Vegetarians Find Good Eats At My House Burgers And Shakes – The Bite

THE BITE: Vegetarians must have a tough time of it in Sheepshead Bay. Unlike neighborhoods to the north, we lack earthy digs slinging grass-fed kale chips and praise-be-to-seitan mock meats. For the most part, it’s pizza, uninspired Buddhist’s Delight, and a couple of Middle Eastern or Eastern European salads that pack so much onion that you’ll forever be that guy on a crowded train.

I asked a vegetarian friend who lives off Sheepshead Bay Road where gets his grub, and he doled out unexpected praise for My House Burgers & Shakes (1650 Sheepshead Bay Road), and their assortment of veggie burgers.

My House Burgers & Shakes will be one of the 21 delicious restaurants at The BITE, the new name for A Taste of Sheepshead Bay, taking place on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Get tickets now!

What can I say; I didn’t expect a place run by meat-loving Turks who handcraft freshly ground meat patties to pay so much attention to their veggie burger selection. Most places around here have a last-ditch, mass-produced veggie patty in the freezer for when a freak like my friend wanders in.

I was wrong.

My House has three veggie burgers – the classic ($3.95), the “My House” ($5.95) and the Chipotle Black Bean Burger ($5.95). On my friend’s advice, I went for the last one, with a dollop of homemade hummus added on ($1).

The bean burger is described on the menu as made of “mushroom, onion, whole grain and low fat cheeses,” in addition to the black bean mash. I also spotted corn and red peppers in the mix. On first bite, it passed one of the biggest challenges that face black bean burgers: falling apart. It stayed together. This is a bean burger with integrity, folks.

The slightly spicy chipotle flavor was well-met by the seedless bun, which seemed to be almost brioche, but not quite sweet (a shiny, crisp exterior added to the visual and textural appeal).

Since the beans lacked all the juices of a big, beefy burger, the roll was lacking a little in much-needed moisture – but that’s where the rich, creamy hummus stepped up. A solid addition that I’d advise anybody going for the bean burger to tack on.

Unlike the bean burger, the classic veggie burger is made of zucchini, carrot, scallion and dill, while the My House veggie burger is zucchini, carrot, mushroom and onion. They’re made in-house.

Also recommended by my friend were the jalapeño poppers ($4.95). After that all-vegetable off-road adventure, the deep-fried cheesy goodness pointed my digestive system back towards familiar territory. Not particularly spicy, cheddar cheese squirts out of these vertically cut deep fried peppers. Yum.

My House Burgers & Shakes may not have been my first thought for vegetarian dining, but from now on it’ll be on my short list of places to take meat-phobic visitors in the future.

My House Burger & Shakes, 1650 Sheepshead Bay Road, (718) 934-0400. They’re on Facebook, too.

The Bite is Sheepshead Bites’ column exploring the foodstuffs of the Sheepshead Bay area. Each week we check out a different offering from one of the many restaurants, delis, food carts, bakeries, butchers, fish mongers, or grocers in our neighborhood. If it’s edible, we’ll take a bite.