Lunch at Nick’s consisted of an appetizer; warm tortilla chips with a spinach and artichoke dip, which Charlie and I shared, and a veggie burger. The chips and dip might not have been the most adventurous choice, but I’m glad Charlie ordered it as it was hot and gloriously yummy. I wouldn’t normally order a burger at a restaurant as it’s never a pretty thing to eat, but I guess I was already emboldened by the time I was handed a menu. If standing up during my meal couldn’t embarrass me, then how’s a freakin’ sandwich going to faze me? Despite my newfound bravado, however, the burger, when it arrived, was quite daunting in its height (see Image 1—but keep in mind that objects in the photo appear shorter than they actually were). This “House Made Veggie Burger,” comprised of a veggie patty, avocado, greens, tomato, deep-fried onion, Swiss cheese, and mayo on a wheat bun, was about a foot high. I stood, awestruck, in front of it for about 20 minutes, strategizing and calculating multiple ways I might attack it, but there was simply no imaginable scenario in which I would eat that beast of a veggie burger elegantly. Abandoning all hope, therefore, of image-preservation, I finally dug in. Was it worth the mess? Let me put it this way: I couldn’t finish the burger so boxed half of it to take home. That night, after having been carried around all day (some of which was outside in the summer heat too), that burger was STILL delicious. The bun was so expertly grilled on the inside that even after a whole day, it wasn’t the slightest bit soggy. I think that’s going to be one major criterion from now on by which I judge food quality—are the contents of the doggie bag still good even hours after they first came out of the restaurant kitchen? In this case, I spent $20 for a veggie burger that made for a good lunch and dinner as well. I also appreciated that the veggie patty didn’t taste like meat, which is what some makers of plant-based patties strive for (e.g., Beyond Meat, which I can’t eat because to me, it tastes exactly like beef. Like, if I wanted to eat beef, I’d just eat it. I’m a vegetarian because I DON’T WANT to eat meat at all). My only beef (see what I did there? I mean, that’s just clever…) with my sandwich was that the bun was a tad too sweet for my preference, but this is me being nitpicky, and anyway, wheat bread is invariably too sweet in my opinion. Besides the merits of the burger itself, I should mention that it came with a side that was satisfying in its own right (and which I did finish off at the restaurant): sauteed spinach with blanched almonds. I was offered a variety of options to choose from for my side dish, including French fries, but I was quite happy with my spinach. All that for $20. Now, that’s a value meal!