#UK The 100 best restaurants in America, according to OpenTable

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Meal at The French Laundry restaurant

OpenTable just released their picks for the Best Restaurants in America for 2015

To compile the ranking, OpenTable pored over more than five million restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for 20,000 restaurants, covering all 50 states and Washington DC.

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards in Santa Rosa, California, earned the No. 1 spot, with Mama’s Fish House in Paia, Hawaii, and Kai at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort in Chandler, Arizona, rounding out the top three.

Here’s the full list of the 100 best restaurants in America:

Acquerello — San Francisco, California

Addison Restaurant — San Diego, California

Ambience — Los Altos, California

Arethusa al Tavolo — Bantam, Connecticut

Arroyo Vino — Santa Fe, New Mexico

Artistanal Restaurant — Banner Elk, North Carolina

Atera — New York, New York

Auberge du Soleil — Rutherford, California

bacchanalia food, atlanta restaurantBacchanalia — Atlanta, Georgia

barmini by by José Andrés — Washington, D.C.

Bavettes — Chicago, Illinois

Benu — San Francisco, California

Blue Hill at Stone Barns — Pocantico Hills, New York

Boka — Chicago, Illinois

Bones — Atlanta, Georgia

Bouchard Restaurant and Inn — Newport, Rhode Island

bouley tomato confitBouley — New York, New York

Café Juanita — Kirkland, Washington

Café Monarch — Scottsdale, Arizona

Café Provence — Prairie Villa, Kansas

The Capital Grille — Lombard, Illinois

The Capital Grille — Minneapolis, Minnesota

Carlos’ Bistro — Colorado Springs, Colorado

Castagna Restaurant — Portland, Oregon

The Cellars — Virginia Beach, Virginia

Charleston Restaurant Baltimore brightCharleston — Baltimore, Maryland

Chez Francois — Vermillion, Ohio

Chez Nous French Restaurant — Humble, Texas

Chimney Park — Windsor, Colorado

Circle Brunch-The Breakers — Palm Beach, Florida

Clementines — Avon-By-The-Sea, New Jersey

Collage Restaurant — St. Augustine, Florida

Daniel — New York, New York

Daniel-Lounge Seating — New York, New York

Del Posto — New York, New York

Eleven Madison Park — New York, New York

Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant — Forestville, California

Fearrington House Restaurant — Pittsboro, North Carolina

Forage — Salt Lake City, Utah

French Laundry dessertThe French Laundry — Yountville, California

The French Room — Dallas Texas

Geronimo — Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gramercy Tavern — New York, New York

The Goodstone Inn & Estate Restaurant — Middleburg, Virginia

Halls Chophouse — Charleston, South Carolina

Hannas Prime Steak — Rancho Santa Margarita, California

Jillian’s — Palm Desert, California

Joan’s in the Park — Saint Paul, Minnesota

Joseph Tambellini — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

KaiKai — Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort — Chandler, Arizona

King Umberto Restaurant — Elmont, New York

KUSAKABE — San Francisco, California

L’Auberge Chez François — Great Falls, Virginia

La Folie — San Francisco, California

La Grenouille — New York, New York

La Mer at Halekulani — Honolulu, Hawaii

Laurel — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Albacore le bernardinLe Bernardin — New York, New York

Le Cep — Fort Worth, Texas

Les Nomades — Chicago, Illinois

Mama’s Fish House — Paia, Hawaii

Marché Moderne — Costa Mesa, California

McNinch House — Charlotte, North Carolina

Michael’s-South Point Casino — Las Vegas, Nevada

Mistral — Sherman Oaks, California

The Modern-Dining Room — New York, New York

Montalcino Ristorante Italiano — Issaquah, Washington

n:nakan/naka — Los Angeles, California

Nicholas — Red Bank, New Jersey

Norman’s at the Ritz-Carlton — Orlando, Florida

o ya — Boston, Massachusetts

Orchids at Palm Court — Cincinnati, Ohio

Per Se — New York, New York

The Phoenician-Afternoon Tea — Scottsdale, Arizona

Quince Restaurant — San Francisco, California

Restaurant AugustRestaurant August — New Orleans, Louisiana

Restaurant Lorena’s — Maplewood, New Jersey

Roe — Portland, Oregon

Rudy & Paco Restaurant & Bar — Galveston, Texas

Ruth’s Chris Steak House — Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern — Raleigh, North Carolina

Sette — Bernardsville, New Jersey

ShinBay — Scottsdale, Arizona

Ski Tip Lodge — Keystone, Colorado

Sonoma — Princeton, Massachusetts

St Francis Winery and VineyardSt. Francis Winery & Vineyards — Santa Rosa, California

State & Lemp — Boise, Idaho

Sushi Nakazawa-Sushi Bar — New York, New York

Talula’s Garden — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Thomas Henkelmann-Homestead Inn — Greenwich, Connecticut

Trattoria L’incontro — Astoria, New York

Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crab House — Austin, Texas

Umami Chagrin FallsUmami — Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Vedge — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Vernick Food & Drink — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Vetri — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Volver — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Waypoint Seafood & Grill — Williamsburg, Virginia

Yono’s Restaurant — Albany, New York

Zahav — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

SEE ALSO: 50 meals everyone should eat in their lifetime

DON’T MISS: The 40 best brunch spots in New York City

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#UK Man injured inside polar bear enclosure in Copenhagen

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Copenhagen Zoo says a man has jumped inside a polar bear’s enclosure, forcing zookeepers to fire rubber bullets at the animal while he was rescued.

Zoo spokesman Jacob Munkholm Hoeck said Wednesday the man, who was not identified, was “pulled out and was able to walk” but was sent to the hospital in an ambulance.

Munkholm Hoeck says zookeepers fired several rounds of rubber bullets at the bear to get it to back off.

On Twitter, police described the man as “mentally unstable,” adding that the polar bear had “walked on him” before he was rescued.

In July 2012, Siberian tigers fatally mauled a 21-year-old Afghan-born man inside an enclosure at the zoo.

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#UK Kenya court sentences Briton terror suspect to 9 years

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MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — A court in the coastal city of Mombasa has sentenced a British national, who authorities say is an extremist who plotted attacks against the country, to nine years in prison for attempting to illegally acquire Kenyan identification documents.

Justice Martin Muya said Wednesday the prosecution has proved that Jermain Grant had attempted to illegally acquire a birth certificate, a Kenyan identification card and a primary school leaving certificate. The high court found Grant guilty after the prosecution appealed a previous acquittal.

Authorities believe Grant was part of a cell with another British national, Samantha Lewthwaite, that was planning attacks over Christmas 2012. Lewthwaite is the widow of Jermain Lindsay, one of the bombers who took part in the July 7 2005 attack on London that killed 52 people.

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#UK Modesto man wins $10M lottery minutes after winning $1K

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MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — A Modesto man’s lucky hunch paid off when he won a $1,000 lottery prize and immediately bought more tickets — winning $10 million with one of them.

California lottery officials say Rodney Meadows was out running errands Nov. 23 when he decided to pick up some $30 California Lottery 30th anniversary scratcher tickets at a Modesto store. He won $1,000 on the first ticket he bought.

KCRA-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1O2q3wt) Meadows decided to buy three more tickets a minute later and that’s when he scratched the ticket that made him a millionaire.

Meadows says he had to ask the store clerk to check his ticket at the machine because he couldn’t believe he had won $10 million.

He says he doesn’t yet know how he’ll spend his winnings.

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#UK Kendall Jenner, Taylor Swift most liked on Instagram in 2015

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendall Jenner has a lot of heart.

An image of the model and reality TV star posing with her hair forming several heart shapes was the year’s most popular photo on Instagram. The image has been liked more than 3.2 million times since it was posted in July.

Jenner and singer Taylor Swift dominated the photo-sharing platform’s list of the top 10 most liked images of 2015.

Swift captured six spots on Instagram’s list with photos of her riding boyfriend Calvin Harris’ back, standing next to a flower bouquet sent by Kanye West and mugging for three selfies with her cat Meredith.

Jenner’s sister, Kylie Jenner, as well as Beyonce and Selena Gomez, were the other celebrities with photos featured on Instagram’s list.

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Instagram’s top 10 most liked photos of 2015:

1. Kendall Jenner’s heart hair: http://ift.tt/1NnZ7qk .

2. Taylor Swift’s roses from Kanye West: http://ift.tt/1l7uCyG .

3. Taylor Swift with boyfriend Calvin Harris: http://ift.tt/1l7uCyI .

4. Kylie Jenner’s graduation: http://ift.tt/1l7uCyK .

5. Beyonce’s portrait with daughter Blue Ivy: http://ift.tt/1NnZ7GC .

6. Taylor Swift with cat Meredith: http://ift.tt/1l7uzmx .

7. Selena Gomez selfie: http://ift.tt/1NnZ9yo .

8. Taylor Swift with cat Meredith: http://ift.tt/1NnZ9yq .

9. Taylor Swift with cat Meredith: http://ift.tt/1l7uCyW .

10. Kendall Jenner celebrating 20 million followers: http://ift.tt/1NnZ7GE .

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#UK Ben Carson just plunged in a new poll, and Donald Trump is soaring again

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Donald Trump

Real-estate magnate Donald Trump is the “undisputed leader” of the Republican presidential field, and his lead has grown over the past month while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has plummeted.

Trump is the first choice of 27% of Republican primary voters nationally, according to a new survey from Quinnipiac University out Wednesday. It’s his best showing in the poll since August and a 3-point increase from last month.

Carson, who was 1 point behind Trump last month, has seen his standing plunge to 16%. That puts him in a tie for third place with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who along with Cruz has surged recently, found himself in second place in the poll with 17% support. Former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida rounds out the top five, garnering 5% in the survey.

“It doesn’t seem to matter what he says or who he offends, whether the facts are contested or the ‘political correctness’ is challenged, Donald Trump seems to be wearing Kevlar,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll. 

“Dr. Ben Carson, moving to center stage just one month ago, now needs some CPR. The Doctor sinks. The Donald soars. The GOP, 11 months from the election, has to be thinking, ‘This could be the guy.'”

Indeed, Republican leaders seem to be increasingly bracing for the possibility that Trump could be the party’s standard bearer next year. The New York Times reported Tuesday that the party was starting to become concerned that Trump could doom the GOP’s down-ballot candidates if he were to win the primary contest.

“It would be an utter, complete and total disaster,” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a presidential rival who has repeatedly tangled with Trump, told The Times. “If you’re a xenophobic, race-baiting, religious bigot, you’re going to have a hard time being president of the United States, and you’re going to do irreparable damage to the party.”

Carson, meanwhile, has seen his standing tumble as he has faced a slew of negative publicity in recent weeks. Most recently, questions about his foreign-policy knowledge placed him under days of scrutiny.

The poll found, however, that the race is still highly volatile two months away from the Iowa caucuses. Just 32% of Republican primary voters said their minds were “made up” about their voting choice, while 65% said they could change their mind.

SEE ALSO: There’s a problem with a common theory about Donald Trump and Ted Cruz

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NOW WATCH: Stadium security prevented one of the bombers from entering with an explosive vest, WSJ reports

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#UK Watch Microsoft show Apple some love in a new holiday ad (MSFT)

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apple microsoft

Kicking off the holiday season, Microsoft on Tuesday released a new 60-second TV ad directed at its biggest longtime competitor: Apple.

But this video wasn’t about comparing products; this ad was meant to encourage solidarity and harmony between the companies, at least during the holidays.

In the video, Microsoft employees show up in front of the iconic 5th Avenue Apple Store with a full children’s choir to sing “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” 

According to AdAge, Microsoft still needed to request permission to film outside the 5th Avenue Apple Store, but Apple reportedly did not know what the 60-second ad was going to be about.

By the end of the video, you can see Apple Store employees coming outside to watch the choir, and even embrace Microsoft’s retail employees in a showing of good faith.

Check out the full ad below.

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#UK India court demands action over Delhi’s toxic air

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Pedestrians walk down the Rajpath in New Delhi on December 1, 2015 as smog envelopes government offices

New Delhi (AFP) – India’s environmental court slammed the Delhi government on Wednesday for failing to improve its notoriously toxic air, as the capital spent another day blanketed in grey smog.

The National Green Tribunal demanded authorities hold a crisis meeting to come up with a strategy to tackle the haze that has worsened across the city in recent days as winter cloud traps pollutants.

“What is the status of air pollution? All you can say is that there is no pollution… All stakeholders who are dealing with air pollution indicate that Delhi is highly polluting,” the bench said in remarks directed at the city government.

“The level of PM2.5 and PM10, both are more than prescribed limits. We cannot permit such a state of affairs causing serious environmental pollution to prevail,” the bench said, according to the Press Trust of India.

A senior official told AFP that a meeting of top environmental experts was under way late Wednesday following the court’s demand.

Successive Delhi governments have faced flak for failing to clean up the city’s filthy air, ranked as the worst in the world by the World Health Organization. 

Courts have been pushing authorities to act, including ordering a toll tax on the thousands of diesel-guzzling trucks entering the city every night.

Smog levels soar in the winter when thousands of poor people light fires to keep warm.

But unlike Beijing, which also suffers from hazardous haze levels, New Delhi does not issue public health warnings.

The court’s demand comes as global climate change talks continued on Wednesday in Paris. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told the summit that rich countries should not force the developing world to abandon fossil fuels completely. 

A WHO study of 1,600 cities released last year showed Delhi had the world’s highest annual average concentration of PM2.5 particles, less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter.

PM2.5 particles are linked to higher rates of chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease as they settle deep in the lungs and can pass into the bloodstream.

Delhi traffic policeman Ram Pranesh Singh described his job as like inhaling “slow poison”.

“The sweepers dust the sides of the roads, the cars pollute and I am in the middle inhaling the mix from morning to night,” he said as he manned a busy crossing near New Delhi’s presidential palace on Wednesday.

“We are not given masks… it can be a pretty thankless job,” the 48-year-old said.

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#UK Here come ADP private payrolls …

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ADP Research Institute will release its data on US private-payroll growth at 8:15 a.m. ET.

Economists estimate that payrolls grew by 190,000 in November, up from 182,000 in the prior period, according to Bloomberg.

Here’s a preview from Bank of America Merrill Lynch:

“We look for ADP private payroll growth of 175,000 in November, down modestly from 182,000 in October. This would be a touch below the recent 3-month trend of 184,000, but reflect continued healthy improvement in the jobs market. Initial jobless claims provide an early signal and have remained low during the month, supporting broad hiring. Manufacturing and mining likely remained weak, however.”

Refresh this page for updates.

SEE ALSO: 10 things you need to know today

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#UK Tallest American chestnut tree found in southwestern Maine

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LOVELL, Maine (AP) — The American Chestnut Foundation says the tallest known American chestnut tree in North America has been found in a forest in southwestern Maine.

The Portland Press Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1PuF2oR ) the nonprofit conservation group said Tuesday that foresters with the Maine Forest Service and the University of Maine measured the tree in Lovell at 115 feet. The next-tallest American chestnut tree is about 20 feet shorter.

An official measurement was to take place Wednesday.

The tree is located on land donated to the University of Maine Foundation by the family of painter Douglas Volk.

A fungal pathogen has been deemed responsible for the decimation of the tree across the country. It’s estimated that only a few dozen large chestnut trees are left standing in Maine.

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