The Michelin Red Guide is the most respected Restaurant Guide in the world. There have been chefs that have committed suicide when they lost a star. They have exacting standards or service and understand haute cuisine better than any one else in the world. And this is precisely why they are almost totally irrelevant to Restaurants in New York City. They do not understand that American standards of service are different, not worse, not lower, just different. Nor can they understand cuisines that do not fit into their narrow concepts of haute cuisine. So chefs like Mario Batali and Yasuda-sama will never do as well as they should.

You are better off with the Zagat's guide.

The Michelin Guide is a standard in the restaurant review business. It has a pedigree that is much more revered in France than in the United States. Personally, I feel Zagat tried harder and won. Ideally, you should own both red books and consult with each before planning a dining experience but inevitably, the one that you would resort to most of the time is Zagat, not Michelin.

Michelin is not laid out in a cohesive user frienndly manner. It is divided by neighborhoods which is fine if you suffer from agoraphobia and your primary goal is to seek out a restaurant in a small definitive radius.

Usually, when one dines out one is looking for a particular type of restaurant i.e. a romantic restaurant, a before theatre prix fix, a small tapas place, an over the top restaurant to max out your expense account, etc. To identify these restaurants and many many more, Zagat is the top choice. Michelin confines their reviews not only to particular neighborhoods but to a small number of particular restaurants as well! It only chooses to review what they consider Michelin worthy.

If you're interested in only THE top restaurants, Michelin is for you. You will learn which restaurants, mostly French, in Manhattan have earned the coveted Michelin stars. However, if you want to have a glimpse of each and every restaurant in NYC from the pizza place downtown to the 5 star establishment in midtown... buy the Zagat.

Go ahead... if you're like me and want to have the best of both worlds, buy both!