SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of our country's progressive food and dining culture, OpenTable, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations and part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), is pleased to honor the 2014 Diners' Choice Award winners for the Top 100 Fit for Foodies Restaurants in America.  These awards reflect the combined opinions of more than 5 million restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 20,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

"In many ways, the winning restaurants represent the future - and the fun - of food, where trends are being set," says Caroline Potter, OpenTable Chief Dining Officer. "The list features a multitude of gifted young chefs who are redefining fine dining and opening exciting establishments to serve delicious dishes that are both personal and playful."

Newer eateries rule the list, with the majority of winners opening in the last three years.  More than 20 were founded in 2012 alone, while 15 launched in 2013, and six debuted as recently as 2014. Also, 14 of the honorees have women as executive chefs.  American fare is overwhelmingly popular, but French and Italian restaurants are common among the honorees.  Other popular cuisines include Japanese, Spanish, Middle Eastern, modern European, tapas/small plates, and vegetarian.

Showcasing restaurants with unique menus, easygoing ambience, and passionate chefs who have a "source local, cook global" approach, the complete list includes award winners in 29 states, including Aviary in Portland, Odd Duck in Austin, and Vedge in Philadelphia.  California has the greatest number of winners with 14, followed closely by Oregon and Pennsylvania with 13 each.  New York has eight honorees, while Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington all have five, and Illinois has four. Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas each have three winning restaurants.  Arizona, Delaware, Indiana, Maine, North Carolina, and Virginia, respectively, have two award winners.  Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin are also represented.

The Diners' Choice Awards for the Top 100 Fit for Foodies Restaurants in America are generated from more than 5 million restaurant reviews collected from verified OpenTable diners between September 1, 2013, and August 31, 2014.  All restaurants with a minimum "overall" score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration.  Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of qualifying reviews for which "fit for foodies" was selected as a special feature. 

Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the Top 100 Fit for Foodies Restaurants in America according to OpenTable diners. The complete list may also be viewed at http://www.opentable.com/m/best-fit-for-foodies-restaurants-in-america/.

2014 Diners' Choice Award Winners for the Top 100 Fit for Foodies Restaurants in America

a(MUSE.) - Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Acorn - Denver, Colorado
Altura - Seattle, Washington
Ava Gene's - Portland, Oregon
Aviary - Portland, Oregon
Bar Avignon - Portland, Oregon
Beast - Portland, Oregon
Bistro C.V. - Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Black Cat - Boulder, Colorado
Blue Hill at Stone Barns - Pocantico Hills, New York
Bluestem - Kansas City, Missouri
Bottega - Baltimore, Maryland
Brimmer & Heeltap - Seattle, Washington
Cascina Spinasse - Seattle, Washington
Castagna - Portland, Oregon
chi SPACCA - Los Angeles, California
Commis - Oakland, California
Community Table - New Preston, Connecticut
Corner Table - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Craigie on Main - Cambridge, Massachusetts
The Crimson Sparrow - Hudson, New York
Crudo - Phoenix, Arizona
Curate - Asheville, North Carolina
Dirt Candy - New York, New York
dish-Creative Cuisine - Palm Springs, California
django's Restaurant & Wine Bar - Crested Butte, Colorado
DOC - Portland, Oregon
The Eddy - New York, New York
edison: food+drink lab - Tampa, Florida
Elaia - St. Louis, Missouri
Extra Virgin - Kansas City, Missouri
The Farm and Fisherman - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
FIG - Charleston, South Carolina
Fond - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Forage - Salt Lake City, Utah
FT33 - Dallas, Texas
Girl & the Goat - Chicago, Illinois
Giulia Restaurant - Cambridge, Massachusetts
goosefoot - Chicago, Illinois
Gracie's - Providence, Rhode Island
Grit & Grace - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Homestead on the Roof - Chicago, Illinois
The House of William & Merry - Hockessin, Delaware
Hugo's Restaurant - Portland, Maine
The Iberian Pig - Decatur, Georgia
ink. - Los Angeles, California
Julienne - Santa Barbara, California
Juni - New York, New York
La Merenda - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Laundry - Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Laurel - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Le Pigeon - Portland, Oregon
Lenoir Restaurant - Austin, Texas
Mateo - Durham, North Carolina
Matthew Kenney's M.A.K.E. - Santa Monica, California
Mica - Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania
Mokomandy - Sterling, Virginia
n/naka - Los Angeles, California
Natural Selection - Portland, Oregon
Nobuo at Teeter House - Phoenix, Arizona
Noisette - Portland, Oregon
Odd Duck - Austin, Texas
Olympic Provisions Northwest - Portland, Oregon
Orsa & Winston - Los Angeles, California
Papilles - Los Angeles, California
Park Kitchen - Portland, Oregon
Parlor Market - Jackson, Mississippi
Piccolo - Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Pickled Heron - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Playground - Santa Ana, California
Plow & Anchor - Indianapolis, Indiana
Primo - Rockland, Maine
Recess - Indianapolis, Indiana
Red Medicine - Beverly Hills, California
Restaurant Alma - Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm - Lovettsville, Virginia
Ribelle - Brookline, Massachusetts
Roe - Portland, Oregon
Root - New Orleans, Louisiana
Roots Bistro Gourmand - West Islip, New York
Sarma - Somerville, Massachusetts
Sbraga - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Senza - Chicago, Illinois
Sons & Daughters - San Francisco, California
Spur Gastropub - Seattle, Washington
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards - Santa Rosa, California
State & Lemp - Boise, Idaho
T.W. Food - Cambridge, Massachusetts
Talula's Daily-Secret Supper Club - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tanglewood Supreme - Seattle, Washington
TORINO - Ferndale, Michigan
Torrisi Italian Specialties - New York, New York
Townsend - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Trattoria - Saint James, New York
Union - Pasadena, California
Uptown Billiards Club - Portland, Oregon
Vedge - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Vernick Food & Drink - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Will BYOB - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Zahav - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Diners can also read more about the Diners' Choice Awards for the Top 100 Fit for Foodies Restaurants in America by visiting the OpenTable "Dining Check" blog.

About OpenTable Restaurant Reviews
Originally launched in November 2008, the OpenTable Reviews program helps diners find restaurants that best fit their dining occasions.  Diners who recently honored an OpenTable reservation are invited via email to submit restaurant feedback using an online form. Visitors to OpenTable can access reviews for thousands of OpenTable restaurant partners across the United States, Canada, Germany and the UK.  The OpenTable Reviews program has generated more than 25 million restaurant reviews by verified diners, establishing OpenTable as one of the largest and most trusted sources for restaurant reviews. 

About OpenTable
OpenTable, part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), is the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations, seating more than 15 million diners per month via online bookings across approximately than 32,000 restaurants. The OpenTable network connects restaurants and diners, helping diners discover and book the perfect table and helping restaurants deliver personalized hospitality to keep guests coming back. The OpenTable service enables diners to see which restaurants have available tables, select a restaurant based on verified diner reviews, menus, and other helpful information, and easily book a reservation. In addition to the company's website and mobile apps, OpenTable powers online reservations for nearly 600 partners, including many of the Internet's most popular global and local brands. For restaurants, the OpenTable hospitality solutions enable them to manage their reservation book, streamline their operations, and enhance their service levels. Since its inception in 1998, OpenTable has seated more than 665 million diners around the world.  The Company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and the OpenTable service is available throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the UK.

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