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Zagat Releases 2009 D.C./Baltimore Dining Survey
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Charleston Sweeps Baltimore for Popularity and Food; Locals Go Green and Online
NEW YORK, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- In its twenty-third year surveying local
restaurants, Zagat Survey has just released its 2009 Washington D.C./Baltimore
Restaurants guide. The new Zagat guide contains ratings and reviews of 1,155
of the region's best eateries. Over 7,200 locals from D.C., Baltimore,
Annapolis, Frederick, and the Eastern Shore cast their ballots. They dined out
an average of 2.9 meals per week.
"We've noted an increase in the average cost of a meal around the
country," said Tim Zagat, co-founder of Zagat Survey. "Fortunately, dining
out in the Baltimore area has remained relatively inexpensive, and residents
are taking advantage by eating out more than ever."
Prices: This year, dining inflation in the Baltimore Area was a mere 1.6%.
A typical meal in Baltimore costs $34.23. In comparison, a meal in Las Vegas
costs a whopping $44.44. At the other end of the spectrum is New Orleans,
which comes in at $26.18. Relatively low inflation may explain why local
residents say they are eating out more than two years ago, even if they are
spending more.
Tipping: The locals are also tipping a generous 19.2%, although 75% of
them cite "poor service" as the most irritating part of dining out. All other
irritants combined - including noise, prices, food, parking and crowding -
amount to only a quarter of complaints.
Winners: In addition to being named the Most Popular restaurant, the
Southern-style New American Charleston was voted number 1 in both the Food and
Service categories. Sushi King, Samos, Sushi Sono and Tersiguel's rounded out
the top five in the Top Food category. As for popularity, the following
restaurants ranked No. 2 - 5 in order: Prime Rib, Helmand, Petit Louis Bistro
and Ruth's Chris.
This Year's Winners by Cuisine Type:
Afghan/Indian - Helmand Italian - Tratt. Alberto
American (New) - Charleston Mexican/Spanish - Jalapenos/A
American (Trad.) - Blue Moon Cafe Seafood - O'Learys/A
Chinese - Jesse Wong's HK Steakhouses - Prime Rib
Crab Houses - Faidley's Sushi - Sushi King
French - Tersiguel's Thai - Thai Landing
Greek/Med. - Samos
Italian Wins: By a 22% plurality the region's surveyors say Italian food
is their favorite cuisine, followed by American (17%), French (12%), Thai
(10%), Japanese (10%), Mexican (8%), Indian (7%), and Chinese (7%).
What a Crab: The new guide includes a special index, Crab Houses, which
is unique to the Baltimore survey. This year's top rated Crab House is
Faidley's, followed by Mr. Bill's Terrace Inn, Costas Inn, Cantler's Riverside
Inn and Obrycki's.
Best Buys: In addition to identifying the very best of every cuisine, the
guide also includes a list of 20 Best Buys led by Five Guys, Chicken Rico,
Atwater's, Andy Nelson's BBQ and Big Bad Wolf BBQ.
On-line Reserving: Local multi-taskers are beating their bicoastal rivals
when it comes to making reservations online. According to this year's survey,
an extraordinary 37 % of regional diners make their reservations online versus
17% in New York and 14% in Los Angeles. Only San Francisco and Atlanta are
higher at 43% and 40%, respectively.
Going Green and Health-Conscious: Baltimore/D.C. residents are clearly
moving in a "greener" direction. Seventy percent of surveyors consider eating
locally grown food to be important, while 68% favor low-carb, low-fat,
heart-healthy menu items. Food preparation is also a concern to surveyors, as
66% want trans fats banned from food preparation and 62% are willing "to pay
more" for sustainably raised food.
The Guide in Detail: The guide not only features expansive ratings and
reviews of the best restaurants in Baltimore, it breaks them out by location,
cuisine and special features, including Business Dining, Historic Places,
Power Scenes and Pre-Theater Dining as well as offering neighborhood maps for
both cities. To appease budget-conscious diners, the guide lists 40 Best Value
restaurants in Washington and 20 more in Baltimore.
The 2009 Washington D.C./Baltimore Restaurants guide ($14.95) was edited
by Olga Boikess, Marty Katz and Shelley Gallagher and is available at all
major bookstores, through ZAGAT.com, or by calling 888/371-5440.
About Zagat Survey, LLC
Known as the "burgundy bible," Zagat Survey is the world's most trusted
source for information about where to eat, drink, stay and play around the
globe, and as such has become a symbol of quality. Zagat Survey rates and
reviews airlines, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, music, golf,
resorts, shopping, spas, and a range of other entertainment categories in over
100 countries and has been lauded as the "most up-to-date, comprehensive and
reliable guides ever published" and as "a necessity second only to a valid
credit card." Zagat content is available in print, on the Web, on the Palm
and Windows Mobile operating systems, on BlackBerry, on mobile phones, and on
TV. For more information, visit ZAGAT.com.
SOURCE Zagat Survey, LLC
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