A couple months ago I wrote a list of the top 5 falafel joints in Worcester for RealWorcester.com. I am proud to say that I have now added it to VegWorcester.com. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can check it out at VegWorcester.com/top-5-falafel-2008/. Enjoy!

There are two places that I wish could have have made the list. Patriots House of Pizza located at 332 Pleasant Street and Simon’s (closed for good).

Patriots would definitely have made the cut, but they recently removed falafel from their menu. Let’s hope they decide to rethink their decision!

Simon’s Falafel and Pizza, on the otherhand, is not open anymore. If it was, it would definitely make the Top 5. Simon’s was located right next to the Paladium, which was most of its appeal. You could grab a cheap falafel sandwhich while you waited in line for a show.

I went to Simon’s whenever the Juggalos from Insane Clown Posse invade our beautiful downtown. I bought a $4 falafel and $2 fries to enjoy while I watched as 15-year-olds dressed as scary clowns lined up to see a performance of their favorite rap-rock band. They were scary makeup and chanted obcenities. This year when Gwar played with ICP at the Palladium, I watched morosely from across the street. I miss Simon’s.

Simon’s, this is your eulogy. I wish you were still here with us. RIP.

Anyway, read the Top 5 List on RealWorcester to find out who made the cut.

This week’s issue of Worcester Magazine (Oct 23-29, 2008) has a number of pleasant surprises. Mike Benedetti from PieandCoffee.org (and occasional VegWorcester.com blogger) criticized this week’s issue of being ignorant of internet culture, but I think he might agree with me that the WoMag staff may have redeemed themselves by doing such a great job of featuring vegetarianism in this issue.

Let’s see. Where to start…

In the Eat Beat section, Gina Salvadori features a ton of veg-friendly restaurants, including VegWorcester.com favs: Tortilla Sam’s, Buddha Hut, Nancy Chang’s, One Love, and Shiraz. When I came to the end of that section, she had me convinced me to check out a couple of places that I haven’t tried yet, like Morocco Restaurant & Bar at 172 Shrewsbury Street (map) and El Basha at 424 Belmont Street (map). Maybe I’ll post a review in a few days.

Definitely the best part of this week’s WoMag is the 2008 Food Book that they have inserted into every copy. The very first article is entitled, “Vegetarian Options Abound if Meat’s not your Treat” and profiles a number of choice dining options for vegetarians in the Worcester area. Sweet! In the article, Tim O’Keefe lists his top 10 “dining destinations that will satisfy your hunger as well as your lifestyle choice.” Looks like they haven’t posted the 2008 Food Book online yet, but they do have last year’s up. That seems to indicate that they’ll put up this year’s eventually.

So definitely pick up a copy of the paper and check out the article in the Food Book. In the meantime, here’s restaurants listed in it:

• The Boynton – 117 Highland Ave (map)
• The Q Cafe 362 Chandler Ave (map)
• The Flying Rhino 268 Shrewsbury Street (map)
• Tortilla Sam’s – 107 Highland Street (map)
• Bocado Tapas and Wine Bar – 82 Winter Street (map)
• Da Lat – 425 Park Avenue (map)
• Piccolo’s – 157 Shrewsbury Street (map)
• Baba Sushi – 209 Park Avenue (map)
• El Basha – 424 Belmont Street (map)

I’m pysched that vegetarian dining in Worcester is getting so much play. The praise is long overdue. Man, I love Worcester.

By no means does this list cover every single place to get quality veg food in Worcester. In fact, you can get good veg food at nearly every restaurant in Worcester (even Burger King has a veggie burger). This mini-guide lists local places that are either all-vegetarian or who have a very good vegetarian selection. Leave a comment if you think I left out a really good one.

So print it out. And hang this baby on your fridge!