DC Survey Results Are In (Drumroll, Please...)

Marcel’s, chef Robert Wiedmaier’s standout West End Belgian-French, garners the Top Food rating in our just-released 2011 Washington, DC/Baltimore Restaurants Survey. Meanwhile, legendary dining destination Inn at Little Washington takes the No. 2 spot for Food and comes out on top for both Decor and Service. Zaytinya is voted the Most Popular DC dining spot – as with Marcel’s, this is a first-time honor. The Survey covers 1,219 eateries in the greater Washington, DC, and Baltimore areas including Annapolis and Frederick, MD, and the Eastern Shore.

In Baltimore, heavy-hitter Charleston sweeps Top Food, Service and Decor honors, while the young Volt, Top Chef finalist Bryan Voltaggio’s Modern American venue in Frederick, garners second-place honors for Food and Service, and third in the Most Popular stakes, behind Charleston (No. 2) and Baltimore’s favorite restaurant, Woodberry Kitchen. And good news for Baltimore diners: the city’s average meal costs $34.29, below the national average of $35.36 and DC’s average of $35.99.

Based on a collective 883,000 annual meals' worth of experience from 6,484 local diners, the Survey offers important insights into the tough economy’s effect on the dining scene. Surveyors are eating out less (2.6 times per week compared with the national average of 3.2), but 52% say they’re getting better deals, and 34% feel their patronage is more appreciated. Service, the perennial bugaboo, is cited by 68% as their principal complaint (No. 2, at 14%, is noise). And proving that eco-friendly dining trends have real staying power, an overwhelming number of surveyors (63%) say they’re willing to pay more for “green” food.

In addition to bookstores, the guide can be accessed on ZAGAT.COM, Zagat To Go for iPhone and iPad, and nru for Android. And for the Foursquare fans out there, the application now knows when you’ve checked into a Zagat-Rated restaurant – visit enough of them and you’ll unlock the “Zagat Foodie Badge.”