The $150 Dining Experience the Pros Ignore, But the Public Loves

Sushi Nakazawa in the West Village is Zagat's best new restaurant, but it got zero Michelin stars

New editions of New York's restaurant bibles are out — and they aren't on the same page about the city's top dining experience.

Sushi Nakazawa in the West Village, with has a $150 tasting menu, was anointed by Zagat as the city's best new restaurant. But it got zero Michelin stars.

American restaurant Annisa in the West Village is one of Zagat's top 11 restaurants — but it lost its Michelin star. French restaurant Daniel on the Upper East Side lost a third Michelin star, but still ranks amid Zagat's top six.

In this interview, Ryan Sutton, restaurant critic for the website Eater, explained that the results are very different in part because of the way each publication does its ranking.

Michelin has paid inspectors that visit each restaurant multiple times, while Zagat is done through a poll – about 30,000 people participated this year. “For lack of a better term, different strokes for different folks,” he said.

Sutton said even though Michelin seems to be the tougher guide, it deserves credit for a few things. One of them is for highlighting restaurants that were being ignored by critics, like the Scandinavian midtown restaurant Aquavit, which got two stars — only one of three female chefs in America with that honor (Aquavit’s chef is Emma Bengtsson).

Another is for bringing attention to places in the outer boroughs, like Blanca in Bushwick, which received two stars. “Blanca is one of New York’s best restaurants,” said Sutton. “I think what they do is really amazing, and it’s indicative of the future of fine dining in America.” It serves a tasting menu of about 20-25 courses, and it’s $195 per person.

Sutton confessed that at the end of the day, he agrees more with Michelin, because he doesn’t believe in restaurant polling. “The way we do our job is by going to restaurants and having informed discussions,” he said.