Ah, the widespread and often contentious topic of restaurant ratings. Any food critic worth his salt, if not already involved in the issuance of ratings, will not be able to ignore the existence of certain prestigious restaurant guides and their influence on the world of food today. And I, as a simple lover of good food, cannot sincerely deny the importance of these ratings in the identification of restaurant quality. After all, there are thousands, if not millions, of restaurants around the world; how else can a gastronome determine which ones truly deserve his time and calories? Sure, the Internet has enabled the emergence of food blogs and amateur “foodies” who express their opinions on all sorts of food-related establishments, from street food to cafes to the most popular of restaurants. But when we seek reliable, authoritative advice on the very best, the ones deserving to be a part of the exclusive club known as haute cuisine, who else can we turn to but the professional, trained tasters or industry insiders who churn out these leading guides?