By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — Half of the country's top-earning restaurants in 2009, including the recently-shuttered Tavern on the Green, were in Manhattan, according to Restaurants and Institutions magazine.
The magazine ranked the nation's top ten highest-grossing independent eateries and along with Tavern, which held the No. 2 spot, Smith and Wollensky, the 44th Street Carmine's, Tao Asian Bistro and Buddakan all made the list.
This is the last year Tavern on the Green will be on the list, despite raking in about $27 million for the year. Its owners filed for bankruptcy in September of 2009 and closed the restaurant on Dec. 31.
The top 100 restaurants, 31 of which are located in Manhattan, sold a combined $1.37 billion in food and drinks, which was significantly lower than the 2008 total of $1.52 billion, the magazine reported.
The top spot on the list went to Tao Restaurant and Nightclub in Las Vegas, Nev.
