M "MJN" N.'s Profile

+'s
Very friendly staff.
Convenient location.
Efficient service.
Reasonable prices.

-'s
Underwhelmed by the food itself.
Pre-fab chain store environment.

We placed a to-go order on 8/9. The place was packed, which is great as any all-vegan restaurant needs as much love as it can get. Got in quickly and picked up food quickly and with little hassle. Greeted by several different employees which was nice.

The restaurant itself had a pre-fab/chain store vibe. This may be part of the philosophy of bringing vegan food to a "more than just vegans" audience but it did feel formulaic. There were many employes moving around the room and all the patrons looked well served. They were even giving out lemonade to the new customers waiting in line. That's a good sign.

The food is really the point of a review, though, so here goes. We got the bacon cheeseburger and the chicken wranch sandwich, both with sides of fries (regular potato not sweet potato). The portions of fries were average and the sandwiches were of a decent size. Both sandwiches were loaded with carrot shavings which seemed out of place on what were essentially a burger and a chicken sandwich but it didn't take away from the taste. Fried pickles were a nice touch to round out the garnish.

The burger was more of a loose meat/shaved seitan thing than a burger. Didn't have a flame/charred/grilled flavor. It was more of a deli sandwich. The seitan tasted ok but it wasn't a burger flavor. The bacon was good, it had a nice texture and taste. It may have been tempeh or tvp. The sauce was good as well. The cheese had a strange sticky texture. It melted and stretched, which is a nice touch. Didn't have a particularly strong taste either way.

The chicken sandwich was the standout. Breaded white meat (seitan? soy?) with a very nice chicken texture and a solid taste. Haven't had chicken in a decade but it seemed right. The ranch sauce was nice.

Glad this place is open, and in time I am sure some dishes will emerge as the stand out. Will be eating here again.

So Earwax closed. And then it opened again. I had it on somewhat reliable authority that it was "good now". Sunday morning rolls around and all the good restaurants in the area are swamped. So, reluctantly went to Earwax, again.

I go every few years, because someone insists it has improved.

I'm gonna try to be straight forward here, not sarcastic or funny.

This place is terrible. I can't be diplomatic anymore.

Environment: Cramped, blazing hot. All surfaces filmy with smoke and grease. Over powering smell of grill grease and burned food. Seating area is highly cramped. We got a booth so we were somewhat isolated.

Service: Couldn't tell if the staff were bored or inept but it wasn't a good experience. Our order was taken and we didn't see the waiter again until the food was brought out. There were several mistakes (burned food and a shake that was supposed to be vegan but wasn't). The waiter never came back so the person with the burned sandwich simply didn't get to eat.

The Food: I had vegan pancakes with a side of veggie sausage and some hash browns. The hashbrowns were fine. Out of a bag from any grocery or restaurant supplier. Hard to mess that up. The veggie sausage was two 3/4 inch sized things that looked like day old falafel balls. Hush Puppies was also thrown around as a description. The pancakes... well... they were extremely greasy and tasted like a dirty grill. They may have been undercooked or it just might be that their grill was so nasty that they absorbed a bunch of grease and smoke and were therefore soggy when they arrived.

Price: This is the one thing I'll say for them, they seem to know their shame. Didn't see a bill before we asked them to take off the burned sandwich but when we did see a bill the 2 sides I ordered as well as the appetizer someone else ordered were not charged. This could just as easily have been negligence as it was generosity.

I don't understand why the place opened up again.

Qualifications:

1. I'm vegan
2. I ordered through Grubhub
3. I had it delivered

Can't speak to the dine in experience but I can't imagine that good service or decor will do anything to improve what was absolutely terrible food.

Across the board awful.

I ordered the make your own pocket. I got the Mexican blend of beans and veggies, salsa for the "dressing" as well as lettice and black olives. I also ordered a baked potato with mushrooms and onions.

Everything was bland. How do you extract flavor from what are clearly raw vegetables? The potato looked like it had gone through a bad breakup. How you F up salsa is beyond me but they nailed it.

Over-all just a really unfortunate, frustrating waste of money.

The logistics (ordering, paying and getting the food delivered) were fine but the food, which is really the point of a restaurant, was just awful.

Sucks, as I'd love another lunch option near my place of employment.

Pros:

1. VEGAN ICE CREAM WITH MULTIPLE OPTIONS
2. Decent selection of flavors and toppings.
3. Staff knew what vegan means and even knew what stuff had vanilla extract in it for my uber-edge buddy.
4. Decent portions.

Cons:

1. Very slow. (I acknowledge it's a process and it takes time but we were told 10 minutes and it was easily 15 or 20)
2. Expensive (Again, good sized portion but still price-y).
3. The place is really small and there isn't really anywhere to wait.

Overall:

Vegan Ice Cream is the name of the game for me. I will go again but I'll try to find a time when they aren't as busy. The price will prevent it from being a regular stop but it's an option for now and then.

At least it's not Earwax.

Nice place. Close to my house and they have a reasonable selection of vegan stuff. (Temptation Soy Ice Cream, FYH Soy Cheese, Morningstar, Boca and Tofurkey stuff).

Slightly more expensive than whole foods or a chain grocery but I expect that in a smaller neighborhood place. I expect to hit this place up when I just need a few things. Staff was very nice, place is easy to navigate and all that.

I will shop here as needed. Location is key!

I've been a few times and this place is great. Their take on the May Wah drumsticks is awesome. A lot of the stuff they serve you could make yourself if you were to hit u p the deli portion of your neighborhood wholefoods (I distinctly remember an Italian style sandwich with Yves pepparonis) but that doesn't mean you'd do it better. I will go here whenever I can.

Your vegan cake is the best I've ever had. I try to hit Atlas whenever I'm in Manhattan, as often as I can. Outstanding.

This Ikea is less balls out chaotic than the one at Woodfield but it's also smaller and laid out sort of weird. It's a two story box instead of a 3 or 4 story circle. Ikea basically is what it is, inexpensive to moderately priced home furnishings and accessories. The quality is about 50/50... basically you get what you pay for. I've got a lot of incedentals from Ikea and one or two big items, which have held up well enough I guess. They were selling cow hide rugs for $30. Fucking gross.

I don't know what constitutes an epic promenade but this is about as sterile a place as you can get. I felt like I was in a combo prison camp/gated community the whole time. Sort of a George Orwell daycamp. Lots of security guards and hardly anyone under the age of 50. Perjaps that sort of thing appeals to people who are afraid of teenagers or something, but I found it to be pretty bizarre. I don't expect I'll go back. The Mongolian BBQ was decent, for a chain.

(Preface: People complaining about this place... especially the wait, or the number of people there... the place his literally been open for 4, maybe 5 days! It blows my mind considering some reviews were written I'm guessing within hours of them opening.

I've been to this new location twice. The first time I got my food in about 10 minutes and the second time, when they said they were "slammed" it took about 15. Compared to any other veggie joint in town that's pretty good. Compared to most that exceptional.)

So....

Basically VB is casual 'fast food style' American food made vegan. Burgers, fries, hot dogs, sandwiches et cetera. The portions are solid, better than pretty much any other strictly vegan/veg joint in town. If you've been vegan awhile you'll go bananas over the cheese fries. Their 'golden sauce' isn' t cheese, and I don't think they're pretending it is, but it's awesome nonetheless. Their cheese fries are sloppy with sauce and awesome... remind me of Velvetta covered cheese fries you could get at some all night truckstop only vegan (natch). My personal favorite is the Buffalo Wings. Very firm tofu friend in a crispy batter with a tangy cocktail/buffalo sauce hybrid. Just spicy enough to have a kick, but not over powering.

I cannot recommend this joint highly enough. The staff are friendly and if you are a repeat customer they remember you. I happen to think it's great.