Customer Reviews

Zagatsurvey 2005 Los Angeles/So. California Restaurants (Zagatsurvey: Los Angeles/Southern California Restaurants)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The beauty of this, as in all Zagat Surveys, is that the main input for each restaurant comes from real diners who have eaten at the restaurant being reviewed. There seem to be enough reviews, judging from individual comments included, to average out the comments from someone who was there on a "bad night" with those who were there on "average nights" and "great nights."

If you are looking for the kind of reviews that food critics give, discussing the merits (and demerits)of various sauces, specialties, etc., this is not the book for you. If however, you want to know how a large number of people, who have eaten there, feel about the restaurant, this IS a good restaurant guide.

The main section of the survey is alphabetical by restaurant. There are cross references by location, by cuisine, and by special features. There are also "top 40" lists for Food, Decor, and "Bangs for the Buck."

If there is any problem with this survey, it is the fact that there are so many hundreds of small "mom and pop" restaurants in L>A and the surrounding communities, particularly in cultural or ethnic enclaves, that they can't all be reviewed and included in this survey. I am glad to report, however, that some of them are making it.

All in all, I'd say this is a valuable resource for consultation when you want to try somewhere different for a dinner or lunch out.

This is an old stand by for checking out some of the food joints in the cities we inhabit. I just returned to LA after a very long absence (30 years), and this was helpful. I just wish that someone would write a book about all the food joints in each neighborhood. I am much more interested in the places that look like they need a decorator, than the ones that look like they need another chef.

But this book is helpful, and I thank the authors for their continued work in this area.