Zagat Survey recently posted the results of its annual America's Top Restaurants study. The guide, covering 1,516 eateries in 45 major markets, is based on 25 million meals experienced by over 145,000 surveyors (53% men, 47% women). The average surveyor ate out 3.3 times per week and spent an average $34.21 for a typical dinner, a 2.8% increase over last year. While this year's survey reflects current hard times, the attached list of top rated restaurants reflects enormous progress in the industry by way of both quality and diversity since Zagat Survey started in 1979.