OpenTable Diner Reviews Reveal the Top 100 Dining Hot Spots in the U.S.

California, New York, Florida, and Illinois Restaurants Account for Two-thirds of the 100 Diners' Choice Award Winners

SAN FRANCISCO, March 28, 2012 -- OpenTable (NASDAQ: OPEN), 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 2012 Diners' Choice Award winners for Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the United States. These awards reflect the combined opinions of nearly 5 million reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

Winning restaurants are scattered throughout 18 states and Washington, D.C. California is king of the hot spot restaurants, taking 25 places on the list of winners. New York comes in second, with 20 winning restaurants. The sunny state of Florida is chock full of trendy restaurants, handily placing third with 15 winners. Illinois accounts for 11 honorees, followed by Nevada with seven standouts and Texas with six. Georgia restaurants earned three places while Tennessee boasts two. Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington D.C. are also represented.

"Going to any of these dining hot spots feels like you're at the hippest party in town, only you don't need an invitation – just a reservation," says Caroline Potter, OpenTable's Chief Dining Officer. "Beyond the buzz of innovative food and cocktails, each restaurant has electricity in the air that creates communal excitement. Diners feel like they're part of an exclusive experience."

The Diners' Choice Awards for the Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants is generated from nearly 5 million reviews collected from verified OpenTable diners between March 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012. All restaurants with a minimum number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of qualifying reviews for which "hot spot" was selected as a special feature.

Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the U.S. according to OpenTable diners. The complete list may also be viewed at http://www.opentable.com/hotspots.

2012 Diners' Choice Award Winners for Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the U.S.

25 Lusk – San Francisco, California

Abe & Arthur's – New York, New York
Asellina Ristorante – New York, New York
B.B. King's Blues Club – Memphis, Tennessee
The Bazaar by Jose Andres – Los Angeles, California
Beaumarchais – New York, New York
Beauty and Essex – New York, New York
BOA Steakhouse – West Hollywood, California
Bond Street Social – Baltimore, Maryland
Broadway by Amar Santana – Laguna Beach, California
Buccan – Palm Beach, Florida
Buddakan – New York, New York
Burlap – San Diego, California
Campo – Reno, Nevada
Catch – New York, New York
Chino Latino – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cleo-SBE – Los Angeles, California
CO-OP Food & Drink – New York, New York
The Darby – New York, New York
Del Frisco's Grille – Dallas, Texas
Departure Restaurant and Lounge – Portland, Oregon
do Restaurant at the View – Atlanta, Georgia
Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa – Dallas, Texas
Drunken Fish – Kansas City, Missouri
Enso Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar – Charlotte, North Carolina
Fig & Olive – West Hollywood, California
Geisha House – Hollywood, California
Gilt Bar – Chicago, Illinois
Girl & the Goat – Chicago, Illinois
GT Fish and Oyster – Chicago, Illinois
HUB 51 – Chicago, Illinois
The Hurricane Club – New York, New York
Imperial No. Nine – New York, New York
ink. – Los Angeles, California
Jaleo-The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada
Katana – West Hollywood, California
Katsuya-Brentwood-SBE – Brentwood, California
Katsuya-Hollywood-SBE – Los Angeles, California
Katsuya-LA LIVE – Los Angeles, California
Katsuya-Laguna Beach-SBE – Laguna Beach, California
Koi – West Hollywood, California
Lavo – Las Vegas, Nevada
Lavo NYC – New York, New York
Linger – Denver, Colorado
The Lion – New York, New York
Lost Society – Washington, D.C.
Lulu California Bistro – Palm Springs, California
Manhattan Beach Post – Manhattan Beach, California
Marble Lane – New York, New York
Maudes liquor bar – Chicago, Illinois
Meat Market – Miami Beach, Florida
Mercadito – Chicago, Illinois
Mercato di Vetro – West Hollywood, California
Mr. Chow-Beverly Hills – Beverly Hills, California
Mr. Chow-Miami – Miami, Florida
N9NE Steakhouse – Las Vegas, Nevada
Nada – Cincinnati, Ohio
Nikko Japanese Restaurant – Charlotte, North Carolina
Nisen – Woodbury, New York
Nobu Miami – Miami Beach, Florida
The Office – Delray Beach, Florida
Paris Club – Chicago, Illinois
Picca – Los Angeles, California
Prato – Winter Park, Florida
Prime Italian – Miami Beach, Florida
Private Social – Dallas, Texas
The Pump Room – Chicago, Illinois
Red Ginger – Traverse City, Michigan
Red Lantern – Boston, Massachusetts
Red Rooster Harlem – New York, New York
Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar – Boca Raton, Florida
Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
ROKA AKOR – Chicago, Illinois
Searsucker – San Diego, California
Sino Restaurant & Lounge – San Jose, California
The Standard Grill – New York, New York
The Stanton Social – New York, New York
STK-Los Angeles – West Hollywood, California
STK-Miami – Miami, Florida
STK-NYC-Meatpacking – New York, New York
STK-The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada
SUGARCANE raw bar grill – Miami, Florida
Sunda – Chicago, Illinois
SUSHISAMBA dromo – Miami Beach, Florida
SUSHISAMBA strip – Las Vegas, Nevada
Tao – New York, New York
Tao Restaurant and Nightclub – Las Vegas, Nevada
Tavernita – Chicago, Illinois
Toku Modern Asian – Manhasset, New York
Triniti – Houston, Texas
Trio Restaurant – Palm Springs, California
Twist – Atlanta, Georgia
TWO urban licks – Atlanta, Georgia
Uchi – Houston, Texas
Uchiko – Austin, Texas
Virago – Nashville, Tennessee
Wang's in the Desert – Palm Springs, California
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar – Miami Beach, Florida
YOLO – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Zuma Japanese Restaurant – Miami, Florida

Diners can also read more about the Diners' Choice Awards for the Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the U.S. by visiting OpenTable Chief Dining Officer Caroline Potter's "Dining Check" blog.

About OpenTable 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.com can access reviews for thousands of OpenTable restaurant partners across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The OpenTable Reviews program has generated more than 10 million reviews by verified diners, establishing OpenTable.com as one of the largest and most trusted sources for restaurant reviews.

About OpenTable, Inc.
OpenTable is a leading provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants. The OpenTable network delivers the convenience of online restaurant reservations to diners and the operational benefits of a computerized reservation book to restaurants. OpenTable has more than 25,000 restaurant customers, and, since its inception in 1998, has seated more than 280 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 United Kingdom. OpenTable also owns and operates toptable.com, a leading restaurant reservation site in the United Kingdom.

SOURCE OpenTable

Paul McCartney Launches The Meat Free Monday Cookbook

52 Weekly Menus Feed Meatless Monday Movement


NEW YORK, March 26 -- Starting today, Meatless Monday fans will get a year of enticing menus from one of the movement's most famous supporters. Sir Paul McCartney, along with his daughters Stella and Mary, are launching The Meat Free Monday Cookbook (Kyle Books), which features menu ideas for every Monday of the year, from packed lunches to comforting stews. The colorful hard-cover book features favorite recipes from the McCartneys along with contributions from some of their famous friends, including Mario Batali, Woody Harrelson, Vivienne Westwood, Kevin Spacey and Pink.

"We applaud the McCartney family's unwavering efforts to promote a healthier, more sustainable diet," said Sid Lerner, who founded Meatless Monday in 2003 with Johns Hopkins. "This beauty of a cookbook is truly a delicious way to help spread the global Meatless Monday movement!"

McCartney started Meat-Free Monday in the UK in 2009 as a simple and straightforward idea to show everyone the environmental value of eating less meat. Meatless Monday has since blossomed into a global movement, with 22 countries promoting the idea of cutting out meat once a week for our health and the health of the planet.

"We feel that the vast majority of people are conscientious and would want to do something in their own lives to help secure a happier future for the generations that follow," the McCartneys said of their decision to launch the campaign and do the cookbook. "While many solutions can be quite difficult to put into practice, the idea of one meat-free day per week is something that many people find do-able and something that can be achieved relatively easily," McCartney said.

Individuals interested in starting a Meatless Monday in the US can visit www.MeatlessMonday.com to learn more about the benefits of cutting back, get information kits to spread the movement in their community, and discover the growing international network of supporters.


Super Vegetable Salad by Paul McCartney

Recipe excerpted from The Meat Free Monday Cookbook (Kyle Books; 2012)

Serves 4

28 cherry tomatoes
3 florets of broccoli
12 green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 lettuce — I like Romaine
3 scallions, finely chopped
2/3 cup cornmeal
a handful of chopped herbs of your choice
9 ounces tofu, cut into slices
olive oil for frying

Dressing
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
1 teaspoon maple syrup (if you like a bit of sweetness)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and roast the cherry tomatoes for 10 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a pan with cold water and place a steamer above it. Put the broccoli, green beans, and carrots in the steamer, turn the heat on quite high, and steam for about 15 minutes, occasionally prodding the carrots with a fork to see if they are done. Some people like them slightly crunchy, others prefer them a little softer.

While the vegetables are steaming, make a salad with the leaves and scallions.

Combine the cornmeal and herbs in a bowl. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Dip the tofu in the cornmeal mixture, then fry until golden.

Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing, but only pour over at the last minute.

Assemble your meal by first putting the salad on the plate, then the warm vegetables, and finally the tofu. Pour over the dressing then add a little seasoning sauce or a sauce of your choice.

SOURCE The Monday Campaigns

California Wines Get "Down to Earth" with New April Celebration

Month-long Campaign – Coinciding with Earth Day – Highlights State's Sustainable Winegrowing and Winemaking

SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2012 -- California is more than cool – it's Down to Earth! A new, month-long celebration, "California Wines: Down to Earth" shines a spotlight on sustainability. From "green wine trails" and Earth Day wine and food festivals to special eco-tours in the vineyard, California's winemakers and winegrowers are offering a wide variety of fun, sustainably-focused festivities throughout the month of April, which can be found at www.discovercaliforniawines.com/d2e.

Down to Earth Month events will be engaging and meaningful experiences that let wine lovers get down to earth – connecting to the land and the people who make the wines they enjoy in a manner that benefits the environment and the community.

"These experiences make April a great time to learn about our California wines and the environmentally and community-friendly practices used to grow and produce them," said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, president and CEO of Wine Institute. "More than two-thirds of California's winegrape growers and winemakers have adopted our sustainable program and participation is increasing, making ours one of the most widely adopted in the wine world."

Wine Institute created "California Wines: Down to Earth" month to highlight California's leadership in environmentally and socially responsible winegrowing and winemaking practices – and the people and places behind them. The campaign – held the same month as Earth Day – is designed to inform and engage policy leaders, media, wine trade and consumers about the California wine community's major commitment to environmental and community stewardship.

"Sustainability is a vital part of the long-term future of California wine which contributes to California's economy, attracts 20 million tourists annually, generates 820,000 jobs nationwide of which 330,000 are in California, and allows vintners and growers to pass on their farms and wineries to future generations," said Koch.

California is a world leader in sustainable winegrowing practices. The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) program has 1,700 wineries and vineyards that have evaluated the sustainability of their operations with CSWA's Code of best practices – representing 70 percent of California's wine acreage and 65 percent of the state's wine shipments. Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing and other statewide and regional programs such as Fish Friendly Farming, Bay Area Green Business Program, Lodi Rules, Napa Green and Sustainability in Practice (SIP) play an important role in the California wine community's efforts to produce high quality wine that is environmentally sound, economically feasible and socially equitable. To learn more, visit: www.discovercaliforniawines.com/d2e.

SOURCE Wine Institute

Cooking With Your iPad? CookEatShare.com Releases the Best Cooking Experience for the New iPad With the First HTML5 Enabled Recipe Cook View Optimized for the New iPad and Other Tablet Devices

SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2012 -- Today, CookEatShare.com, the leading social recipe website, today released an HTML5 Cook View for the new iPad. It also works on iPad2, the Kindle Fire, and all other tablet computers. The HTML Cook View, like all of the tools and content on CookEatShare.com, is available for free to all internet users.

The HTML Cook View is targeted specifically for people who want to cook while having a recipe open on their iPad or other mobile device. It places the ingredients and directions side by side in separate, scrolling boxes, so the user never has to scroll up and down the page itself. There is a slider to help keep track of what step you are on. When you touch any step in the recipe, the slider automatically moves to that step and highlights that step. With one touch, you can also increase or decrease the font size to make the recipe easy to read.

"During the holiday season, I found myself cooking most of the time with my iPad. I quickly realized that the experience could be much, much better," said busy mom and CookEatShare.com founder Nancy Miyasaki. "I hope the millions of users of CookEatShare around the world will enjoy the new iPad cooking experience as much as I do!"

The HTML Cook View is available for nearly all of the over 500,000 recipes found on CookEatShare.com. Just go to http://www.cookeatshare.com, find a recipe you like, and click on the "iPad Cook View" button or link just below the recipe summary.

About CookEatShare
CookEatShare.com provides a user-generated platform for sharing recipes, themes, guides and ideas for all things food related. Through connecting with friends, interacting with professional, award-winning chefs and starting or joining groups, foodies around the world can now tap into more the more than 500,000 recipes and 200,000 registered chefs that CookEatShare.com has to offer. CookEatShare is enjoyed around the world through its French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese language editions.

SOURCE CookEatShare.com

Wilton Celebrates Punch. Cut. Decorate! With New Idea Book

WOODRIDGE, Ill., March 5, 2012 -- Wilton Enterprises, the leader in food crafting, has announced the release of its brand-new collection of cake and treat designs, Punch. Cut. Decorate! . The book is based on Wilton's cutting-edge system that combines the hands-on hobbies of scrapbooking and paper crafting with the tasty techniques of food crafting and cake decorating.

"This new way of decorating has piqued the interest of the full range of at-home bakers – from beginners to committed cake decorators," says Nancy Siler, vice president of consumer affairs at Wilton. "The book reveals more than 225 ideas and techniques using our breakthrough decorating system introduced in 2011."
Ideas include:

• Goodie Galleries! Quick takes on terrific treats including kids' cookie "self-portreats."
• Birthday Wishes! Knock-out cakes that look like princess castles, wacky robots or even golf courses.
• Major Moments! Cakes that rise to every special occasion – showers, graduations, even weddings.

Sugar Sheets™ ! Edible Decorating Paper and a complete line of punches and cutting tools make it easy for at-home bakers to mimic the cakes, cookies, cupcakes and more featured in the book.

New tools and materials for 2012 include:

• vibrant patterns such as wild stripes, streamers and stars as well as pre-cut borders and stickers
• mini punches, a tool just right for designs in borders and decorative strips
• themed stamp sets such as butterflies, animals, floral and flourishes made extra easy when used with Dab-N-Color™ Edible Color
• texture presses for impressive embossed designs.

The 128-page, full color Punch. Cut. Decorate! book also features step-by-step instructions, helpful hints and recipes, and pattern pages for precision results. It can be purchased for $14.99 at specialty, craft, discount and select department stores; online at www.wilton.com or by calling 1-800-794-5866.

About Wilton Enterprises
Wilton Enterprises, based in Woodridge, Illinois and founded in 1929, is the leading food crafting company in the industry, with the number one position in cake decorating and bakeware. Wilton classes, publications and products help millions of people create impressive party desserts. For the latest information on products and ideas for all occasions, visit www.wilton.com. To locate the closest Wilton® Method Cake Decorating class, call 800-942-8881.

SOURCE Wilton Enterprises

Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appetit Sets Guinness World Record for Most Wine Bottles Uncorked Simultaneously; Announces New Chefs and Events to May 10-13 Lineup

More than 300 Chefs and Sommeliers from Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay Team Up to Shatter Record

Alain Ducasse, Bobby Flay and Nobu Matsuhisa Added to May Event

LAS VEGAS, March 1, 2012  -- Chefs, sommeliers, mixologists and others from Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay set a new Guinness World Record by uncorking 308 bottles of Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon simultaneously. Amidst flying corks and free flowing wine, the crowd shattered the previous record of 252 in celebration of Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appetit.

"Today we're making history with some of the world's best chefs, sommeliers and mixologists," said Adam Rapoport, Bon Appetit's Editor-in-Chief. "Setting this Guinness World Record is just the beginning of all the great programming and truly memorable moments you'll see at Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appetit in May."

In addition to setting a new Guinness World Record, Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appetit revealed new chefs and new programming for the country's foremost culinary festival running May 10-13, 2012. This marks the first year that Jose Andres, Bruce and Eric Bromberg, David Myers, Costas Spiliadis, Scott Conant and Greg and Marc Sherry are participating.

Sampling of events:

• Master Series Dinner with Bobby Flay, Thursday, May 10: Caesars Palace adds another dynamic offering to its popular Master Series dinner line-up – Mesa Grill, helmed by critically acclaimed chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay.
• Follow That Food Truck, Thursday, May 10: Mingle with renowned chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Todd English, Michal Mina and Julian Serrano and enjoy live music from restaurateur Joe Bastianich at this exciting Bellagio event. Confirmed Food Trucks include fukuburger, Red Neck Kitchen and Rusty Pickle.
• My Favorite Things, Friday, May 11: At Bellagio, Chef Michael Mina and Sommeliers Raj Parr and Jason Smith, MS, discuss their "favorites" and host a sampling of unique wines, extravagant cocktails and the most memorable fare ever tasted (and created).
• Celebrity Chef Poker Tournament, Friday, May 11: The pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will be the hub for a world-class celebrity chef poker tournament with live performances, flavorful dishes and delightful drinks. A specialty menu of handrolls and more from Blue Ribbon Sushi and specialty cocktails from David Myers' 18A cocktail program will be featured.
• The Nature of A Good Party with Alain Ducasse, Saturday, May 12: Chef Alain Ducasse hosts a new eXperience at miX at Mandalay Bay that includes champagne with the Chef, a five-course special menu with wine pairing and a signed copy of the Chef's latest cookbook "Nature: Simple, Healthy, and Good" © Rizzoli.

For more information on Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appetit, tickets and full programming details, visit www.VegasUncorked.com.

ABOUT Bon Appetit Magazine
Bon Appetit and bonappetit.com, the fastest-growing epicurean site, deliver not just recipes, tips and techniques, but a world of lush travel, high-gloss entertaining and up-to-the-minute restaurant coverage. It's a visually arresting publication, driven by excellent photography, clean graphics and headlines that pop. And notable faces, too: Each issue features of-the-moment tastemakers, from chefs and restaurateurs to fashion designers and celebrities. All of these elements combine to make Bon Appetit the largest epicurean magazine in America with the most affluent readership.

Bon Appetit is published by Conde Nast, a division of Advance Publications, which operates in 25 countries. In the United States, Conde Nast publishes 18 consumer magazines, two trade publications and 27 Web sites that garner international acclaim and unparalleled consumer engagement.

ABOUT THE LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With approximately 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and more than 10 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area. For more information, go to www.lvcva.com or www.VisitLasVegas.com.

SOURCE Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appetit