The incredible shrinking Zagat's SF nightlife guide

Just received my new & updated Zagat San Francisco nightlife guide. I get it for free because, you know, I'm a thought leader because I submit reviews online and anyone who does that gets a free one.

Man, it's a lot smaller this year!

L-R: The 2007-2008 Zagat SF nightlife, with weird cover crease reflection; the unyeared "Eighth Edition" with no cover crease.

I will say that, to Zagat's credit, the cover price also went down substantially, from $13.95 to $6.95, but it's like half the size and the page count went from 171 to 94.

So who didn't make the cut in the new edition? Gold Cane is out, but Hobson's Choice stays in. Gestalt is out, but Foreign Cinema - which isn't even a bar, but a restaurant, and certainly not something I'd think of as "nightlife" - stays in. So does the actual bar that's attached to Foreign Cinema, Laszlo. Mr. Bing's is out, which is good, because the fewer people who know about Mr. Bing's, the better.

I don't know. I don't see any particular pattern to who got cut and who stayed in. I guess maybe the number of votes played a role. I'm sure more people voted for the execrable Medjool than the very nice Shotwell's (which I'm kind of glad wasn't included). All of this is kind of academic because if you're relying on Zagat's nightlife guide to find a good place to go, you're probably SOL anyway.