Resturant Review - concept & introduction, October 2005.

I have been encouraged by my brother to write a resturant review for my blogsite. It seems like something fun to do, and useful for those who know me. I have an affection for resturants that generally fall into three catagories: historical, eclectric, funky. Generally, the food is secondary to the experience. That being said, you should understand I enjoy great dining, but my selection will be based upon the overall experience, including those who are with me.

Each month I plan to write about one of my favorite resturants. Some will be local, and some will be not-so-local, some will be high-end, some will be low-end. I might write on a place in the upper 70's in Manhatten's upper east side, such as Luke's Bar & Grill; a wonderful small resturant and bar you may recall received publicity when Mike Wallace was arrested for disorderly conduct as his driver double-parked and was cited by the police while Wallace was inside getting take-out meatloaf; or it might be be a charming off-the-beaten path place in Southern Indiana, such as the Story Inn where I enjoyed a wonderful, romantic dinner and evening with my wife. Regardless, the idea is to have fun and introduce my friends and those visiting this site some great places to hang out and enjoy food and the experience.

Also, I want to introduce the Zagat Survey thought to be the world's leading provider of consumer survey-based dining, travel and leisure information, with more than 250,000 voters participating worldwide. This is a subscription based service that I believe to be very good, after all it's a review by those who actually have eaten at these establishments, not some suit engaged in a marketing effort. Zagat provides instant acces to trusted ratings and reviews for over 30,000 resturants, nightspots, hotels and attractions. If you want to subscribe to the resturant section only, that's possible. The cost for a 365 day subscription at this writing is $24.95 for the full subscription and $19.95 for the resturant only subscription. Spare the extra $5 bucks and get the full access. As you visit different cities, many times you will see a Zagat placard in the window of resturants, hotels and entertainment venues stating: "This Establishment is Zagat Rated". The placard will generally include commentary from customers.

If there is a story to tell about the place, I will include that as well. And many times, the best stories are those we create ourselves through our own experiences and engagement.