ourtaste.com

In a shout out to web startups, I'm directing y'all to OurTaste.com, an online restaurant preference aggregator started by a friend of a friend. It's a pretty good idea, and brand new.

Think of it as a Menupages + Citysearch + Facebook: add your favorite restaurants (identified in a database provided by the site), and create an eating-out "profile" of sorts. Then you invite your friends--well, the ones you think have a good basic knowledge of the city, and decent taste in restaurants--to foster a private network of restaurant recommendations. No more reading reviews written by "sexyboots39" or "foodiegirl27," on websites you're just not sure if you can trust.

The website is still *very* basic, and unfortunately, only designed for the New York metro area. Another downside is that there are a few things that aren't awfully intuitive (like how to add a restaurant that isn't necessarily your *favorite*), but it has been fun to muck around on the site and see what other people like. I think with time and some TLC, this could be a great reference.

Check it out: www.ourtaste.com.