The veggie burger was invented to satisfy three simple requirements for vegetarians: Give them an appropriate side order for their fries, provide a delivery matrix for ketchup and mustard on a thick bun, and make their tablemates feel bad about their mad-cow ways. But there are four problems with restaurant veggie burgers: They too seldom come with good fries, ketchup and mustard can't disguise limp texture, no one feels bad about eating beef, and ... hey, this is the same toaster-thin patty I buy at Wild Oats and eat at home. The veggie burger on Room 39's lunch menu, however, transcends necessity, complaint and morality. It also transcends ketchup (save it for the astounding fries) and mustard — the discreet smear of tasty red-pepper a•oli is fine, but this might be the only veggie burger ever devised that could be savored by itself. What comes between the buns here looks meaty (it's bulgur and black beans), tastes rich and moves across the palate like silk. It's a burger, period, and it's so perfect that its absence from Room 39's dinner menu (on both sides of the state line) is only a little more criminal than not being able to eat it for breakfast, too.
