THE people have spoken. And it’s not Al, Dubya, Rick or Hillary they’ve elected – they’ve voted Union Square Cafe their favorite eatery in the new Zagat 2001 New York City Restaurant Survey.
It’s the fifth consecutive year in the No. 1 spot for what surveyors call owner Danny Meyer’s “fabulously friendly” restaurant, and the second for his nearby Gramercy Tavern in slot No. 2.
Gotham Bar & Grill and Aureole both repeated as the third and fourth most popular in the new guide, out today.
As for who’s dishing out the best food of the 1,931 entries, that title goes to Midtown’s Le Bernardin for the third time in a row, with a score of 28 out of a perfect 30 points for chef Eric Ripert, called “da Vinci with fish.”
The first sign of jostling comes in the second food spot, where David and Karen Waltuck’s TriBeCan, Chanterelle, moved in, ousting East Side favorite, restaurant Daniel. Proving how close the competition was, Daniel Boulud’s namesake, now in the No. 7 position, also scored 28.
If the statistics seem to prove New Yorkers have no fear of commitment when it comes to their dining devotions, neither are they afraid to put their money where their mouths are. Front-runner Union Square was also the most visited spot, where dinner costs an estimated $58 with one drink and tip.
That’s considered a relatively modest tab in a city with 23 eateries where the bill per diner typically tops $70, and the pick for top newcomer without a rating, Alain Ducasse, charges $160 prix fixe. The average cost of a Big Apple meal, meanwhile, increased from $33.17 to $35.14.
In fact, if there’s a theme to this year’s version of Tim & Nina Zagat’s familiar burgundy-colored guide, it’s “More is more.”
Restaurant openings outnumbered closings 311 to 89. A record number of surveyors participated – 20,424, plus an additional 10,677 on the Internet. They even say they’re tipping more, plunking down an average of more than 18 percent; about half spring for at least a 20 percent tip.
Brasseries are on the rise. New entries include Brasserie, Brasserie 81/2, Guastavino, Orsay and Pastis.
Steakhouses are also hot again, like carnivore-catering Del Frisco’s, the Strip House and many others. Not to mention No. 6 most-popular stalwart Peter Luger, which came in No. 5 for food, one notch above Jean Georges.
The foodie map is expanding, too, stretching its boundaries to the Meatpacking District, Brooklyn and Harlem.
Danube in TriBeCa waltzed off with best decor and best newcomer honors, plus a food rating of 27 for David Bouley’s “Viennese fantasy.”
Other high-scoring new entries are 71 Clinton Fresh Food on the Lower East Side, New Jersey import Scalini Fedeli and East Side seafood specialist Cello, which all debuted at a 26 rating.
Diners’ No. 1 gripe continues to be poor service, and the survey addresses this complaint with a new “welcoming hospitality” index.
Other indexes added to the handy cross-reference section include bathrooms to visit, celebrity chefs and communal tables.
While New York holds the crown as the most expensive dining-out city in the United States, the global title goes to Tokyo, where the average cost of a meal is $64.77 and the average at the 20 most expensive restaurants is $177.20.
Not that you still can’t get a bang for your buck. At this year’s No. 1 best buy, Bereket on Houston Street, you can fill up on kebabs and other Turkish fare for about $10. Just “forget the ambience.”
ZAGAT FACTS
*Of the 20,424 write-in surveyors, 57 percent are female, 43 percent are male
*Asked what irritates them most about about New York restaurants, 58 percent of surveyors said service, followed by noise (17 percent), crowding (8 percent), reservations (7 percent) and prices (4 percent)
*Le Bernardin was voted No. 1 for service, as well as No. 1 in the Food and French categories
*Peter Luger has ranked No. 1 for steak 17 years in a row
*Il Mulino has ranked No. 1 for Italian 17 years in a row
*Average cost of a meal, with one drink and tip, in the 2001 survey: $35.14
*Average cost of a meal at the 20 most expensive restaurants: $76.73
*Number of restaurants opened: 311
*Number of restaurant closed: 89 (including La Reserve, Rosemarie’s, Wally and Joseph’s, and Fraunces Tavern
*Average food rating: 19.79
*Average number of restaurant meals per week per surveyor: 3.6
*Surveyors usually tip 18.3 percent
*Cuisines with the highest marks: French (Le Bernardin and Chanterelle ranked Nos. 1 and 2) and Japanese (Nobu and Sugiyama ranked Nos. 3 and 4)
*Asked their favorite cuisine, surveyors(-esq-) said Italian (37 percent), American (20 percent), French (19 percent), Chinese (9 percent), Japanese (4 percent)
*Out of 14 possible lunches and dinners per week, surveyors said they skip 1.7, cook 4.7 at home, eat out or takeout 6.
Tops by special feature
Breakfast – Payard Bistro
Brunch – Aquagrill
Decor – Danube
Garden- Barbetta
Old New York – One If By Land, TIBS
Romantic – Box Tree
Hotel Dining – Jean Georges / Trump International
Late Dining – Nobu, Next Door
Newcomer/Rated – Danube
Newcomer/Unrated – Alain Ducasse
People-Watching – La Grenouille
Power Scene – Le Bernardin
Quick Fix – Pearl Oyster Bar
Tasting Menu – Le Bernardin
Top Spots by Cuisine
American – Aureole
American Regional – Mesa Grill (Southwestern)
Brasserie – Balthazar
Caviar & Champagne – Petrossian
Chinese – Tse Yang
Coffeehouse/Dessert – Veniero(-esq-)s
Continental – Four Seasons
Deli – Barney Greengrass
French – Le Bernardin
French Bistro – Montrachet
Greek – Milos
Hamburgers – Wollensky(-esq-)s Grill
Indian – Jackson Diner
Italian – Il Mulino
Japanese – Nobu
Korean – Hangawi
Kosher – Second Avenue Deli
Mediterranean – Picholine
Mexican/Tex-Mex – Maya
Middle Eastern – Oznot(-esq-)s Kish
Noodle Shop – Honmura An
Pizza- Grimaldi(-esq-)s
Seafood – Le Bernardin
South American – Patria
Southern/Soul – Pearson(-esq-)s BBQ
Spanish – Bolo
Steakhouses – Peter Luger
Thai – Vong
Vegetarian – Cafe Boulud
Vietnamese – Vietnam
Wild Card – Danube