For almost thirty years, ZAGAT has reported on the shared experiences of diners. Here are the results of the 2009 AMERICA'S TOP RESTAURANT SURVEY, covering 1,222 restaurants. No matter the economic climate, our appetite for lively dining destinations continues unabated, inspiring ever bolder ventures. For every notable closing, there's another restaurateur waiting in the wings, often joined by an expensive team of architects and designers and ZAGATSURVEY is always there to note the changes. So whether you are looking for the hippest restaurant, where to dine with celebs or find a lunch bargain, the new ZAGATSURVEY 2009 AMERICA'S TOP RESTAURANT SURVEY rates and reviews over 1,250 of America's best restaurants. The newest guide delivers ZAGAT'S signature comprehensive coverage, rating each restaurant on appeal, decor, service and cost.

An insider's view of the restaurant business, including behind-the-scenes looks, writing reviews of restaurants, details on specific foods, and favorite restaurants as chosen by food critics.

The bestselling consumer-based survey covers the top-rated restaurants acrossthe USA.

Finalist for the IACP Cookbook Award A Washington Post Notable Book of the Year A Smithsonian Best Food Book of the Year Longlisted for the Art of Eating Prize Featuring a new chapter on ten restaurants changing America today, a “fascinating . . . sweep through centuries of food culture” (Washington Post). Combining an historian’s rigor with a food enthusiast’s palate, Paul Freedman’s seminal and highly entertaining Ten Restaurants That Changed America reveals how the history of our restaurants reflects nothing less than the history of America itself. Whether charting the rise of our love affair with Chinese food through San Francisco’s fabled Mandarin; evoking the poignant nostalgia of Howard Johnson’s, the beloved roadside chain that foreshadowed the pandemic of McDonald’s; or chronicling the convivial lunchtime crowd at Schrafft’s, the first dining establishment to cater to women’s tastes, Freedman uses each restaurant to reveal a wider story of race and class, immigration and assimilation. “As much about the contradictions and contrasts in this country as it is about its places to eat” (The New Yorker), Ten Restaurants That Changed America is a “must-read” (Eater) that proves “essential for anyone who cares about where they go to dinner” (Wall Street Journal Magazine).

The name Delmonico's is synonymous with fine dining, and the tradition of exquisite food served in a luxurious setting continues to flourish today. "Dining at Delmonico's" invites readers into the restaurant's legendary kitchen, and offers home cooks more than 80 recipes.