Melisse (For Food), Hotel Bel-Air (Decor), Bastide (Service) and Spago (Popularity) are Winners in Zagat's 2009 Los Angeles/So. Cal Restaurants Survey

Despite Inflation, Angelenos Eat Out With Fervor While Going Greener, Healthier and Online

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Old favorites and newcomers, Europeans and Japanese battle for the top in the new Zagat 2009 Los Angeles/Southern California Restaurants survey, released today. The survey shows restaurant-goers' hankering for eco-friendly fare and better service. The guide includes Zagat's signature ratings and reviews of 1,980 eateries in the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. It is based on the input of 9,873 food-savvy Angelenos who ate out 3.7 times per week, i.e. one of the highest frequencies in the country. Despite inflation, 34% of surveyors say they are eating out more than they were 2 years ago.

"Like the dynamic city it feeds, L.A.'s dining scene is changing," said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey. "From first-time category winners, to eco-friendly eateries, to an increase in online reservations, Los Angeles restaurants continue to improve."

Winners: Surveyors' appetites for its notable French-New American tasting menus helped Melisse take the No. 1 spot for Food for the second year in a row. Melisse also came into No. 2 for Popularity and Service. Making their way up the food rankings are Asanebo (No. 2), and Lucques (No. 3, up from No. 23 last year). Wowing surveyors with its lush eye-catching setting, the Hotel Bel-Air won Top Decor, followed by Takami, and Gonpachi. Bastide earned Top Service with a rating of 27. As for popularity, Spago, Melisse, and Cafe Bizou took win, place and show. (See page 1 of Survey Summary for more extensive Top Listings)

Key Newcomers: Leading this year's newcomers is Nobu LA followed by Bashan. The new guide includes newcomers offering cuisines from around the world: Italian was a hit with the debuts of Il Carpaccio, Delancey Hollywood and Crudo, and Asian fare also made its presence felt with sugarFISH, Katsu Sushi and Jian Korean BBQ. There were also the following new American offerings, including Lot 1, Rush Street, Blvd 16 and Kitchen 24. The Downtown scene, which has experienced a tremendous boom over the past few years, will also see several new openings in the coming year: the reopening of Cole's, an L.A. landmark since 1908, along with Drago Centro and Rivera.

Service, Tips Slipping: Angelenos love to dine out - eating 81% of their meals out for leisure - but their most common complaint is poor service by a 69% margin, followed by noise (12%), prices (6%), food (5%) and parking (4%). With so many diners unhappy with the service they receive, it's no surprise that Angelenos tip at the low end of the scale, leaving a half a percent less than the national average of 19.0%.

Pricey Eats: As noted above, the price of a L.A. meal rose 3.3% from last year, from $33.29 to $34.38. That's about on par with the national average of $34.03. Of course, West Coast surveyors know that eating in Seattle is a steal at $27.68 per meal; on the opposite coast, New Yorkers typically pay $39.46 for a meal. When it comes to the twenty most expensive L.A. restaurants, prices jumped from $75.03 to $83.89. Still, things could be worse - in New York City the average price of a meal at the twenty most expensive restaurants has reached $143.06.

Going Green and Health-Conscious: This year, California became the first state to prohibit restaurants from cooking with trans fats. Sixty-five percent of Angelenos agree with the ban. Meanwhile, 71% of diners feel that eating locally grown or raised food is important, and 57% are willing to pay more for organic food. Up 4% from last year's survey, 58% say they would pay more for sustainably raised food. Over a hundred restaurants in the guide fit this bill by using local, organic and sustainable ingredients, including Akasha, The Lobster and Wilshire.

Internet vs. Telephone: According to this year's survey, most Angelenos prefer to pick up the phone (68%) to reserve their tables, but 22% of them now make their restaurant reservations online, a dramatic increase since last survey's 14%. Diners can easily make restaurant reservations instantly through OpenTable via ZAGAT.com and ZAGAT.mobi.

Favorite Cuisines: This year's survey found that a 25% plurality of surveyors favor Italian cuisine, followed by Japanese (18%) and American (13%). Although only 18% of surveyors voted Japanese as their favorite cuisine, five of the ten top-food rated restaurants Asanebo, Nobu Malibu, Shiro, Matsuhisa, and Mori Sushi are Japanese. This leads a national trend.

The Guide in Detail: Expansive ratings and reviews of Los Angeles eateries can be found in the new guidebook as well as online at ZAGAT.com and via the award-winning mobile website, ZAGAT.mobi. The guide also breaks out restaurants by location, cuisine and special features (including Wine Bars, Brunch, Family-Style, Waterside and Trendy) and includes a foldout colored city map. The 2009 Los Angeles/Southern California Restaurants guide ($15.95) was edited by Merrill Shindler, Elizabeth Hurchalla, Grace Jidoun, Helen Sillett in Los Angeles, Gretchen Kurz in Orange County, Michelle Golden and Karen Hudes and is available at all major bookstores, through ZAGAT.com, or by calling toll free to 888-371-5440.

About Zagat Survey, LLC

Known as the "burgundy bible," Zagat Survey is the world's most trusted source for information about where to eat, drink, stay and play around the globe, and as such has become a symbol of quality. Zagat Survey rates and reviews airlines, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, music, golf, resorts, shopping, spas, and a range of other entertainment categories in over 100 countries and has been lauded as the "most up-to-date, comprehensive and reliable guides ever published" and as "a necessity second only to a valid credit card." Zagat content is available in print, on the Web, on the Palm and Windows Mobile operating systems, on BlackBerry, on mobile phones, and on TV. For more information, visit ZAGAT.com.

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CONTACT: Tiffany Barbalato, Zagat Survey, +1-212-404-6416,
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