Just in time for Thanksgiving, a favorite national holiday of America’s foodies, OpenTable, Inc., a leading provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants, is pleased to announce the Diners’ Choice Awards for the top 100 restaurants in the United States that specialize in American food. The list of winners is derived from more than 10 million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The honorees, which include Anita Lo’s Annisa in New York, FIG in South Carolina, and Michael Symon’s Lola in Ohio, represent 30 states — and virtually every region of the country, including Hawaii. The South swept the awards, earning 20 spots on the list, with North Carolina and South Carolina each boasting six winning restaurants. The Northeast took 16 places among the honorees, with 11 in New York alone. Ohio and Illinois, with five nods apiece, helped the Great Lakes region earn an impressive 15 wins; meanwhile, the Lone Star State took 10 spots, giving the Southwest a total of 13 awards. States also represented on the list of winners include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon and Utah, among others.
“Serving standout American cuisine is more complicated than it sounds,” says Caroline Potter, OpenTable’s Chief Dining Officer. “This country’s food culture has evolved very rapidly in recent years, yet a strong sense of nostalgia remains that must be honored. The chefs at the winning restaurants are looking ahead and innovating, while also keeping an eye on the past by embracing heritage ingredients and techniques. Pioneers for the modern day, the honorees are not merely evoking America’s culinary tradition; they’re reinventing it.”
Based on feedback collected from OpenTable diners between November 2010 and October 2011, the following 50 restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, received the highest scores from OpenTable diners for having the best American cuisine. For more information about this list, please visit http://www.opentable.com/american.
A Toute Heure – Cranford, New Jersey
Abacus – Dallas, Texas
Annie Gunn’s – Chesterfield, Missouri
Annisa – New York, New York
Aria – Atlanta, Georgia
Artisanal Restaurant – Banner Elk, North Carolina
Ashley’s Restaurant – Little Rock, Arkansas
Aspen Grille – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Aureole – New York, New York
Baker and Banker – San Francisco, California
Blue Hill – New York, New York
Blue Hill at Stone Barns – Pocantico Hills, New York
The Blue Ox – Lynn, Massachusetts
Bluestem – Kansas City, Missouri
Cafe Routier – Westbrook, Connecticut
Canoe – Atlanta, Georgia
Carpe Diem Restaurant – Charlotte, North Carolina
Castagna – Portland, Oregon
Charleston – Baltimore, Maryland
Charleston Grill – Charleston, South Carolina
Cheever’s Cafe – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Chez Betty – Park City, Utah
The Classic Cafe – Roanoake, Texas
Coldwater Cafe & Catering – Tipp City, Ohio
Communal – Provo, Utah
Corbett’s Fine Dining – Louisville, Kentucky
Corner Kitchen – Asheville, North Carolina
Cotton Gin Cabernet Grill – Fredericksburg, Texas
Courtright’s – Willow Springs, Illinois
Craft – New York, New York
Dal Rae – Pico Rivera, California
Devereaux’s – Greenville, South Carolina
Eddie Merlot’s – Fort Wayne, Indiana
ELEVEN – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Eleven Madison Park – New York, New York
Ellerbe Fine Foods – Fort Worth, Texas
Esty Street – Park Ridge, New Jersey
Fearing’s – Dallas, Texas
FIG – Charleston, South Carolina
fire food and drink – Cleveland, Ohio
Flagstaff House – Boulder, Colorado
Fossett’s – Keswick, Virginia
The French Laundry – Yountville, California
Glenwood Grill – Raleigh, North Carolina
Grace – Fort Worth, Texas
Gramercy Tavern – New York, New York
Harry’s Restaurant – Manhattan, Kansas
Herons – Cary, North Carolina
John Bentley’s – Redwood City, California
Kelties Restaurant and Catering – Westfield, Indiana
Lahaina Grill – Lahaina, Hawaii
Lilly’s Bistro – Louisville, Kentucky
LJ’s & The Kat Lounge – Hagerstown, Maryland
Local 127 – Cincinnati, Ohio
Lola – Cleveland, Ohio
Manhattan Beach Post – Manhattan Beach, California
Masraff’s – Houston, Texas
McEwen’s on Monroe – Memphis, Tennessee
The Mill at 2T – Tariffville, Connecticut
Milton’s Cuisine and Cocktails – Milton, Georgia
MK – Chicago, Illinois
Mulvaney’s B&L – Sacramento, California
Murray’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nana’s Restaurant – Durham, North Carolina
Niche – St. Louis, Missouri
North Pond – Chicago, Illinois
Orchids at Palm Court – Cincinnati, Ohio
The Owl House – Rochester, New York
The Parson’s Table – Little River, South Carolina
Paseo Grill – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Peli Peli – Houston, Texas
Peninsula Grill – Charleston, South Carolina
Per Se – New York, New York
The Prime Rib – Baltimore, Maryland
Restaurant Tallent – Bloomington, Indiana
Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar – Congers, New York
River Cafe – Brooklyn, New York
Riverhorse on Main – Park City, Utah
Room 39 – Kansas City, Missouri
Root Down – Denver, Colorado
The Root Restaurant & Bar – White Lake, Michigan
The Schoolhouse at Cannondale – Wilton, Connecticut
Seasons 52 – Costa Mesa, California
Seasons 52 – Schaumburg, Illinois
Seasons 52 – Tampa, Florida
Silo Elevated Cuisine 1604 – San Antonio, Texas
Silo Elevated Cuisine – Alamo Heights – San Antonio, Texas
Splendido – Beaver Creek, Colorado
St. John’s Restaurant – Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sweet Basil – Vail, Colorado
Sycamore BYOB – Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Talisker on Main – Park City, Utah
Talula’s Garden – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tarbell’s – Phoenix, Arizona
Vie – Western Springs, Illinois
Vintage Tavern – Suffolk, Virginia
VOLT – Frederick, Maryland
Washington Inn – Cape May, New Jersey
White Barn Inn – Kennebunk, Maine
Woodberry Kitchen – Baltimore, Maryland
Diners can also find additional information on the Diners’ Choice Awards for the Best American Restaurants in the U.S. by visiting the OpenTable “Dining Check” blog at http://blog.opentable.com.
