vegansaurus!

Yelp adds new vegetarian filter, but it’s not great  »

True story: Laura started Vegansaurus when Yelp kept taking down all her reviews. Their loss, the world’s gain.

That said, Yelp’s still one of the best parts of the internet. And now it’s a little better. Kind of, maybe.

The site’s introducing a new kind of creepy-smart filter. Along with “Open now” or “Good for lunch,” you can now selected “Liked by vegetarians” as a filter option. The Yelp blog’s got the full scoop.

The idea is that this is better than just searching for “vegetarian,” because it won’t give you reviews that say stuff like “This place is the WORST for vegetarians!” I love the idea. The execution, not so awesome.

First of all, it’s not available in Denver, which is not cool. I had to use my old haunts of Berkeley and North Oakland to test it out. And I was not pleased.

Search for “dinner” in Temescal, and Cafe Colucci is only no. 5 on the list. Worse, The Brick Pig’s House is right there at no. 6, and that place has no vegan food. In downtown Berkeley, neither Green Papaya nor Saturn Cafe make the top of the results. WTF?

Perhaps this feature will help me discover veg-friendly spots I’d never thought of (Jayakarta, anyone?). Perhaps we just need to start writing better veg reviews, and the feature will improve. But for now, and until The Brick Pig’s House disappears from results, I’m not trusting it.

Two best-of eating lists for your easy consumption  »

Who doesn’t love a listicle? You know you’re too busy/distracted/lazy to read anything more in-depth! This here is a tiny post ABOUT two listicles, even shorter for faster digestion. It’s like pre-chewed food! Let us feed you information, baby birds.

First is our Laura’s list of “50 Vegetarian or Vegan Things to Eat Before You Die in SF” at 7x7. I totally agree that the spicy samusa soup at Burma Superstar is amazing and delicious, but the dosas at Udupi Palace are way cheaper and tastier than whatever at Dosa, which is full of itself.

Second is Sonia Mansfield’s list of “Bay Area’s Best Vegetarian & Vegan Dining Spots” at CBS Local San Francisco. She puts Souley Vegan at the top, which, you know, I have eaten there a couple times now and while it is good, it is not my favorite—too salty. Maybe I just don’t like soul food? Or something is wrong with me, because I don’t think Flaco’s taquitos are super-good, either. Cha-Ya, though, oh sweet delicious Cha-Ya. I could marry that dengaku.

What’s on your list of must-eat vegan foods in the Bay Area? Or your not-the-Bay Area? I love the pizza cheesesteak at Jay’s, the brunch at Donut Farm, Ike’s vegan backstabber, and, um, a whole lot of other stuff I can’t think of right now because my whole family ordered pizza without me and I’m craving greasy food so hard. Oh that lentil-donut thing at Udupi, love it. NOW BACK TO THE KALE MINES.