Zagat survey: what were they thinking?

I just got a link to the new Zagat Restaurant Survey, which rates the region's top restaurants. For the Tacoma area, there are 15 restaurants listed (discounting duplicate entries for chains).

I saw the usual suspects. Primo Grill is listed. So is Pacific Grill. Maxwell's and El Gaucho are on it. Galanga Thai and Indochine are there, as well. Good for them. They deserve to be there.

But take a deeper look at the survey and it just has weird choices for a dining guide, and some serious omissions. And the survey included chain restaurants? Really?

I see Azteca on the list (two listings!), along with Outback Steakhouse. Melting Pot, too. These aren't restaurant choices I'd expect to see on a dining guide. There is nothing uniquely special or regional about those restaurants. And I can't imagine leaving off Asado, Adriatic Grill and Europa Bistro, but including the Outback Steakhouse? And Brix 25, the restaurant that won the 2008 restaurant of the year award from the Washington Wine Commission, isn't listed either.

This is supposed to be a survey that will result in a guide for diners to some of the region's top eating establishments. Zagat is the self-proclaimed "world's leading provider of consumer survey-based information on where to eat, drink, stay & play worldwide."

News flash to Zagat: You need new surveyors. You've jumped the shark. Here's a link to the survey. You have to register to vote.

There's a write-in button at the bottom of the survey. What would you write in? Or will you?

This story was originally published June 28, 2010 at 3:37 AM with the headline "Zagat survey: what were they thinking?."