazing), then his mom's cheeseburger (yum), and then our mushroom patties. I was still excited, but it looked nothing like what I had in mind. All I saw was a mushroom patty with some fall veggies on top, and a starch-white bun that looked nothing like the fluffy, golden (probably buttered) bun that his mom's burger arrived on. But hey, vegan looks can be deceiving.

Actual photo of me at The Eatery.

A few bites in, we both finally admitted that the burger was sub-par at best. The bun was more of a super-dry biscuit and if there was actually Teese cheese or vegenaise in there, I'd be shocked. Maybe they changed their recipe, maybe they had an off night in the kitchen, or maybe we're just not vegan enough yet, but that burger left a lot to be desired. I certainly wouldn't have put it on a top 10 list. The potatoes were great though, thankfully (though I'm not sure I'd claw my eyeballs out and yell "OUT OF THIS WORLD" about them).

Never fear, friends. Tomorrow I will discover a much more delicious vegan burger and it will redeem all vegan restaurant options. And luckily, I was too lazy to write the post yesterday, so you'll get to hear about it approximately 1 hour after I post this. See ya soon, pals.