More Sources for Serious Foodies--Of course New York has far more fabulous dining than I have room to discuss here -- although the listings below are enough to keep you fat and happy for a year, much less the length of a vacation. But if you'd like a wider selection, a few very good sources are available online or from your local bookstore.
Your best online sources are Citysearch (www.citysearch.com), which runs a great restaurant page that's updated weekly as part of its comprehensive offerings; New York Metro (www.newyorkmetro.com), the online arm of glossy weekly New York; New York Today (www.nytoday.com), the New York Times's arts and lifestyle site where you can access a database of the paper's stellar restaurant reviews; and the Village Voice (www.villagevoice.com), especially for the cheap eats reviews by Robert Sietsema.
The best online source for the real serious foodie is www.chowhound.com, a national website with message boards in local areas, including New York, where you can make an inquiry about a certain restaurant, type of food, location, etc., and within a few hours, you might have five or more very informative responses.
The Zagat Survey, which has made a name for itself rating restaurants based on extensive diner surveys, maintains a searchable database of city restaurants at www.zagat.com, so if you're willing to do your research before you leave home (or if you're toting a laptop), there's no need to acquire a hard copy of the no-frills guide. They are, however, now charging a fee to access the online information. At press time, a year's subscription of Zagat online was $14.95, a 30-day subscription was $2.50, and a one-day pass was $1.50.
If you do want a book reference to have on hand while you're in the city, I suggest the colorful, reviewer-written Time Out New York: Eating & Drinking guide, which I find to be more comprehensive, candid, and descriptive than Zagat's. If you don't feel the need for a big ol' book, stop at any newsstand for a copy of the slick weekly Time Out New York, whose "Eat Out" section always includes listings for TONY's 100 Favorite Restaurants in every issue, as well as coverage of new openings and dining trends. Weekly New York magazine also maintains extensive restaurant listings in the "Cue" section at the back of the magazine.
