Decoding the menu at the Carlyle (via Rachel Citron's flickr) It isn't just Michelin that released its latest New York City restaurant guide this week, NYC's Google-owned restaurant guide, the Zagat Survey, was released today, too. Le Bernardin came out on top not just in Food (29 out of 30), it also unseated Danny Meyer's hold on the top of the Most Popular category for the first time in 15 years...yada, yada, yada...do Zagat Survey's results mean anything? Actually, if you know how to read through the lines, they kinda do! Having worked for Zagat once upon a time and seen how their ratings sausage gets made, yours truly can tell you that the 0-30 numbers the company runs with its reviews really are the average of what Zagat's surveyors reported, and the oft-mocked, quotation-heavy capsule reviews are exactly what they appear to be. And they can help you find good food. Unlike the "review highlights" on, say, Yelp, each of those words in quotes in a Zagat review has been selected by an editor from something an actual surveyor wrote that they felt encapsulated something from the majority of that restaurant's reviews.

Ever want a mind-numbing job? Try summarizing, editing and fact-checking thousands of restaurant reviews, year in and year out. Still, the thing about Zagat's reviews that you need to take into account is where they are coming from. Though the company gives out lots of stats about its surveys [PDF] there are also interesting things they don't tell you. Like how old the 41,604 people who were surveyed for this year's Survey are. With no stats in front of us, just anecdotal evidence, we can tell you that Zagat surveyors skew older and richer than the general population (they do eat out 3 times a week on average) and are creatures of habit and long memories. People who haven't actually eaten at Peter Luger's will rate it well year after year because they can't imagine it has changed (and honestly, it hasn't). Which isn't to say they don't have good taste. If a Zagat-rated restaurant in New York has over 21 for Food, you are really unlikely to have a bad meal there (Pro tip: because the Zagat Survey has different samples in different cities, the numbers mean different things elsewhere).

There is also one exceptional area in the Survey where the numbers don't really match up: Sushi. sushi cape town southern suburbsFor whatever reason Zagat's sushi-eating surveyors are a very self-selecting crowd and really love their sushi places—so you'll often see sushi restaurants in the Survey trending a little higher than their ethnic peers.wooden sushi boat serving trayBeyond their ratings, Zagat collects a fair amount of other information from its surveyors and fact checkers that can be interesting. sushi dubai marina jbrSome stats worth noting this year? jiro dreams of sushi film wiki

The company notes that this year saw 135 "noteworthy" openings and only 68 closings, the best ratio they've seen since 2007; food delivery merivale ottawaNew Yorkers leave an average 19.1 percent tip; where to buy bamboo sushi rolling matZagat's surveyors don't like to eat in restaurants graded "C" and the average cost of a meal for Zagat surveyors has increased an impressive 4.1 percent in the past year to $43.46 per person. where to buy sushi grade fish in queens nyOh yeah, and a bunch of restaurants (like Totonno's) moved up in their ratings. You can read all the highlights here. Now, if only Google would start giving out Zagat's stats for free they could really get competitive again...

Sign up for PIX11 breaking news alerts with our app Nagahama Japanese Restaurant is known for its Japanese cuisine and moderately priced array of sushi rolls. The restaurant was voted best sushi on Long Island. But do they live up to that title? PIX11’s TaniaOnTheScene went to check it out. Nagahama Japanese Restaurant is located at: 169 East Park Avenue Long Beach, N.Y. 11561 Transformers statue stolen from Queens sidewalk reappears in restaurant Roy Rogers may be heading back to Long Island News Stories From the Heart Lunchology program teaches kids and families creative, healthy snacks and meals Man arrested for punching, stabbing employee in LI restaurant: police Home for the Holidays (or Not): Last-Minute Planning Tips (& Deals) Waitress left note instead of tip: ‘Great service, don’t tip black people’ Missing 5-year-old girl found ‘deceased and concealed’ inside Ohio restaurant The Cheesecake Factory opens its first NYC location in Queens

Man breaks into Long Island’s ‘Sexy Salad,’ eats food, falls asleep on store floor: police2017 may be the time to do it Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano seen leaving home; feds expected to charge him in corruption probe Planning a big vacation? These are some of the best hotels in the world Man misses flight so Kenny Lofton can get to Cleveland to throw World Series first pitchLe Bernardin Le Bernardin is the 4 star Eric Ripert restaurant considered one of the best restaurants in the city (maybe the world?) and just got a brand new interior so I photographed it for Eater. These photos are copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC and cannot be used without permission if you'd like to use a photo please contact me. Sushi Seki (formerly, Sushihatsu) is a Japanese sushi restaurant located at 1143 First Avenue (between East 62nd Street and East 63rd Street), on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, in New York City.[2] It was established in 2002.[3] Seki, who uses only one name and who spent five years at Sushi of Gari, is the chef and owner.