true 2008-03-13T17:35:34+00:00 6 <p> <p>Threre are three *levels of recognition* in *_festivore_* <ul> <li>LEVEL 1: Being one of the few selected for *inclusion in the _festivore_* guide (see <a href="http://festivore.com/categories">Rating System</a> in the sidebar)</li> <li>LEVEL 2: *Category Awards* for good food, affordability, great places, and sustainable business practices (see below)</li> <li>LEVEL 3: *_festivore_ CHOICE*</li> </ul> <div id="festivore_choice"><img alt="Orange" src="/images/orange.png?1205990215" /> <span><strong>Festivore</strong> Choice</span> ... our favorite restaurants</div> <p> Our favorite places are designated *_festivore_ CHOICE*, chosen for excellence in the most critical factors. Only a small fraction of restaurants in the region qualify (generally fewer than 1%). Culinary pleasure is the first criterion! Then, performance in 8 sustainability categories is considered (see Category Awards below). The featured restaurants on our home page and our city pages are drawn from this pool of top performers. <p>*Our "perfect restaurant"* serves delicious food made from plants & animals that are naturally raised, sustainably harvested, or foraged. The preparations are healthy, with ingredients tending to lower on the food chain. The meal is affordable, and most of the restaurant's products & services are sourced locally. The business is fair to employees and suppliers, respectful of nature, conserves resources and promotes community. Finally, the restaurant is a natural habitat, relaxing and restorative, and is a connector of people. <p>... <p> <div> </div> <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">CATEGORY AWARDS</span></strong> <p>We give special recognition to restaurants that do a great job in eight specific aspects of sustainable dining: <ul> <li><b>the food</b> is natural / organic (<strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">real food</span></strong>) and healthy / low on the food chain (<strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">low food</span></strong>) <li><b>the cost</b> is affordable, with <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">cheap eats</span></strong> or <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">special deals</span></strong> <li><b>the place</b> is a <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">natural habitat</span></strong> and <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">a third place</span></strong> (connecting people), and </li> <li><b>the business</b> is <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">local</span></strong> and <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">green</span></strong> (eco-friendly and fair)</li> </ul><p> These eight Category Awards are described below (in alphabetical order): AWARDS ...how we acknowledge outstanding restaurants awards 2008-07-10T04:28:38+00:00