Welcome to Meet The Elite, where we let you in on the lives of some of our top community members. Today we meet Sahar R, a Yelp Elite since ’10 with a whopping 516 reviews and counting. We sat down with her to chat all that’s good and yelpy in the Maryland Burbs.
Why did you start Yelping?
Sahar R: So, I was at a dog park in San Francisco and was worried. It was a time of this recall where I guess this Chinese manufacturer put hazardous substances in dog food. I think I got one of them, so I wanted to ask people, “Where’s the nearest vet? What do I do?”
They said, “Well, you should look up veterinarians on Yelp.”
And I was like, “What the heck is Yelp?”
They were like, “Go ask the guy over there.”
There’s a guy sitting at the edge of the dog park with his dog Darwin.
They said, “That’s the guy who founded Yelp!”
I said, “I still have no idea what it is.”
I went home, researched Yelp, and actually found vets on Yelp. Then I had figured, because I had used it so much in the San Francisco area, I felt like I had to give back, so I started reviewing stuff like dog parks and beaches there.
Mike B: So your passing encounter with Jeremy Stoppelman (CEO of Yelp) is really what made you start Yelping.
SR: Yep!
What is your favorite local business?
SR: I like La Pote-Ria! It’s a moving target right now because it’s just this cute little server van truck, and we still haven’t decided what the heck that thing is…
The first time we went, I think Chris and I ate the whole entire menu. They were so shocked–they actually gave us this little trucker hat that says, “I love Colombian street food.”
It’s a husband and wife team who runs the truck and they’re so sweet. Because we ordered so much, they were like “Did you try this?” and gave us some extra stuff to try. Now, we stop by to get dinner, but then also lunch for the next day. They’ll pack things separately for lunch, so if you order a sandwich, it doesn’t get soggy. The Colombian hot dog is really good–it’s a ridiculous hot dog, I think there’s a quail egg on top of it.
What is your dream Yelp Event?
SR: Probably on a beach with lots of beach sports like volleyball, and corn hole! Then just hanging out at the beach. There would be a lot of food trucks. My favorite food truck here, while it doesn’t make sense on the beach, is Corned Beef King.
MB: I mean you could eat a reuben on the beach. It’s not against the law.
SR: It’s a little messy… Even a camping event would be awesome!
Describe your ideal day in the MD Burbs.
SR: I would start off at the Barking Mad Cafe for something like a breakfast pizza and sit outside, enjoy the weather. The cafe has really good frozen coffee beverages, so I’d start off with that. Then, when I have enough carbs in me, I want to go hiking. I’m thinking either Seneca Creek State Park or Sugarloaf Mountain…
I’d actually continue further onto Frederick. Now that I think about it, there are a couple of cute vintage shops downtown!
Then, I think I’d go on to get Kittiwat for Thai food. It’s our favorite date night spot. Everything they make is presented beautifully. When you get something as simple as pad thai there, you can tell that they made those noodles. What’s aesthetically pleasing and pleasing for your taste buds is that their Thai iced tea/coffee comes out with Pinterest-like ice cubes made of coffee. They have the iced cubes separate, and your condensed milk, and then there’s the coffee. I just keep taking pictures of it and posting them to Yelp!
About the Yelp Elite Squad: The Yelp Elite Squad is our way of recognizing people who are active in the Yelp community – people who are role models both on and off the site. Elite-worthiness is based on a number of things, including well-written reviews, high quality tips, a detailed personal profile, an active voting and complimenting record, and a history of playing well with others. Elites must use their real name on their account, have a real (and clear!) profile photo, and be of legal drinking age in their country. You can read more, and even nominate yourself at yelp.com/elite
