Restaurant hunting: Navigating review sites

I'm a big food nerd. I love food. Eating it, making it, talking, reading, and writing about it. So when it's date night, or even that not-so-random Tuesday evening when I'm just not feeling the kitchen, I choose my dining experience carefully. I've been known to plan a date night around a restaurant I've been researching for weeks. I take it very seriously.

Usually I hear of a place in a magazine. I read the New York Times style section, Gourmet, and Bon Apetit on the reg and try and look in to the places mentioned from time to time. Often I'll just be walking past a place and check out their menu. Then comes the real question: How do I know if it's going to be good?

I usually have two approaches: the New York Times reviews or review websites like Yelp! Both have their upsides and downsides. Here are some useful tips from my trials of restaurant research:

1. When reading the New York Times reviews take it with a grain of salt. The food critics are often pretentious, trite, and eat better than most of us could possibly dream. Use it as a starting point. Just because Mr. Fancypants did not like the newest steakhouse in town, does not mean you will dislike it.
2. Check out more than one review website. Three is a good amount. My personal favorites include Yelp!, Citysearch, and New York Magazine for all restaurants New York. The more you research the truer review you will find.
3. On each website read more than two reviews. Some times people write reviews out of spite and trash a restaurant just because the one time they went it was bad. (There is a such thing as a second chance). Or sometimes it is a fake a review and there' is someone out there who wants a restaurant to go down. Sad, but it happens.
4. Note the helpful things people have to say. Restaurants do not always have websites so you can find out in advance through someone's review that the restaurant is cash only, or that it is a good place to have a birthday party, or they are not family friendly. While food and service is important, eating out is a whole package. Showing up with 2-yr old triplets to a NO STROLLERS sign could put a damper on your evening.

Everyone has their own method of finding that next great dinner out on the town, hopefully these tips will help you pick your next one. And do not forget to pay it forward. Next time you have a top notch meal take a minute to write about why it was so great and hopefully you will make someone elses meal.