Our long-term Honda Accord’s optional nav system comes loaded with Zagat Survey ratings and reviews for a whole lotta restaurants in the major cities of the United States. It’s a neat bonus for those times when you’re cruising around a new city (or just an area of your hometown you’re not familiar with) and you’re hit with a sudden barbecue craving (or Italian food or Mexican food or Asian Fusion or vegan or what-have-you).
The limitations of the Zagat database is that it’s limited. I’m willing to allow that one entity can’t publish ratings and reviews for every restaurant in the country, but I was disappointed how often a search gleaned more than one chain restaurant or when well-known and (in-my-moderately-foodie mind) noteworthy local spots were ignored, especially given Zagat’s reputation for leaning toward the higher end of the segment.
But it was easy enough to use once I got the hang of the interface. And I liked the ability to search in any town the database covered. I sat at a stoplight in Santa Monica and hunted for vegetarian food in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago and had fun browsing my dining possibilities should I decide to road-trip across the nation in the Accord.
Bryn MacKinnon, Senior Editor, Edmunds.com @ 8,876 miles
redliner says:
04:35 PM, 03/ 3/08
I think that this is a great idea that could be made better by having an in-car internet conection. Then, the database could be updated on the fly. (ala BMW)
bemanix88 says:
05:23 PM, 03/ 3/08
My cell phone comes with a broadband internet connection and a fairly big screen. It's been a huge asset in searching for hotels, restaurants, phone numbers, etc. while in the car. For me, dealing with the static database of a nav system would be a huge step back.
bankerdanny says:
05:47 PM, 03/ 3/08
LOL, I used to live 3 blocks from the Heartland. Despite the review, replublican carnivors can enjoy a pretty darn good meal, and a good selection of beer.
Parking can be a problem these days as the neighborhood is filled with apartment buildings and condo's, but I highly recommend the restaurant.
Look up Gruppo di Amici for some excellent Italian food in Rogers Park.
gobryngo says:
06:11 PM, 03/ 3/08
when I found out that updates only come with the yearly nav system DVDs that you have to order and buy each year, I, too, thought there must be a better way. yet another limitation of the Zagat format.
>bankerdanny: good to know! the next time I'm in Chicago, I'll definitely check it out.
cruiserhead1 says:
11:09 PM, 03/ 3/08
does anyone use zagat's anymore? everyone uses chowhound for the real deal, but you can't complain since it is just a bonus. If you have a iPhone or iPod & internet access, you could get a ton more good, local hotspots than zagats can offer.
if you look at it like commercial ad content, it is like buying a car with commercials built into it!
zoomzoom22 says:
11:22 PM, 03/ 3/08
correct me if i'm wrong, but why were you looking at a restaurant that's 1766 miles away?
cruiserhead1 says:
02:46 AM, 03/ 4/08
zoomzoom22,
read the last sentence
" I sat at a stoplight in Santa Monica and hunted for vegetarian food in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago and had fun browsing my dining possibilities should I decide to road-trip across the nation in the Accord."
dougtheeng says:
06:19 AM, 03/ 4/08
I think thats an ugly display set up...the programming of it, I mean. It could use some color.
stingray454 says:
11:47 AM, 03/ 4/08
That's definitely a useful feature - I like that.
banhugh says:
04:48 PM, 03/ 4/08
The screen looks like the navigation system is running on DOS!
BTW, I own an 08 Accord and discovered that the trip computer mpg calculator does NOT cheat.If you reset the trip computer, drive a little and then wait on a red light with the engine on, the recentrly computed consumption drops!
zoomzoom22 says:
05:55 PM, 03/ 4/08
whoops...thanks cruiserhead1. That makes more sense now.
huisj says:
11:10 AM, 03/ 6/08
Wow, my band played at the Red Line Tap on Glenwood about a month ago. Funny little place. It's immediately next door to the Heartland Cafe, and I think maybe owned by the same people.