I have cherry cabinets, all appliances are currently black (would like to have a steel cover to it !). I want to change the counter tops to either Granite or Zodiaq?? I don't know which one is better of the two?. My kitchen is large and cabinets are custom made and great.
Pl. let me know the pros and cons of each of the countertops. I am bit confused.

We are also trying to select countertops. We have gone back and forth between granite, zodiac and corian. Granite is popular and nice, but the problem we had is the color selection is really limited. There are probably 5-10 standard granite colors. If you want darker countertops, the granite colors might be ok. I believe there are specialty granite stores that have a greater selection, but of course that is more expensive. We found a Zodiac color that we liked (Cappuccino), but Zodiac is about the same price as granite, but has a much better color selection. We ended up with Corian because we liked the integrated sink and it was less expensive. In our area granite starts at about $75 a square foot. Zodiac starts around $65 and corian starts around $45. The Corian(Fossil) countertop we picked cost about $4,500 installed. We were able to get a nicer edge and the integrated sink with the Corian. The same countertop in Zodiac would have cost about $6,200. Hope this helps

Consider this:
Solid surfaces like Corian, Avonite, Formica, Staron, etc. come in hundreds of colors but some people are opposed to the man made look but they are always repairable and extremely easy to maintain compared to Granite or Engineered stone. Staron has just come out with colors that replicate the engineered stone look but without the drawbacks of engineered stone, (the inability to repair, the obvious seams, etc.).

With both granite & engineered stone you have to either pay a professional mucho dinero to repair any damage or just live with it. We had a woman call our shop and wanted someone to repair her quartz countertop because she gotten oven cleaner on it and it turned it hazy and whitish. On solid surface you could easily repair that yourself by buffing with a white scotch brite pad or some fine sand paper. But don't think about doing that with quartz or granite. The likelihood of finding someone to repair it is very slim.

Granite has a couple of things going for it and that is its unparalled beauty and the increasingly affordable pricing. Carrie seems like she relies on Home Depot or Lowes for pricing and didn't consider that other independent fabrication shops would be cheaper. In most cases they are by a long shot. Home Depot & Lowes are usually over priced. In most parts of the country you can find Granite as low as $29 a square foot. But beware of cheap granite because you get what you pay for. A cheap price will almost guarantee a poor install. And with Granite the most important part is the install. Figure about $59 a square foot to start for a good quality install depending upon the granite color. I find that Granite has the better color selection compared to quartz BUT quartz is more durable than some granite because the durability of granite depends heavily on the color. Generally speaking the lighter the granite, the more maintenance & sealing required due to the fact that it is more likely to absorb oils & liquid more easily than a black or dark colored granite. Black galaxy, blue pearl, uba tuba and other dark "granites" are known not to require sealing and should hold up well. We did hear from a woman who had a new home and had uba tuba in a kitchen with lots of natural light and she said she hated it because she could always see dust on it.

As far as pricing for solid surface figure between $29 per square foot to $70 for some of your large particulate colors.

I've seen quartz priced as low as $39 a square foot but figure on average $60 or more a square foot.

Most shops charge a bundle to put anything but a square edge on granite or quartz. Figure about $20 or more per linear foot of edge for a bullnose or other. Figure about $250 to route out and polish an undermount sink hole, $100 just to cut it out.

In solid surface it varies by shop but most shops may include a bullnose or charge a few bucks per linear foot for a bullnose or other. Most shops don't charge to cut out a sink hole but will charge to install an integrated sink or install an undermount sink.

Most importantly your kitchen countertops will be a huge expense and with solid surface, quartz or granite you should absolutely love the color because you're going to have to live with it for a very long time. Find independent shops that you like and trust, have seen their work and get several quotes. Sometimes your small shops in out of the way places can be your best bet.