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Vegging Out

San Pedro Square Meal

Photo by Christopher Gardner

Bun for Glory: Juicy veggie-burger variants are served on a choice of breads at Hamburger Mary's.

Hamburger Mary's serves sawdust-free meatless patties

By Judi Blackwell

In a world filled with unsympathetic carnivores, meatless dining can at times be difficult and tedious. As more people jump on the vegetarian bandwagon, however, restaurants have started catering to the meat-free community, offering more than the token veggie salad. Hence this new feature, a spotlight on vegetarian dining in the Santa Clara County area. If you have a favorite spot that you'd like to see reviewed, send tips to Vegging Out, 550 S. First St., San Jose, 95113. Please, only lacto-ovo vegetarian suggestions, which means no chicken or fish. A good rule of thumb: if it once had eyeballs, it doesn't qualify.

Hamburger Contrary

Vegetarian restaurant-goers eat their share of "garden" burgers. These sawdust-flavored patties, graced by wilted lettuce and white-bread buns, often represent the only meatless option on the menu. Not so at Hamburger Mary's, which serves up a plethora of juicy veggie burger variants (ten to be exact), including a teriyaki burger covered with pineapple, cheddar cheese and sautéed mushrooms; an avocado burger smothered with creamy blue cheese dressing; and a chili burger (one of my favorites) served open-faced and covered with Ortega chilis, Monterey Jack cheese, Spanish salsa and salad.

The savory combos ($5-$7.95) are served on a choice of bread--multigrain or Hawaiian sweetbread or bun--with lettuce, tomatoes, Thousand Island dressing and garnish, and complemented by a heaping plate of Mary fries, home fries, garden rice or fruit.

Great service, great atmosphere (ask to be seated in the patio) and guaranteed satisfaction for even the fiercest burger jones.

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Hamburger Mary's is located at 170 W. St. John St., San Jose, 408/947-1667. Sun.-Thu., 11am-10pm; Fri.-Sat., 10am-11pm.


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