A travel guidebook clash of the titans

When it comes to dining guides, Americans have long been able to rely on the trusty Zagat Survey. The guides rate restaurants in dozens of cities around the country based on in the input of tens of thousands of frequent diners.

But it has a new rival in the U.S., none other than an esteemed French Michelin guidebooks that issued restaurant ratings based on the findings of professional food critics.

Zagat is locked in an intensifying battle with the 107-year-old Michelin company, which intends to crack Zagat's fierce hold on hotel and restaurant recommendations in the U.S.

Since dispatching its anonymous inspectors to seek out the best places to eat in New York City in 2005, Michelin has quickly expanded. Last year, it produced a new guide covering the San Francisco Bay Area This month, it's releasing guides for L.A. and Las Vegas.

Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guides, said he's also eyeing guides for Boston; Miami; Chicago; and Washington, D.C. "Our star system is the measure against the world," Naret says. "The chefs see us as the only independent benchmark."

But Michelin still has a long way to go in trying to overtake Zagat in the U.S. Zagat sells about 650,000 copies of its New York City survey each year, and Michelin expects to sell 150,000 copies of its 2007 New York guide, up from 125,000 in 2006.

Zagat has more than 100 titles, and the guides have become entrenched among U.S. travelers. Subscribers can also get Zagat reviews and updates online (www.zagat.com)

While Michelin is best known in the U.S. for its tires and the ubiquitous "Michelin Man," its guides have been a staple in France and overseas for decades. Michelin's inspectors are professional food critics who hand out one to three stars (only 56 restaurants in the world have three stars).