In some ways, it's probably not a great time to be Zagat. Although the review service covers a wide range of restaurants, it's pretty much a requirement for fine dining. After all, while one might be willing to take a chance on a $10 meal, when it comes to spending serious bucks, it's a good idea to get some insurance. At the end of the day, Zagat is a pretty good tool for ensuring that the big meal isn't a big disappointment.The thing is, when the economy is down and everybody is trying to cut back on expenditures, expensive restaurant dinners are often the first things to go. As the restaurants go, so do the restaurant guides, and one has to imagine that Zagat is feeling the pinch. Luckily, the publisher has had an online site for a few years; for a small fee, users can take advantage of pretty much every scrap of information in the Zagat universe, including thousands of restaurant reviews from cities across the country.
To sweeten the deal (and help some fine eateries weather the recession) the company now offers Zagat Presents, a series of discussions, tastings, and previews at several of the guide's rated restaurants. The events, which are often priced at below market rates, offer Zagat.com members the opportunity to enjoy a night on the town even when they are watching their pennies. Moreover, Zagat ensures that the evenings will be unique by working with chefs and restaurants to design off-menu meals that showcase the restaurants' versatility and potential.
Take a good look at this reproduction of the Mona Lisa. Don't worry, you're eyes aren't playing tricks on you. Those are slices of various sausages and luncheon meats in the background. In fact, the whole painting is made of meat. It was part of a show put on by six Russian artists to celebrate the 100th birthday of Tavr a meat processor located in southern Russia.

For some reason these bouncing baby bags of rice make Western style birth announcements seem a tad impersonal. Talk about bundles of joy. These 
Wedginald, the bouncing, or would that be rolling, baby farmhouse cheddar and star of 
I've had the olive oil gelato at Mario Batali's Otto and found it quite good. And I've sampled the lox ice cream at Max & Mina's in my stamping grounds of Flushing, Queens, and found it to be interesting at best. Until the other day, though, I'd never heard of a frozen dessert quite as strange as nicotine and peppermint gelato.
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