The Superlative 110 Rating System: Restaurants -- Lifestyles

Explaining the "Superlative 110" Rating System

In the past, I used to rate restaurants using a system of five stars (primarily because that was the name of my column). But in developing Boston Superlatives, I realized that a five star system was a narrow and parochial way, especially since it represents an assessment on a global basis.

Some people don’t care about a restaurant’s décor. Some rich folk don’t care about whether menu or wine list offerings are way overpriced. And there are some people who only care about the quality of the food and wine.

On the other hand, one can get too "anal." If you were to list every possible attribute that can be evaluated and rated, the result would look more like a checklist for detonating a thermonuclear device.

Therefore, the Superlative 110 is what we’ve created to give you a view of a restaurant which is just a bit more specific than other resources.

The system employs five categories: Food and Wine; Service; Décor; Value; and Recommended. Each category runs on a scale from 0 to 22. Then the numbers are combined to give its overall Superlative 110 rating.

Fine ... but how does that help you?

When you look at a Superlative 110 rating, you can check out the result of that category, or those categories, which are important to you. Or if all of them are important to you, just look at the big red number!

As an example, to the left is a chart used in our first restaurant review for Abe & Louie’s. You’ll always find the chart at the top of the review, right next to facts on the establishment.

All of us at Boston Superlatives hope you find the Superlative 110s useful in your search for eating establishments which are worthy of your presence!

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