click to enlarge BernsSteakHouse / FacebookEach year, reservation company OpenTable releases a list of its 100 best restaurants in the country based on over “12 million verified diner reviews and dining metrics"—and two local restaurants have made 2023’s illustrious roundup.The Tampa Edition’s Mediterranean concept Lilac—one of three restaurants that won the city’s first Michelin stars earlier this year—and local institution Bern’s Steak House are listed on OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants of 2023 list, which was released just a few days ago.This year, OpenTable organized its “best restaurants” by state, and not by ranking each concept from 1 to 100.South Tampa’s Bern’s Steak House (1208 S Howard Ave.) has been around since 1956 and boasts an old school menu of dry-aged steaks and sides, a unique dessert lounge and one of the largest wine collections in the world. Forbes magazine even deemed it one of “ The World’s Best Steakhouses ” earlier this year.Newly-opened Mediterranean-inspired concept Lilac—located on the ground floor of the Tampa Edition at 500 Channelside Dr.—contrasts Bern’s classic and traditional approach to fine dining. Its contemporary menu from Chef John Fraser and use of “Florida-focused ingredients and French techniques” earned one of the city’s first Michelin stars back in May, alongside other Tampa restaurants Rocca and Koya.Other Florida eateries like Latitudes Key West on Sunset Key, Palm Beach’s Buccan, Llama Restaurant in St. Augustine and Tallahassee’s Savour made OpenTable’s annual roundup, too.When creating its annual “best restaurants” list, the online restaurant-reservation service utilizes compiled data like “diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance and five-star reviews.”

Source: Forbes November 20, 2023 19:19 UTC