America dines out with the Zagats
More ethnic choices and more-savvy diners have spawned an American culinary revolution.
from the May 2, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
America's melting-pot cuisine
Living in New York, a city with its endless variety in ethnic cuisines, they often feel as though they can travel just by walking down the street. This isn't anything new in the Big Apple. But now smaller US cities are also bursting with culinary diversity. These days, in almost any American city, one might find a burger joint, a Spanish tapas bar, a French-Cambodian cafe, an Italian trattoria, and a Mexican taqueria all in the same neighborhood.
"The quality and diversity of cuisine in American cities is astonishing," says Tim. For example, he adds, when they published their first Boston guide 18 years ago, there were about 20 different types of cuisine available; today, there are 80. In that first guide, surveyors rated and reviewed 400 restaurants; this year that number is close to 1,700.
More people eat away from home
Many societal factors play into America's explosion of restaurants, explain the Zagats. First of all, says Tim, 65 percent of families include two wage-earners. By contrast, when they started the guides, only 45 percent of families fit that category. So more people have less time to shop for food and less time or energy to cook after a day at the office. Also, much of the job growth in recent years has taken place in the white-collar sector, says Tim, contributing to an increased ability to "write off meals" to Uncle Sam.
Also fueling the dining-out trend is the rise in what the Zagats refer to as "BATH" restaurants, an acronym for Better Alternative Than Home. These are restaurants that offer a casual, relaxed, and homey atmosphere with simple, fresh, and hearty food. These establishments are typically reasonably priced, adding to their attractiveness for families, who usually steer clear of more upscale, white-tablecloth restaurants.
Family dining is cultivating an early affinity for dining out among children, which is also helped along at school, says Tim, where a larger number of kids than ever are receiving free lunches or buying lunch.
The increased diversity in dining spots is a natural result of the swelling immigrant population, the growing number of chefs who are trained in a variety of cuisines, the greater accessibility of ethnic ingredients, and the sophistication of today's typical American diner, who is generally well-traveled and hence, well-versed in the flavors and dishes of various world cuisines.
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