| g time ago, before there were iPhones, if you and | | | | access to ratings and reviews and a "friends" |
| your friends wanted to go out to eat, there was | | | | feature to add a touch of social networking...but |
| a whole ritual involved. You'd call each other on | | | | it's no Yelp. |
| your "dumb" phones, have a whole conversation | | | | Yelp (Free) - Yelp isn't hopping on the social |
| on who's hungry for what, then call each other | | | | networking bandwagon; it's the real deal. That's |
| back with restaurant suggestions. Then you'd all | | | | because Yelp is a website first and an app second |
| call each other some more with competing | | | | (which is both good and bad--but more on that in |
| suggestions based on price, proximity, etc. | | | | a moment). With Yelp you search for a |
| Eventually everybody would converge on the | | | | restaurant, bar, club, or any business in similar |
| joint, flip-phones still in hand, and realize you were | | | | ways to other restaurant-finding apps, or just |
| there. | | | | enter the name of a food (e.g., "Peking Duck") |
| Now, "there's an app for that." You seek out | | | | and Yelp finds a place for you. You can post |
| locations, price ranges, cuisines, and even good | | | | notes and reviews (although you have to go to |
| nutritional choices using your iPhone, and get down | | | | the Yelp site to post--hence the "good and bad" |
| to chowing down in record time. | | | | comment above.) The "Check-in" feature lets you |
| So what's the best app for finding a place? It | | | | and your friends track each others' whereabouts. |
| depends what features you want. Here's a quick | | | | Fear not: Check-in is voluntary, so if the stalker |
| menu: | | | | ex is back, you're safe. Check into the same |
| Restaurant Finder (Free) - Perfect for travelers, | | | | place often enough, and Yelp decides you're a |
| Restaurant Finder lets you enter the quisine you | | | | regular. Some user complaints of outdated |
| want and the city/zip code or location, and | | | | inaccurate information; not bad at finding the eats, |
| returns the nearest restaurants that have what | | | | great at keeping the party rolling. |
| you're hungry for, displaying address, telephone | | | | Where to eat (2.99) - Another GPS-enabled food |
| number, and URL, if available. It also gives you a | | | | finder. But WTE has a couple of features that |
| handy weather forecast, so you know when | | | | just make sense. Searching is by cuisine or |
| "closer is better." | | | | particular food type, and there are separate |
| Find a Restaurant (.99) - This handy app goes | | | | categories for bars, take-out, and delivery. |
| Restaurant Finder one better; it tells you your | | | | Emphasizes intuitive experience; typing is optional. |
| current location using GPS. Search by cuisine, and | | | | Shake-to-Suggest shuffle works on the same |
| it gives you nearby restaurants complete with | | | | principle as Urbanspoon’s “slot |
| phone number, GPS map location, driving | | | | machine”. |
| directions, and one-touch website visit (But no | | | | What if your interest runs to depth rather than |
| weather). Also includes Tip Calculator (yes, it splits | | | | breadth? Check out Sushipedia (free) for scads of |
| the check if you want. Cheapskate.) | | | | sushi knowledge, and of course, a database of |
| Urbanspoon (Free) - This is the app from the | | | | places to buy it. And if you're watching your |
| Apple commercials with the "slot machine" | | | | weight, click on Lose It or Nutrition Menu once |
| randomizing feature to add a little fun to your | | | | you get to a place for calorie counts and more. |
| search. Of course, you can also filter choices by | | | | Thankfully, neither tells your friends you're dieting. |
| cuisine, price, or location. Urbanspoon also includes | | | | |