Zagat

My biggest problem with Zagat's is that the fantastic depth of information that they have on restaurants in Manhattan is not replicated for where I live in NJ. That said, their reviews have been reasonably consistent with actual experience for restaurants we've been to, especially for the higher-end places. Also find that it's worth buying the hardcopy guides. They don't need power or a cell signal, which can be an issue when out and about in NYC.

Pain in the $#*!, but great if you travel - great for finding great restaurants in new cities. The online subscription is a bit pricey, but worth it if you travel a lot. Gives you access to all the cities covered by zagats. I only pay attention to the food rating, which are generally fairly accurate, though you can't compare the numbers across cities. A 28 in san francisco will be vastly better than a 28 in detroit, for example...

This was a really terrible experience. When we (4 of us) arrived for our reservation time, there was a long line of people waiting at the host's area. We waited about 10 minutes and then the host told us our table was ready (we had reserved a table or banquette in the main dining room and confirmed that reservation by phone with the restaurant the previous day), and that we'd be seated as soon as he could find someone to show us to the table. It took a few minutes for him to find someone, and then she showed us to a table located on the outside patio. The temperature outside was about 60, with fog, and it was due to get even colder. We refused the table and complained to the host. He informed us that we would have to wait 1-2 hours for an inside table. This was an outrageous situation. The entire restaurant was packed, EXTREMELY noisy, and the waitstaff were running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off! This restaurant is definitely not ready to properly deal with customers. It will be quite some time, if ever, that we go back there.