However, the statewide restaurant scene remains very competitive between Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, according to Steve Stover, coordinator of the 1998 Zagat Ohio Restaurant Survey and chief administrative director of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Columbus fared quite well in the survey, being the only city in the state to have two restaurants - L'Antibes and Handke's - in the top five restaurants ranked by food. It tied with Cleveland to have four in the top 10. Cincinnati's Maisonette took top honors.

The new survey, which recently reached bookstores, covers 960 restaurants throughout eight major metro areas in Ohio. More than 1,900 people participated in this year's survey, rating each restaurant on a 1-to-30 scale for food, decor and service, as well as providing an average per-person cost estimate.

The original Ohio Zagat survey was published in 1994, with an update in 1996. New survey were conducted for the 1998 edition.

Stover said when he compared the new survey to the original survey, he noticed "stability and change."

"The top 10 or 25 haven't changed very much, but inevitably there's a lot of change," Stover said.

There have not only been a lot of newcomers in the industry, but also many of the older restaurants have updated their menus, Stover said.

There also have been a number of closings. Nearly 15 percent of the Columbus restaurants listed in the first Ohio survey have closed, including such institutions as Jai Lai Prime Rib.

Meanwhile, Ohioans continue to support the $4.7 billion statewide industry, with survey participants reporting they eat out an average of four times per week, a 30 percent increase over the 3.1 figure reported in the 1994 survey.

Ohioans also rated their restaurants highly with an average food rating of 20.43 points.

"The high ratings reflect overall satisfaction in restaurants in Ohio," Stover said.

As for Columbus, the Refectory was ranked the favorite Columbus restaurant by survey respondents.

Tom Etgen, chief financial officer of the Fifty-Five Restaurant Group, whose Fifty Five at Crosswoods and Fifty Five on the Boulevard received second and third place statewide respectively in the seafood cuisine category, said the Zagat survey rankings are a pleasant surprise.

"It means we're doing the job right," Etgen said.

Etgen was pleased with the results because he places more value in the Zagat survey than in a professional reviewers' opinions.

"A critic does a good job of analyzing . . . informing customers of where to find a well-prepared product," he said. "The customer asks the question: Did I get $20 worth of value? The customer has to perceive value."

Nancy's must be doing a good job of providing value. It received the statewide honor of best "bang for the buck." Columbus restaurants, Block's Bagels & Deli and Chef-O-Nette, also were listed in the top 10 bangs for the buck category. Top bangs for the buck were determined by dividing the cost of a meal into the combined ratings for food, decor and service.

Overall, Stover was not too surprised with the survey's results.

"It's amazing how accurate it is. The top four Columbus restaurants (food category) - L'Antibes, Handke's, Refectory and Rigsby's - would be the four I'd pick as best restaurants," Stover said.

Top 10 Statewide

Maisonette - Cincinnati Georgio's Cafe - Toledo L'Antibes - Columbus Handke's - Columbus Johnny's Bar - Cleveland Refectory - Columbus Sans Souci - Cleveland Chez Francois - Cleveland Hyde Park Grille - Cleveland Rigsby's - Columbus

Columbus favorites

Refectory Lindey's Rigsby's Handke's Cameron's Bexley's Monk Hyde Park Grille Bravo! L'Antibes Spagio

Source: Zagat Survey