Zagat Sovereign Risk Reviews

UNITED STATES:  Locals claim to have “lost their taste” for this “mega-dining palace” but when rumors about the “cleanliness of certain European eateries” bubble up, the “bridge-and-tunnel crowd” flocks to US bonds and currency “like there’s no tomorrow”.  “Prices have gotten cheaper” here for most entrees, but many diners are “waiting on the sidelines” for “even better values”.

JAPAN:  An “old standby” that has suffered “back-to-back lost decades”, but the food is still said to be “dependable” by the currency crowd.  The sushi joint’s “demographics skew to the older side”.  “Proximity to Chinatown” and a reputation for “well-manufactured, technically-skilled” dishes make this “forgotten hangout” “a must”.

BRAZIL:  The “wait-staff” can be finicky about “both tips and government bond auctions”, but the “raw materials that come out of this kitchen” are “popular with diners” around the world.  The scene is made up of a burgeoning middle class – all grabbing a bite in between” buying homes and shopping for cell phones”.  The bar scene is “youthful and ambitious” with a “taste for capitalism” not seen elsewhere on the Latin continent.  The place is “highly reliant on its homemade sugar”, so “bring your sweet tooth”!

CHINA: There’s “more than meets the eye” at this “booming” locale, with “plenty to eat for everyone” with the guts to come down here.  Though the dining room is “run by centralized command”, foreign guests and tourists have made “substantial inroads” to have gotten prime tables.  Critics scoff that the “sheer demand for raw goods” is “misleading” in terms of the “quality of the fare”.  “Beware” say veteran patrons, the place has gotten “a bit crowded” of late and management has “taken steps” to “slow the pace” of service.

INDIA:  Though the cuisine remains “an acquired taste”, the new prosperity at this eatery is “undeniable”.  “Western-style industrialization meets Eastern growth” as the “Build-Operate-Transfer menu” proves highly “popular with the well-heeled, out-of-town clientele”.  Specials and certain menu options are subject to run out on short notice, making this purveyor of “the other Asian growth story” a hit-or-miss affair.

SPAIN:  A former “Iberian gem”, Spain’s reputation has “lost a bit of its luster” of late due to an “overly-aggressive expansion” of square footage.  The tapas (small plates) “continue to attract”, but concerns over “opaque windows hiding the real activity in the kitchen” have “spooked some of the regulars”.  Customers have also been cancelling reservations in the wake of “health code violations at that Greek joint” down the street.