Top restaurant honors don't come cheap for patrons

— -- Though the dyspeptic economy has dampened New York's dining scene, that didn't stop rival restaurant rating guides from bestowing top honors this week on two of the priciest eateries in town.

The newly published fourth annual Michelin Guide New York City elevated sushi palace Masa, where the fixed-price menu starts at $450 a person, to three-star status, joining holdovers Per Se, Le Bernardin and Jean Georges. In addition, Alain Ducasse's new Adour restaurant joined the two-star ranks, as did Gilt and David Chang's new Momofuku Ko restaurant.

Per Se, where per-person checks average a little over $300, earned the top rankings for food and service for the first time from Zagat Survey in the just-released 30th annual New York Restaurants guide. Asiate, which is located in the Time Warner Center along with Per Se and Masa, earned Zagat's top ranking for décor among the 2,073 restaurants covered.

Zagat's survey participants also honored humble food in the new edition: The best hamburger comes from DuMont, the best pizza from Lucali and the best barbecue from Fette Sau. All three restaurants are in Brooklyn.

The Zagat survey notes that the number of restaurant openings declined for the first time since 2003, from 163 to 119, and that the average cost of a meal in the city is $40.78, an increase of about 3% from last year's $39.46. Only Las Vegas, where meals average $44.44, is more expensive, Zagat says. The nation's lowest check averages are found in Austin ($26.74) and New Orleans ($26.18).

The survey also found that 38% of New York diners are downsizing their dining by eating in less expensive places, being more attentive to menu prices, skipping appetizers or desserts and cutting back on alcohol.

In response to the economy, both guides beefed up their coverage of restaurants offering good value. Zagat lists four pages of Best Buys, including 648 places where dinner costs $30 or less; Michelin includes 74 restaurants that serve a meal for $25 or less.