Let’s jump in our Delorean and do a little time-traveling, shall we? Don’t worry, we’re not going very far – only four days back, to late Friday afternoon. I’d just arrived in Columbus, and I’d picked up my rental car and was feelin’ more than a bit peckish. I wanted a tasty dinner before beginning the drive to Zanesville, so I headed over to a location fairly close to the Columbus airport – Northstar Café.

Let’s travel back a little further – earlier that week, when I realized I’d be in Columbus for an evening, I took the logical step: I solicited advice for vegan eats via Twitter. Brian, the [not so] Crabby Vegan, responded and tipped me off about a very timely series over at Eat Pure, where Sarah-Mai was just finishing up a series about vegan food in Columbus. Serendipitous, no? I was quite impressed by the variety of food available, but ultimately I chose the Easton Northstar because it was closest to the Columbus airport. :)

When I arrived on Friday, I took a look at the menu (which isn’t available online for the Easton location!) and got pretty excited about the Buddha bowl. Sadly, though, my inquiries revealed that the sauce used in the bowl contains honey. But a helpful waitress was only too willing to point out the honey-free vegan options, and eventually I settled on the veganized Northstar Burger: Just made with organic brown rice, black beans and beets, topped with white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion.

Lookit those grill marks!

Beets in a burger?! I’m totally sold! I had to eat this with a fork and knife because it was so darn big and the bread was so darn thick, but I didn’t care – it was delicious! The beets, rice, and beans created a crispy, delightfully-textured, and superbly-flavored creation that I totally enjoyed and that played well with a mustard-y spread on the bread-bun. It also came with a really yummy, crunchy, salad, with fennel and onions and lettuce and all sorts of yumminess covered in some sort of oil-based dressing. Oh, and the pickle was dreamy, too.

My only complaints about this meal were that the burger was a little too salty and the salad was a tiny bit too oily. Other than that, however, it was fantastic. If I ever find myself back in Columbus, I’ll be sure to pay Northstar a second visit.

What’s the tastiest vegan burger you’ve ever tried? The most exotic?