Open Table Speaks: 10 Best Restaurants in America

The online restaurant booking service Open Table, founded in 1998 in the Bay Area, provides reservations for nearly 31,000 restaurants across the United States.  Monthly dinner seatings are estimated to be in the 15 million range. 

Really…?

That is one helluva lot of hungry people, customers served, and opinions formed. 

As opinions are formed, reviews are written.  The folks at Open Table have analyzed over 5,000,000 of these reviews, tallied the results, enlisted a secret accounting firm (just kidding) and released their Top 100 list.  I am promptly removing 11 through 100, and tonight we will name the top ten.  Get your appetite on and take a look…

First up is diminutive (eleven tables) and rustic Italian eatery Vetri, located in Philadelphia.  Diners enjoy a multi-course tasting menu, specializing in authentic Northern Italian cuisine.  Mangia..!

Next, let us find our way to New York City and chef Daniel Boulud’s eponymous Daniel.  This sophisticated and architecturally striking restaurant serves up a seasonal take on contemporary French cuisine.  One of the best there is…!

Third up is n/naka.  Artfully prepared dishes in the Japanese kaiseki style of dining.  Chef Niki Nakayama prepares the freshest ingredients with a combination of traditional and modern techniques to bring together this top shelf dining experience. 

A veteran of the San Francisco restaurant scene, Acquerello has been serving Italian fine-dining for over 26 years.  Earning countless awards over the years Acquerello garnered their second Michelin star this year..! 

Back to the East Coast we go to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, located in Pocantico Hills, NY.  Guests are offered a “multi-taste Grazing, Rooting Pecking menu featuring the best offerings from the field and market”.  Intrigued...?

We’ll stay in New York and have some sushi at Sushi Nakazawa.  Sushi fanatics have raved about Chef Daisuke Nakazawa and his 20-course meals for years.  A bucket list dinner for the Sushi lover.

A detour down south will land us at Halls Chophouse in Charleston, SC.  Amazing steaks, along with some fresh seafood and Lowcountry specialties round out a satiating menu at this vibrant restaurant. 

Heading west to Chandler, AZ, and you will find the Kai Restaurant at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort.  Chef Conor Favre (he’s not the quarterback) features a menu steeped in the history and creativity of Native American culture.

Let’s take a vacation in Hawaii and go to Mama’s Fish House in Paia, HI.  A converted beach house in a coconut grove on a secluded white sand beach…  enough said…  People love this place…!

My last stop is in Santa Rosa, CA at the St. Francis Winery and Vineyards.  Here you experience a multicourse wine and food pairing from chef Bryan Jones sure to send your taste buds to Nirvana. 

Cheers…!