An internationally renowned restaurant review organization is listing P.E.I. as one of the best “foodie getaways” in the world.
Zagat.com listed P.E.I. in second place, behind sushi kings Okinawa, Japan.
New York-based Zagat is considered the Bible of restaurant reviews.
In the article published Jan. 31, Laruen Bloomberg said P.E.I. is a great place to eat shellfish, with lobsters caught close to the restaurants, and she cited the International Shellfish Festival as a must-attend event.
“For the more adventurous foodie, go clam-digging or learn to shuck oysters, then sit back and sip on some local vino.”
Jeff McCourt, instructor at Holland College’s Culinary Institute of Canada, said he never imagined being mentioned by such a well-known food review site.
“We’re just over the moon.”
Islanders take for granted being only 15 minutes away from where their food comes from, McCourt said.
With lots of organizing and hard work, the goal is to make P.E.I. an international food destination, he said.
“Other people are seeing this as well.”
ZAGAT.com provides user-generated content, restaurant ratings and curated restaurant reviews for thousands of top restaurants worldwide.
Zagat.com was established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979 as a way to collect and correlate the ratings of restaurants by diners. As of 2005, the Zagat Survey included 70 cities, with reviews based on the input of 250,000 individuals reporting over the years.
In addition to restaurants, Zagat guides rate hotels, nightlife, shopping, zoos, music, movies, theaters, golf courses and airlines. The guides are sold in book form, as software for personal digital assistants and mobile phones, and by paid subscription on the web.
