December 9, 1999 -- I want to eat with Jim Leff. And, by way of caveat, I should mention that he is a friend of mine, and so there is every likelihood that I will dine with him at some point in the future. For the rest of you, however, there is his Eclectic Gourmet Guide to Greater New York City, and his wonderful website, www.chowhound.com.

Leff is a self-described "chowhound," which in his lexicon is "someone who spends nearly every waking moment planning his/her next meal." (This and all other quotes in this paragraph are taken from chowhound.com.) To those who would maintain that this same definition also applies to a foodie, Leff offers the view that "Foodies eat where they're told...they'll go to unfamiliar neighbourhoods to eat, but only with their Zagat securely in hand to guide them to The Accepted Places" whereas "Chowhounds are iconoclasts who spurn trends and established opinion and sniff out secret deliciousness on their own."

The Eclectic Guide is the bible of New York chowhounds (even if that does seem a trifle oxymoronic) and should be considered a must for anyone who visits NYC on a regular, semi-regular or even infrequent basis. In it, Leff shares his vast experience dining in and around the Big Apple, and not just in Gourmet- and Zagat-favoured restaurants, but also in pizza joints, curry houses and all-you-can-eat buffets. As gastronomes go, our guide is a true populist.

According to the cover blurb, there are more than 150 restaurants reviewed and rated in the Eclectic Guide, all ranked according to service, friendliness, value and quality. For quick reference, they are organized at the front of the Eclectic Guide by zone (with maps of each zone also provided), cuisine, food quality and star rating, and then listed alphabetically with their reviews in the body of the book. Additionally, Leff provides his favourites in nineteen categories, including Best Romantic, Best Breakfast and, since he is a beer aficionado as well as a chowhound, Best Beer Selection.

Reading Leff's work is immensely helpful in deciding where to dine in New York and the surrounding boroughs, true, but it is also an education. If you don't already know, Leff will inform you that patlican salatsi is a Turkish eggplant salad (and that you can get a terrific one at Cafe Istanbul) and that langonisa (which is "screamingly delightful" at Ihawan) is actually a barbecued Filipino sausage. Dining or not, this is delicious reading.

The Eclectic Gourmet Guide to Greater New York City

by Jim Leff

Menasha Ridge Press, 1999

$11.95

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