With all the smartphone applications on the market these days, finding places to eat and drink has never been easier. Below is a list of apps that almost make your dining and drinking decisions for you; some even save you money while doing so:
Urbanspoon (urbanspoon.com; free): This restaurant finder for iPhone and Android users is a cross between a slot machine and a Magic 8-Ball. It lists restaurants in just about every city in the U.S., letting you choose the neighborhood, type of cuisine and price level to find the just the right eatery to suit your location, mood and budget. You can also see menus and reviews by Urbanspoon users, as well as rate the restaurants yourself. This app is especially handy when you're visiting a city and have no idea where to eat, or if you're just in the mood to try something new around your hometown.
Nosh (nosh.com; free): This brand-spankin'-new app is like Urbanspoon, but instead of users rating restaurants, they rate the food. Every eatery listed on Google Places can be found on this free iPhone and Android app. Users list dishes, rate them and even upload photos. Nosh check-ins also feed Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, and can be added as a website widget, allowing users to brag about their favorite (or not-so-great) meals to everyone and their mother.
Nosh is still version 1.0, and it's simple in design, but needs many restaurant dishes to be added by new users. Though I'm sure v.2.0, out next year, will add flashy new features to keep users sated.
Hello Vino (hellovino.com; free): Whether looking for a style of wine to pair with a particular meal or vice versa, Hello Vino is the app to have at hand. Available for the Blackberry, Droid and Palm, the app allows users to search for wine recommendations by food pairings, taste preference, country/region, season or holiday. Hello Vino gives both grape and style recommendations as well as listing specific wines that match each query. This app is constantly being updated, and always lists the newest wines on the market.
Wine Search (itunes.apple.com; $1.99): This wine-finder app is a must-have for wine snobs and novices alike looking for a good deal and/or trying not to get ripped off. Wine Search lists the average retail price of a range of wines; users can simply search for a wine in question, see it's retail price, then type in how much a restaurant or wine shop is charging for it (plus service charge) and find out how high the mark-up is. Users can also search for local merchants and see price comparisons. Hopefully, its popularity and high praise from wine and tech blogs will push the creators to develop an Android version.
Find Craft Beer (findcraftbeer.com; $.99): Craft beer lovers can now locate the nearest place to grab brews on draft or to-go from Find Craft Beer's database of brew pubs, breweries, beer bars, beer stores and homebrew shops. Users can limit their search by location, distance or by a venue's user-given rating. They can also post the locations to Facebook and Twitter, and share their finds with friends. Though available for Apple and Android users, the app only allows folks with iPhones and iPads to rate locations and upload photos (hopefully the next Android update will allow those users to do the same).
Happy Houred (happyhoured.com; free): For those deal hunters and cheapskates searching for a spot to grab a drink at a fraction of the cost, this free app sure comes in handy. Happy Houred lets users search by location, day and time for nearby happy hour specials on food and drinks at local bars and restaurants. It displays a map showing the exact location of all spots that match each search, and every location sports a complete profile with hours and weekly deals.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2011.