Z-Day

This year's Zagat NYC guide is out on the streets today. The familiar burgundy book is still a staple to many searching for the top food in the city, although many argue that the voting process leads to inconsistent results. That said, here are the numbers, the highlights, and the rest:

• This year's edition covers 2069 restaurants and compiles results from over 34,000 surveys.
  
• Gordon Ramsay knocks one over the fence with the top newcomer, earning a solid 25 out of 30.
  
• Union Square Cafe comes back from the number 2 slot to reclaim the title of most popular.
  
• Daniel beat out Le Bernardin for top food ranking, and Sushi Yasuda climbs from number 3 to number 2. This makes Sushi Yasuda the highest ranking Japanese restaurant in NYC Zagat history, even beating out temple of sushi worship Masa.
  
• New Yorkers may think we're big tippers, but at 19%, we're lagging behind Philly, Atlanta, and even (gasp) New Jersey. Considering we eat out an average of 3.3 times per week, maybe we can do better.
  
• Our average meal ($39.46) is the most expensive in the U.S., but we still lag behind London, Tokyo and Paris.
  
• We're happy to see some of our favorites on the "Top Restaurants by Cuisine" list, including Pearl Oyster Bar, American (Regional); Daisy May's, Barbecue; Momofuku Noodle Bar, Noodle Shops; and Caracas, South American.
  
• This year's guide has been snazzed up with the inclusion of color and nifty icons for enhanced readabilty and several dining maps -- a popular restaurants map, a Brooklyn dining map, and a Key Newcomers map.