No replies to this topic

[DonRocks]

This is a work in progress and will be filled in as time goes by. Within each geographical subcategory, the restaurants are listed, somewhat loosely, in order of my personal preference, without much regard to price or formality (there is no legitimate way to "rank" Ching Ching Cha against La Chaumière, or Sushi-Ko against Two Amys, etc.). I've visited the vast majority of establishments, but the places I haven't (e.g., Apartment 2G, Mike's Crab House), I've included based on research, educated guesses and/or input from trusted friends, figuring it was more important to have them listed than excluded (plus, I'll get to them within the upcoming weeks or months anyway). I update the guide several times a week based on recent restaurant visits, so you can be pretty sure it's current. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't seek out friendships with people in the restaurant industry, but I don't actively avoid them either. Although I consider many people in the industry to be friends, there are four with whom I've dined one-on-one in the past year: Leslie Foster (GM, Lia's), Eric Ziebold (Chef, CityZen), Mark Slater (Sommelier, Bastille), and Kavita Singh (Co-owner, New Heights), and I'd like to emphasize that I always expect to pay my own way, and that I make an extra effort to be unbiased with these establishments. For seven years, I was militant and unrelenting in terms of accepting samples; in recent times, I've softened my stance if the restaurant wants to send out something for me to try - quite honestly, I got tired of fighting - it got to the point where I was no longer enjoying myself trying to fight people off - so I will sometimes accept with a thank you and a very generous tip rather than cause a scene. In general, it's less expensive and less stressful to be charged for everything, pay the bill, and leave a 20% tip (this is precisely what happens at Palena, for example, and I've always appreciated and respected it). I will not write about a comp (an unordered glass of wine that shows up because it's a perfect match, an unannounced appetizer sample that appears, etc.) without disclosing it. If anyone has a problem with this, please write me and we can discuss it - I personally struggle with it, ethically, but I can also assure you that I'm as honorable and honest as someone can be and am most certainly not a mooch. Again, these "free" samples cost me more money (and precious calories) than if I didn't receive them. I'm very proud of my ethics and encourage people to "ask around town" and see what restaurants think. Most importantly to the consumer looking for dining recommendations: I'm not on the take, by anybody, period.

Cheers,
Rocks.