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There are restaurants from 25 states and Washington D.C. on the list, including three new states not represented on 2014's list -- Iowa, Arizona and Indiana. Nearly half of the restaurants (43) on the list have opened in the past year, including New York City's acclaimed Dirty French, while the oldest honoree, The Nest in Indian Wells, California, has been operating since 1965. Other notable restaurants on the list include Bobby Flay's Gato in New York, RPM Steak in Chicago and Minneapolis' much-hyped freshman outpost, Spoon and Stable.
OpenTable determined the Hot 100 by analyzing over 5 million reviews (all submitted by verified diners between March 1, 2014 and February 28, 2015) of over 20,000 restaurants across the country.
International cuisine made its mark on the list -- it seems restaurant-goers were particularly taken with Asian, Basque, Korean, Latin, Mediterranean, Mexican and Polynesian cuisines. Naturally American cuisine and steak were also popular dishes.
Many of the restaurants are associated with hotels, such as Andrea’s in The Wynn, The Bazaar by Jose Andres at SLS Hotel South Beach, Matador Room in The Miami Beach EDITION, Rose. Rabbit. Lie. in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Tao Restaurant and Nightclub in The Venetian.
"The awards also highlight the importance of a solid cocktail program," adds Caroline Potter, OpenTable's Chief Dining Officer. "There are several clubby and speakeasy-type establishments, but even those hot spots not falling under that umbrella have hired top-flight talent to assemble creative craft beer, wine and drink menus."
While San Francisco may be more commonly considered California's culinary capital, San Diego is flexing its gastronomical muscles, with four total restaurants on the list (a jump from just a single spot in 2014). In fact, California is home to the greatest number of winning restaurants this year with 22, followed by New York and Florida with 13 a piece. Illinois boasts 11 while Texas rounds out the top five with seven hot spots.
Gato in New York
Also claiming multiple spots are Nevada, with five; Tennessee and Georgia with four; and Louisiana, Minnesota and South Carolina with two. Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. are represented as well.
You can check out the full list and make reservations online.
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