restaurants

Restaurant goers in Boston may soon have a couple more options for eating out, as long as they don’t mind eating in the bathroom.

In a new twist on recycling Boston park officials went before state lawmakers earlier this week, to lease two former public restrooms for use as restaurants. The cities Park and Recreation Commission is hoping the public can get past the idea of eating near what used to be a urinal and embrace the proposed project.  read more »

There is a new list out of the best restaurants in the world. Is your favorite on the list?

S. Pelligrino’s list of the world’s 50 best restaurants was released earlier this week and the U.S. was the most honored country with eight locations selected. France came in second with six restaurants, followed by Spain and Italy who each had five. The list, compiled by 806 of the world’s most respected chefs, food critics and restaurant owners always creates debate and this year was no exception. After an eight year reign the Spanish restaurant El Bulli was knocked off the throne by Noma in Copenhagen. Noma’s head chef only uses local products, an idea Thomas Keller, head chef of the famous French Laundry told me he appreciates.  read more »

They say the customer is alwasy right. But be realistic. If that bad restaurant experience leaves a sour taste in your mouth take a closer look at who's really to blame.

At the recent Pebble Beach and Food and Wine event sponsored by American Express Publishing I talked to chef Gary Danko about what keeps folks crowded around his tables. Danko's San Francisco based restaurant just celebrated its 10th anniversary. A celebration Danko attributes to hard work and loyal customers. Danko says the guests pay his bills and over his 40 years in the business he has learned how to keep the money rolling in.  read more »

Most people don't like risking their dinner on a restaurant where they've never been. So if you want your meal to be worth your money there's only one go to guide for everything edible.

The 2010 Zagat guide was just released and its pages are filled with everything you need to know about nearby eateries. From the best family restaurant to the best newcomer to the best bang for your buck the Zagat guide ranks restaurants on their food, cost, service and ambiance.  read more »

In todays weak economy, consumers are cutting back on frills such as eating out. Not good news for restaurants hoping to fill their tables.

At the recent Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival sponsored by American Express I talked with Roy Yamaguchi, Head Chef and Founder of Roy's popular restaurant group about how he views the recession. Yamaguchi says its all about location.

"For us we have locations in a lot of different cities so some of the cities of course have taken a bigger hit than others. For instance in Honolulu our restaurants are still doing quite well but on Maui with the failure of two airlines and the lack of tourism on that island our business is tremendously down."  read more »

Looking for a last-minute reservation at a hot-spot restaurant in New York, San Francisco or anywhere in between? The good news is you can most likely get in without waiting months for a reservation. The bad news is service may not be up to snuff, since the economic downturn is forcing eateries to cut staff.

The famous (and high priced) Michael Mina four star restaurant in San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel announced it is soon closing on Sundays and Mondays, after October/November sales declined 10 percent. And across the country restaurant consultants say culinary establishments are seeing sales declines of 10 to 40 percent. That is much worse than watching a client skip out on the bill in an industry with already slim profit margins.  read more »