You love the new restaurant and want the world to know.
So you log into Yelp to spread the message. And that's where words fail you.
"The food was great."
Well, that's not going to convince me or others to head to the restaurant anytime soon.
Hanna Raskin has come to the rescue of would-be critics with her new book on reviewing, "Yelp Help: How to Write Great Online Restaurant Reviews." (Not sure what Yelp is? It's an online forum where everyday people critique food, shopping and other businesses; find it at yelp.com.)
As a longtime restaurant reviewer in a variety of locales, most recently Seattle, she has read her share of uninspired, inarticulate comments on Yelp, TripAdvisor and other online sites.
"I think what happens frequently is that Yelpers use Yelp as a comment card rather than as a review," said Raskin in an interview.
"You may be unhappy that your server disappeared for 20 minutes, or that there was a smudge on the tablecloth. But the reality is that this may not recur for anyone else."