50 Best American Restaurants

Harvest time is now. Weather is cooling. Leaves are afire with color. And activities turn more indoors, often to creature comforts such as cooking, culinary tours, regular meals with families, and food in general.

Gourmet has published 50 best American restaurants of 2006, with at least 50 percent new to the list. From Honolulu (Alan Wong's Restaurant) to New York City (Masa), and everywhere in between, Gourmet lists their crème de la crème.

For special occasions (birthday parties, bachelorette parties, engagement parties, rehearsal dinners for weddings) and holiday preparation time (shopping, etc.), treat your group, family, and/or friends to a sumptuous meal. You can also treat yourself and call it "research" for new holiday meal or family reunion dish ideas. Expensive though these restaurants are likely to be, sometimes life's worth a little indulgence, especially during the colder months.

You can discuss restaurant and dining options with your group using TripHub's trip discussion blog, and list restaurant reservation info and other trip details on TripHub's event schedule so everyone is on the same page. First step in planning a group trip: create a trip home page and invite whoever whenever you're ready.

Source: Gadling