Austin is a hippy-dippy, vegan-friendly city, so naturally, I had a period where I was on a quest to find vegan food done right. This is food that makes you forget you're not eating meat and/or dairy.
Often times, I would find places with hiked up prices and mediocre food. Vegan/vegetarian food should be less expensive than meat. I would also find meat substitutes that had sodium levels well above a normal person's daily intake.