1993 ZAGAT LOS ANGELES/SO. CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT SURVEY...

1993 ZAGAT LOS ANGELES/SO. CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT SURVEY edited by Merrill Shindler and Karen Berk with Kitty Morgan and Leslie James (Zagat Survey: $9.95; 204 pp., paperback original). Many food fans regard the Zagat series as the most reliable restaurant guides. Because they represent a survey of volunteers (4,300 of them in this case), rather than a single writer’s opinions, personal idiosyncrasies tend to get ironed out. Of course, half the fun of any guide comes from arguing with it, when a favorite place receives a low score or some dump gets an undeservedly favorable rating. As eating out seems to have become the real national pastime, it’s a good idea to keep the Zagat Survey by the telephone for the inevitable negotiations over where to go for dinner.