From the New York Sun. By Ruth Graham

The wait for a table at Sripraphai, a Thai restaurant in Woodside, Queens, could change starting today, when the 2006 Zagat Survey arrives in stores. On Friday evening it was less than 10 minutes, but this year, Zagat has put the neighborhood joint on its list of the top 50 best restaurants in the city.

Queens is not the only borough the new survey is likely to benefit: Nine of the 50 restaurants are in the outer boroughs, compared with six last year and three in 2004.

"The shift toward the outer boroughs has been accelerated in the past year," the survey’s co-founder, Tim Zagat, said. "If you look at the indexes of Brooklyn, Queens, etc., it’s a really substantial number. It wasn’t half that a few years ago." There are 20 more outer borough restaurants listed this year than last – 256 out of 2,003 total.

The slim guidebook ranks restaurants on a scale of 30, as voted on by diners. Editors then sum up voters’ comments in short, quotation-heavy paragraphs. Sripraphai (pronounced see-PRA-pi) has long received enthusiastic reviews from critics, good Zagat food rankings, and the adulation of diners. It’s now likely to get a lot more notice, as a top-50 entry in the Zagat guide can turn a beloved local spot – even one that Manhattanites have to use a map to find – into a destination.

The Bronx borough president, Adolfo Carrion Jr., says it’s "great news" that the number of Bronx restaurants listed has more than doubled from last year, to 25 from 12. That’s partly a result of his own very public campaign: Since restaurants are listed only when enough diners rank them, the Bronx Tourism Council handed out information cards at popular restaurants asking diners to vote online to get their favorites on the list. Mr. Carrion also took Mr. Zagat on a whirlwind eating tour, showing off 10 of the borough’s best spots in a bid to have more included on the original ballot.

"Part of our challenge," Mr. Carrion said, "is getting people in our great city to leave the central business district, to go to places in addition to the center of Manhattan for entertainment and food and art and culture."

He said there’s room to improve on the guide’s Manhattan-centric listings. "Maybe what we need to do is do an ‘Adolfo’s list,’" he joked. "I think it’ll have many more than 25 restaurants."

Despite the increased number of listings outside Manhattan, however, Zagat voters still like the island’s restaurants best. On the Most Popular list, derived from voters’ picks of their five favorite restaurants, Gramercy Tavern holds the top spot and Union Square Cafe is no. 2 for the second year in a row. In 2004, the restaurants, managed by Union Square Hospitality Group’s Danny Meyer, were in reverse positions. Together, they’ve held the top two spots for the last seven years. Only two of the restaurants among this year’s 50 Most Popular are located outside of Manhattan, and one (Blue Ribbon) has outposts in both Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Mr. Carrion soon will have another guidebook to monitor for signs of Manhattan favoritism. The prestigious Michelin Guide will publish its first-ever North American edition, a New York City guide, next month. It will boast a red cover just a few shades brighter than Zagat’s familiar burgundy. Mr. Zagat said he is not concerned and has made no changes in anticipation of the European invasion. "I always think it’s good to have more good guides come, but we haven’t done anything differently," Mr. Zagat said.

When Michelin arrives, Mr. Carrion said he will be ready. "We’re going to have to baptize them," he said. "Just as the Zagat folks got it, I hope they get it, too."