The Google-owned Zagat Guide 2013 landed in bookstores this week, which were then quickly pulled (more on that in a bit). For the umpteenth year in a row, Gary Danko's eponymous restaurant took top honors in the annual (and irrelevant?) dining guide.
"Once again, Gary Danko was king, topping the lists in Food, Service and Popularity. Sierra Mar was tops in Decor and Cheesecake Factory was the most popular chain," reports Inside Scoop. "Bi-Rite won the top bargain, followed by Dynamo Donut, Blue Bottle, Top Dog and Caspers Hot Dogs. In-N-Out was 6th."
The top ten Food rankings for the Bay Area are:
Gary Danko (29)
French Laundry (29)
Kiss Seafood (28)
Seven Hills (28)
Acquerello (28)
Erna’s Elderberry (28)
Marinus (28)
Kokkari (28)
Sierra Mar (28)
Evvia (28)
But here's what's fascinating/odd. Using a bit of old-school reporting, Inside Scoop's Paolo Lucchesi spotted the new Zagat guide in a bookstore while on his way to work, picked up a copy, and then wrote about it. Turns out, at least according to Google, the guides were not supposed to be available for purchase. It also turns out that the 2013 guides, now in bookstores, are being urgently recalled. Why? Because of a typo on the spine: "San Franscico." (We feel for you, Zagat, as it happens to us all of the time!)
Lucchesi explains:
The 2013 Bay Area guides just happened to be on sale — and prominently displayed in the window — at my local bookstore. The nice person at the counter said the guides just came in yesterday. (How convenient.) Following confirmation with Zagat, I figured that the Google-owned incarnation was maybe doing things differently now. After all, the cover is tweaked and there are shiny new Google Local ads on the bottom of every page.In conclusion, Zagat is currently working to get these versions off shelves ASAP. So you curious restaurant folks should get them while you can; these collector’s items won’t last long.
Look for the 2013 guides in bookstores... soon. Hopefully.