Zagat's NYC Best of 2006/2007

[Duster3]

And the big winners are....
The top-rated restaurants included plenty of old favorites and some hot newcomers. An amazing 222 new restaurants opened in NYC in the past twelve months while 102 closed).

* Best Newcomer: Telepan (followed closely by The Orchard and Urena)


* Best Food: Le Bernardin


* Most Popular: Gramercy Tavern


* Best Decor: Daniel


* Best Service: per se


And the "best of" winners by cuisine are...

* Best Chinese: Phoenix Garden

* Best Cuban: Cafe Habana

* Best Burger: Parker Meridian

* Best Greek: Milos

* Best Indian: Tamarind

* Best Japanese/Sushi: Sushi Yasuda

* Best Korean: Hangawi

* Best Kosher: Prime Grill

* Best Mediterranean: Picholine

* Best Mexican: Mexicana Mama

* Best Pizza: Di Faro

* Best Raw Bar: Aqua Grill

* Best Soul Food: Amy Ruth's

* Best Turkish: Turkish Kitchen

* Best Vietnamese: O Mai

 

[UG Staff]

I used to read thru Zagat and use it as a guide to find places, but haven't done so for years beacuse i think every year it fails a little more as a concept. I think there's way to much "front runnning" (people voting for places that they didn't even go to in the last year), ballot box stuffing, and voting from eh heart rather than the palate (Difaro being a great example - good, but TOTALLY overhyped).

Best Burgerarker Meridian (the can't even call it "The Burger Joint"?) NFW.

Best Chinese: Phoenix Garden? Yeah, 15 years ago maybe.

Best Mexican: Mexicana Mama? YGBFKM

Best Vietnamese: O Mai? Not even authentic.

Best Kosher: Prime Grill... which serves steaks and for desert "Banana Cream Pie Smooth pie filled with sliced fresh bananas and pastry cream.Topped with whipped cream" ??????????????????????????????? Ether the steaks have no meat or the cream pie and whipped cream have no milk/cream?

 

[justlooking]

DITTO to UG Staff.

I care as much about Zagat as I do about, say, the Oscars. It's just meaningless.

Except we may have to step outside to discuss DiFara further.

 

[justlooking]

I mean, "most popular" is a restaurant that was steadily deteriorating and whose chef finally left about two-thirds of the way through the year because his other ventures were distracting him too much? And I'm supposed to CARE what these people think?

 

[stevana]

No best steakhouse on the list?

 

[Duster3]

Zagat

Absolutely agree that Zagat has to be taken with a grain of salt...I thumb through the NY/NJ guides each year to which reviews I agree/disagree with. I've also found a few neighborhood gems that I wasn't aware of - especially in Manhattan.