RALEIGH — Twenty restaurants have been selected to compete this summer for Best Dish in North Carolina honors through a contest sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Our State magazine. These finalists will compete in either the fine or casual dining category. Each category will be judged anonymously by a three-member panel.
Finalists in Fine Dining are: Grove Park Inn Blue Ridge Dining Room, Asheville; Red Stag Grill, Asheville; Simplicity at the Mast Farm Inn, Banner Elk; Beaufort Grocery Co., Beaufort; Table at Crestwood, Boone; Carolina Crossroads at Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill; Il Palio at The Siena Hotel, Chapel Hill; The Gallery Restaurant at the Ballentyne Resort, Charlotte; Ashten’s, Southern Pines; and Deluxe, Wilmington.
Finalists in Casual Dining are: Bistro 42, Asheboro; Earth Fare, Asheville; Giorgio Restaurant Bar and Lounge, Cary; Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse, Durham; Watts Grocery, Durham; Kitchen Roselli, East Bend; Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, Greensboro; Outer Banks Brewing Station, Kill Devil Hills; Kornerstone Bistro, Wilmington; and Yancey House Restaurant, Yanceyville.
“We are fortunate in North Carolina to have so many restaurants that feature locally grown products on their menus,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “You can taste the freshness, quality and culinary creativity for yourself by visiting these and other North Carolina restaurants that feature local products.”
The Best Dish in NC competition is a statewide contest to that recognizes and rewards the efforts of restaurants and chefs who use North Carolina products regularly in their menus. It also raises awareness about local foods, restaurants and chefs.
The 20 finalists were chosen based on their proposed menus and marketing plans for promoting the menu. Chefs were allowed to enter a combination of dishes (for example, an appetizer with an entrée and dessert), but each was judged as a single entry.
Competition finalists are required to feature the dish or combination of courses in their restaurant for at least a four-week period in May, June or July. During this time, the judges will visit each finalist to sample the entries and judge each restaurant on its use of North Carolina products, creativity, presentation, taste and promotion. First-, second- and third-place winners will be announced in August.
Source: N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services