Tim and Nina Zagat, whose eponymous ratings guide started in 1979 as a two-page typed list of New York restaurants, are putting their baby on the market. Insiders peg the company’s worth at $200 million; the Times thinks the brand will prove attractive to companies like AT&T, who could use it to build exclusive mobile phone content. Sources tell the Times that the Zagats would like to see their “fabulous brand” expand further beyond what......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. Zagat Guide and Zagat.com, which has a special discount for Gothamist readers that sign up. AMEX Urban Adventures, because big cities are full of little adventures. The Whitney Museum, currently featuring an exhibition of Kara Walker's work. Go Eight, a Hanukkah party on December 8th at Webster Hall. New York Dish, where AMEX cardmembers can dish about restaurants. Young Frankenstein, the......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. Zagat Guide and Zagat.com, which has a special discount for Gothamist readers that sign up. AMEX Urban Adventures, because big cities are full of little adventures. New York Dish, where AMEX cardmembers can dish about restaurants. Busted Tees, where you can get free shipping with the purchase of three shirts! If you're interested in advertising on Gothamist or any other site......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. Crain's 40 Under 40, where you can nominate the "next star" on the NY business scene. You have until next week! AMEX Urban Adventures, because big cities are full of little adventures. Zagat Guide and Zagat.com, which has a special discount for Gothamist readers that sign up. Rogue Wave, playing Bowery Ballroom on November 1st. New York Dish, where AMEX cardmembers......

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 year ago, waiters at Chinatown restaurant Jing Fong accused management of taking tip money to pay dim sum cart ladies. Now, another restaurant's managers are under fire for taking tips from servers, but the restaurant is decidedly more upscale. Waiters at Telepan, which got a 25 for food in the most recent Zagat guide, tell NY1 that managers have been helping themselves to tips, which is illegal in NY State: Waiters can be paid......

- Finally! Banh mi sandwiches in Midtown. But are they any good, and are they worth the $7.50 a pop? Midtown Lunch readers chime in with their thoughts. - The newly re-opened Blind Tiger is opening for brunch this weekend at 11:30 a.m. After Monday their new regular hours will be 11:30 a.m. until 4:00 a.m, and the kitchen will stay open until 2:00 a.m. In addition, they're having a grand re-opening bash on Monday,......

Or maybe you haven't. Or, more likely, maybe you've been served poorly. The Daily News highlights the (somewhat obvious) fact that New Yorkers don't like bad service in restaurants. According to Tim Zagat, who is quoted in the article, in the 2006 Zagat guide surveys, 49% of New Yorkers named bad service as their primary complaint. It is truly amazing how bad service can put a damper on an otherwise fine meal. The other night,......

The NY Post goes after the Michelin Guide for its glaring mistakes, sort of the way Manhattan User's Guide nailed the 2006 Zagat guide a few weeks ago. The Post's restaurant critic, Steve Cuozzo, goes after Michelin, wondering if their highly trained inspectors even went to some restaurants and calls some of the advice "inane." Plus: The guide tells readers to take the "Metro," not the subway, to restaurants, mentions Le Bernadin's a la carte......

Only a couple of weeks ago, as reported in Gothamist among others, the 2006 Zagat guide to New York City restaurants hit bookstores. As usual, Manhattan restaurants topped the list - but there are 20 more outer borough restaurants featured this year over last - 256 out of 2,003 total. Now, we're all fairly familiar with the Brooklyn eateries like The Grocery and Peter Luger that squeezed their way into the upper heights of the......

- The Morning News has a great interview with photographer Douglas Levere, as well as a gallery of his New York City photographs - A Queens man tried to kidnap a Queens woman yesterday; police do not think it is the same man who raped a 13 year-old - The NJ boy who ran away from home because he was afraid his parents would be angry over his poor report card was found under a......

Sometimes, justice can prevail: A judge threw out a lawsuit from East Village drag queen eatery Lucky Cheng's against restaurant guide Zagat. The 2004 Zagat guide gave Lucky Cheng's a single digit food rating for the past two years (most recently a 9 out of 30), prompting the management to sue Zagat for defamation. Supreme Court Justice Diane Lebedeff wrote in her ruling:While this restaurant owner believes it has `hit the sweet spot' with its......