There has been a recent influx lately of vegetarian forward/friendly restaurants these days - which even as a meat eater I don't really mind because good food is good food. Plus it makes it much easier when you do dine out with vegetarian friends. Lav, Lisa and I met at Wassail which is a cider bar and vegetarian friendly place run by the same people of Queens Kickshaw in Astoria. I'm not really a huge fan of cider (I find it too sweet) but luckily they do also have other beverages on the beverage menu. As for the food, it's not your usual vegetarian flare, it's pretty avant garde and high concept. If you get there before 7, you can order the veggie burger which is what I got. Even though in my mind I knew this was a vegetarian place I still thought it was going to be a meat burger for some reason - turns out it was a veggie burger but that is totally ok with me. As for the rest of the dishes, Lav and Lisa got the special of the day (unfortunately I can't remember now what was in it), the sourdough bread ($8), the eggplant ($14), jalepeno fritters ($10), squash ($18) and the cruciferous ($18) dish.
The burger is a bit on the small side (compared to the giant meat burgers you usually get) but it was still quite hearty with a very smokey cheese taste to it. It also came with a ton of onions which I think helped to add to the flavor of the burger as veggie burgers can sometimes be kind of flavorless. While it was a pretty hefty meal, the consistency of the burger still had that slightly bean-y/ thin texture that most veggie burgers had but as I said there's enough of it that you still get very full from it. It was served with a side of the jalepeno fritters which actually seemed more like small fried pieces of gouda with a small hint of spice and heat to it. I didn't really try much of the other dishes because the burger was so filling but I had a bite of the squash which was sweet and tender and was a nice reminder that fall is now there. I did also have a bite of the sourdough bread which was very doughy and chewy and was a great vehicle to take in the salty creamy butter. The waitress had said this was the best sourdough bread she's had and while I really liked it, I'm not sure if it's the best I've had in my life but I would recommend it as a way to fill up on the food here. Lav and Lisa had mentioned that the rest of the dishes were fine but not mind blowing and that they were a bit disappointed in the portion sizes given that each one was over $15. The presentation and preparation of the food seemed a bit too "forward" in that it seemed much more overdone and complicated than it needed to be and on the small side.
The dishes were small enough that we still had room for dessert and this is where it was a quite a let down. We got the buttermilk cornbread dessert ($10) and the consistency of the cornbread was just to mealy and wasn't very pleasant. The dish just wasn't sweet or frankly all that good.
I appreciate what they are trying to do here and present vegetarian food that goes beyond side dishes and roasted vegetables. I would say that you're best bet would be to sit at the bar, get the burger since it's only available until 7, throw back some jalepeno fritters and enjoy some cider. Total bill: $66/person with tax, tip and drinks
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