Restaurant Review Ratings System

The Scale: I use a 1 to 5 scale on a bell curve. That means that 40% of restaurants will get a "3", and only 10% will get a "5" or a "1". Ratings go by half points. In cases where a rating doesn't apply (like Wine for a brunch restaurant) it simply won't be listed. In general, most ratings mean:

• 5: Stupendous
• 4: Well above Average
• 3: Average, pretty good
• 2: Below average, middling-poor
• 1: Really bad

So, for example:

Food Rating

• 5: Really amazing, be prepared to moan aloud.
• 4: A few really memorable items and the rest of the menu good.
• 3: A few pretty good items, and some mediocre ones, and maybe one standout.
• 2: Not so good, stick to the recommended items and don't take chances.
• 1: Why the Health Department hasn't shut them down is a mystery.

The Wine List and Vegetarian ratings mean specific things:

Wine List Rating

• 5: Extensive wine list including dozens to hundreds of wines, carefully selected with low markup, and a skilled sommalier to help you make your selection.
• 4: Good wine list which either has a couple dozen good wines, or unexpected low markup on several really good wines, or at least well-planned regional focus on the wine list.
• 3: Average wine list: a few good wines out of a selection of a couple dozen, with 100% to 200% markup in the US.
• 2: Less than 20 wines available, and high markup on what is there.
• 1: Three varieties of Sutter Home for $7 a glass.

Vegetarian Rating

• 5: It's a vegetarian restaurant.
• 4: Several choices of vegetarian items for each course, all of them just as interesting as the meat items.
• 3: One or two vegetarian items for each course, half of them good.
• 2: Only one vegetarian item on the menu, plus salads.
• 1: "Vegetarian? You some kinda communist, boy?"

PPPIE

Also, ratings will include a price tag "PPPIE", which stands for "Price Per Person Including Everything". The idea is to answer the question, "how much money do I need to have in my wallet to consider dining here?" This price includes, by meal:

• Dinner: appetizer or salad (maybe shared), one alcoholic drink, entree, dessert (maybe shared), tax, and tip.
• Lunch: Shared appetizer or side (if appropriate), entree, soft drink, tax, and tip.
• Brunch: entree and coffee, one side if brunch items come naked, tax and tip.