Four new restaurant guides went up this week, and Moe's Southwest Grill quietly pulled mushrooms off its topping bar.
Lighter week. Four new guides, but good ones. Sonny's BBQ, where the smoked meats dominate but the sides carry a real vegetarian plate. Bush's Chicken, a Texas fried chicken chain that turns out to have a solid vegetable plate once you skip the bird. Shoney's, the Southern buffet legend that leans on its soup and salad bar harder than you'd expect. And Cousins Subs, a Midwest sub shop that stacks the veggie sub deep instead of treating it like an afterthought. See all four on our restaurant guide page.
Moe's Southwest Grill cut mushrooms from its hot and cold topping bar. Limes and cotija cheese got trimmed too. The chain's Chief Brand Officer told Restaurant Dive it was a menu simplification move meant to free up space for new items down the road. Ask before you order if mushrooms were your go-to topping there. We already updated our guide to match.
Two words to hunt for: gelatin and rennet. Gelatin comes from animal collagen. It hides in marshmallows, gummy candy, and some yogurts. Rennet comes from an enzyme pulled from animal stomachs, and it shows up in traditional hard cheeses like Parmesan. Neither word announces itself as "not vegetarian" on the front of the box, so you have to go looking. Flip it over. Check the ingredient list before it lands in your cart, not after you're already home and the receipt is in the trash.
Restocking the pantry? Our brands page rounds up the products we actually trust, meat alternatives, broths that skip the animal fat entirely, the stuff worth the extra dollar.
Eat well out there. See you next week.