Zagat has released its 2013 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants Guide, three weeks after the first guidebooks were recalled due to a typographical error on the spine.
The slim, burgundy book rates 1,636 restaurants based on the opinions of 15,502 diners. In 2013, a trio of Wine Country restaurants ranked in the top 20 for food, down from four last year.
The French Laundry of Yountville came in No. 2 for Top Food, unchanged from last year. It was rated just behind Gary Danko of San Francisco, with both restaurant garnering a near-perfect score of 29 out of 30.
Gary Danko once again pulled a hat trick for 2013, winning Top Food, Top Service and Most Popular.
Newcomers in the Top 20 for food were Redd of Yountville, which scored 28 points, and Cucina Paradiso of Petaluma, which scored 27.
Cyrus dropped out of the Top 20 for Top Food, as it is closing at the end of October. Also falling off the Top 20 list were the Meadowood Restaurant in St. Helena and Cafe La Haye in Sonoma.
In other rankings, the French Laundry came in No. 2 for Top Service, while Madrona Manor of Healdsburg was rated No. 10. Auberge de Soleil of Rutherford was ranked No. 2 for Top Decor.
In the Top Restaurants by Cuisine, there were six Wine Country restaurants that merited an award: Ad Hoc in Yountville won in the traditional American category; Della Fattoria in Petaluma took the Eclectic category; Bistro des Copains in Occidental won in the French Bistro category; the Fatted Calf of Napa and San Francisco won for sandwiches; Cole's Chop House of Napa won for steak; and Sea Thai Bistro of Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Corte Madera won in the Thai category.
A new Italian restaurant, Redd Wood in Yountville, got a food score of 25, making it a noteworthy newcomer. Other key arrivals include Mateo's Cocina Latina in Healdsburg, the Glen Ellen Star in Glen Ellen, and French Blue and Goose & Gander in St. Helena.
For the 2013 guide, diners reported eating out for an average of 2.9 meals per week, just below the 3.1 national average, and reported leaving an average tip of 18.6 percent, tied with Seattle for lowest among major U.S. markets.
For favorite cuisines, 24 percent voted for Italian, followed by French at 15 percent, American at 13 percent, and Japanese at 13 percent.
The new guide includes 917 restaurants that offer a dinner with one drink and tip for less than $35 and 593 places that offer a meal for less than $25.
Google Inc. acquired Zagat in September 2011. The Zagat 2013 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants Survey will be available wherever books are sold. Cost is $15.95. Ratings and reviews are also available for free across Google Maps, Search, Google+ and mobile.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: