Companies like Beyond Meat deserve to be celebrated for finding a way to reproduce the taste of a good burger even if the sodium and fat levels aren't as healthy as a salad with no dressing just yet.
Just as it is with real dead cow, the taste of these new plant patties is only as good as how they are cooked and the ingredients surrounding them between the buns. If there's time to give them the kind of treatment a good burger deserves, it could confuse Ted Nugent's palette.
McDonald's and Burger King entered the plant burger wars by putting some burgers with faux meat on their menus. Burger King has made its Impossible Whopper available for a while and McDonald's McPlant burger just found its way to the Mickey-Ds in our part of the country. It's noble and savvy of both chains to offer a vegan alternative that attempts to mimic the taste of real meat, but even though they get close, both don't replace the real thing.
The McPlant burger from McDonald's just found its way to locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Danny Gallagher
Burger King brags about their flame-broiled burgers and the Impossible one at least has a hint of that smoky flavor. Unfortunately, the taste only appears at the very end. Otherwise, it's a below-average burger.
The onion rings that came with the Impossible Whopper are good.
The McPlant burger tastes just like you'd expect a McDonald's vegan option to taste: rushed and bland. That's expected, however, considering they are actively promoting Internet dare foods like the Land, Air and Sea Burger on their menus. Taste seems like an afterthought in the creative approval process at this point.
McDonald's boasts it's using the Beyond Meat brand, but other Beyond Meat burgers are much, much better. Just like the chain's other burgers, the meat barely has any seasoning outside of condiments.
Speaking of condiments, if you're vegan and planning on ordering either, make sure you specify that you don't want mayo on them because they both come with mayo and ketchup.
These plant-based burgers are a slightly healthier option than their meaty counterparts if you're in a rush and haven't learned how to eat a salad and drive or just want something that tastes like a burger without too much fat in it. Again, it's an admirable try to reach a consumer who has largely been ignored, along with those who just want something tasty but not as bad for you as a burger with real cow in it.
The problem is when it comes to both burgers, the vegetables are the most enjoyable part of the sandwich, and that doesn't include the plants in the patty.
