Taste (website and newspaper liftout)

Website:
Taste.com.au, News Magazines, Alexandria NSW, viewed 29 April 2011,<http://www.taste.com.au/>

Print version:
Taste liftout, The Herald Sun, Tuesdays

Taste is published every Tuesday in the Herald Sun and gives readers various information on cooking and shopping for the family as well as entertaining friends. It gives the reader insight into the best restaurants, cafes, bars, supermarkets, providores and culinary events.  Taste also gives readers access to expert knowledge from Australia’s most well-known and experienced food writers and editors, including Matt Preston, Stephen Downes and Kate McGhie, plus a great selection of recipes together with wine and restaurant reviews. The resource is well set up and organised into the various sections and is highly readable. There is also an online version of taste, the information being sourced from various Australian food and lifestyle magazines including good taste, delicious, super food ideas just to name a few and contains ideas and recipes to cater for all levels of cooking ability. Taste.com.au has a simple search tool and contains thousands of recipes, food feature articles, industry news and events, forums, a cuisine and how to section and hundreds of restaurant reviews from the last few years making it the country’s leading food website. S.S.

The Age Good Food Guide

Apelgren, J. (ed.) 2010, The Age good food guide 2011, Penguin books, Melbourne.

The Age good food guide contains the best selection of restaurants, cafes, bars and wineries in Victoria and interstate which are organised by location and alphabetical order in each section. There is also a features and awards section, five of the best for six categories, an index and maps. 

Each restaurant listing  is organised in a similar fashion and follows a standard format with a photo of the venue, a brief description, rating and typical prices for entre, main and dessert, opening hours and capacity just to mention a few. There is a small selection of reasonably affordable restaurants but it being a ‘good food’ guide the book seems tends to cater more for the mid to high end diner.

I found it to be an informative and comprehensive book and it seems to cover most of the well- known restaurants in Melbourne and after having a flick through it, I would like to visit some of the places. The book is overall nicely setup and easy to read. S.S.

Epicure

The Age (Epicure) Tuesdays

Epicure is a popular and longest running weekly food and wine guide in the Age newspaper for both readers and those in the hospitality industry. It is published every Tuesday and appeals to 'foodies' or food lovers who like to cook, drink wine, dine out, entertain and also those looking for information about wines to try, food products and fresh produce.

Epicure contains features industry news, restaurant, bar and wine reviews, recipes, vacant positions section for hospitality jobs and various food related feature articles. There is also the epicure directory page and under the dining spotlight there is a write up to promote a restaurant every week. Contributors to the guide include prominent food and wine writers, columnists and editors. The guide is arranged by topics or heading and each page features an article relating to the topic. S.S.

Dine out: Melburnian's own restaurant and winery guide 12th edition

Maloney, A (ed.) 2003, Dine out : Melburnians' own restaurant and winery guide, 12th edn, Dine Out Melbourne, Port Melbourne.

While this guide has not seen yearly updates like the more popular The Age Good Food guide, it still presents itself as a reliable and relevant guide to eating out in Melbourne.  While the first half of its contents is dedicated to descriptions of eateries in Melbourne, organised by cuisine, the second half delves into the wealth of country Victoria's wine producing regions.  The descriptions of establishments reviewed in this book while concise, are very informative, indicating the price range of meals, contact information as well as suitability for large group gatherings.  

It might be a sign of the times, but a savvy foodie these days would prefer to get information on the best places to eat out on the internet.  But even then, Dine Out would still earn a place on our bookshelf, if only for its nostalgic and historic value.  W.V.