Nice review of the Veg Awards from the Examiner

[Guest guest]

Wednesday night, down on Geary in the heart of the theater district,

I encountered a ripening new scene, a melding of all the above. ...

Just opposite the Home of the Original Perfect Hamburger and that

delightful low bar, the High Tide Lounge -- with its neon champagne

bubbles effervescing from a red neon glass -- the lively, glossy

magazine VegNews, published in the Sunset, brought its readers

downtown for the annual Veggie Awards, a kind of Academy Awards for

veg-friendly institutions. And it was quite uptown. ... The venue was

the Millennium Restaurant in the Savoy Hotel, perhaps the most

upscale vegetarian restaurant in America.

 

One might think the vegans and vegetarians assembled would resemble a

joyless salad of ex-hippies, Santa Cruz nature lovers and relics of

stern childhoods, intent on punishing the palate. But what a scene!

This may be the first time in the years it's been my pleasant duty to

check out scenes that I entered a room of 200 partying San

Franciscans and wasn't blinking from the light bouncing off the

reflector-tight skin of myriad Botox-ed foreheads and pointy,

angular, surgically sharpened cheekbones. And about half were in

their 50s, 60s and above. ...

 

The other half were twenty- and thirty-somethings, epitomized by

Julia Butterfly Hill, famous for having lived in Luna, a 180-foot

Coast Redwood, for two years to spare it from the ax. Julia left the

lumbering look behind for tight slacks, belly-showing sweater and

beaten silver earnings. She ran the show. ...

 

 

 

There are 70,000 vegetarians in The City, so it stands to reason they

cross economic and social lines, but as they don't have pinched

faces, they don't have pinched personalities.

 

Talk politics in most joints these days and you feel like you've

taken a shot in the liver -- people are so depressed. Not here. These

people are kind of optimistic, but not naïve. Maybe because they feel

good. There was lots of political talk, refreshing in its hopeful

expectation.

 

Top veg venue victory was scored by Millennium. Owners Larry and Ann

Wheat (a fine old vegan name) are accidental restaurateurs. He was a

top partner at KPMG, the accounting firm. Retired, the Wheats were

hungering for a vegetarian restaurant that would define itself around

fine dining. In chef Eric Tucker, they found their man. Curiously,

about half of Millennium's customers are not practicing vegetarians --

just foodies. ...

 

 

 

The Gav was there to accept an award for S.F. as America's most veg-

friendly city. Jenny Humphrey asked him The Question. His

answer: " I'm an aspiring vegetarian. " ... Rainbow Grocery won the

market award, and that ongoing county fair, the Ferry Plaza Farmer's

Market, won too. Herbivore won for favorite brunch.

 

When vegans are praising brunch -- the most Society-like meal -- you

know they've arrived. ... Food was delish, too. ...

 

Tip off P.J. at (415) 359-2649. E-mail to pjcorkery.

 

 

 

Email: pjcorkery