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sorry but zagat has become somewhat of a joke, just have a look at their current guide, wherein surveyors wax poetic about the wonders of the seafood at 'the minnow' -- which any regular visitor to this site knows went waaaaay downhill years ago in a well-chronicled death spiral. (it's now shuttered..). i think it got something like a 21 or better on food, and the comments ran along the lines of what would have applied to minnow in its first year or two. it's now best mainly for indexes like the list of prix fixes or neighborhoods etc. as to the 'reviews', skip 'em except maybe for entertainment
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livetotravel
Jan 23, 2007 11:22 AM
Here's the lead paragraph of Flo Fab's October 2003 article on the 2004 Zagat Survey ...
"Here, in order, are the seven best restaurants in New York City, according to food ratings in the 2004 Zagat Survey published today: Le Bernardin, Daniel, Peter Luger, Nobu, Bouley, Jean Georges and the Grocery."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/20/nyr...I still can't believe it. Good, but not great, and certainly not even on my Brooklyn top 10 let alone all of NYC.
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re: livetotravel
Peter
Jan 23, 2007 12:27 PM
Remember, Zagat works off pure numeric ratings.
The Grocery, at that time, was getting votes almost exclusively from people in the neighborhood.
I think, when compared to most of the neighborhood, and when entered with the mindset of "grabbing a nice meal at a local spot", it's not surprising that people ranked the food top-notch - a "3" (Zagat's scale is 0 to 3 --- they then turn it into a 30 point score by multiplying by 10).
To further explain, I feel like that might have been the first year that Zagat took votes exclusively from their website - no paper ballots allowed. That may have lowered the average age, net worth, and expectations of that year's voter.
Peter
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bobjbkln
Jan 23, 2007 10:17 AM
This is probably not the board to discuss it on, but Zagat's is a survey by a self selected group of people who all have different standards of judging. Perhaps, it's a useful starting point, but it often has anomalies like the Grocery which very good, but certainly not great--or even the greatest on Smith St.--That IMO is Saul. Note that this year they both good the same rating.
As to DiFara's, unless you are lucky, even at off hours, it can be a wait. Plus there's the trip out there. If you come to NY a few times a year, I'd say go for it. If you come only a few times in your lifetime, remember that it is only pizza, even if it is the best pizza in the universe.
Di
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The Grocery, yep that was it. Wonder how they managed to win big w/Zagat. Sounds like its good to very good, but not a "must dine" experience for a long weekend trip to NYC. Thanks for the feedback everyone. BTW, have seen the very funny thread about Rosengarten & Difaras..........is Difaras a must have for an off hour lunch pizza considering the time round trip from NYU area? Thanks again.
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oolah
Jan 22, 2007 06:26 AM
I agree that you're most likely referring to The Grocery on Smith St in Carroll Gardens.
If you mean is worth one of three dinners in all of New York City, I'd say definitely no. If you mean one of three dinners in Brooklyn, I'd say maybe -- depends what you like. IMHO, Grocery is a wonderful restaurant with delicious, well-prepared food, but it's not extraordinary.
Where else are you thinking of dining? What kinds of food / food experiences are you looking for?
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