Last week, our Marketing Division announced the Best Dish finalists – 26 restaurants from across the state that are vying for top honors in creating the best menu from North Carolina products.
This year, in addition to breaking it down between fine and casual dining categories, there also will be separate winners in eastern and western regions. The contest runs from May to September and restaurants have to offer their “best dish” for at least four weeks during this time period. Social media outlets Facebook and Twitter are great resources to keep up with these restaurants and to stay up-to-date on when they’ll be offering their finest local menu. Below are the finalists, links to their website, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. We also have a Twitter list that you can follow that consolidates all the restaurants’ twitter feeds. Warning, though: Reading about their daily menu specials will make your lunch of peanut butter and jelly and chips seem kind of lame.
Eastern Piedmont/Coastal
Casual Dining
| Mez Contemporary Mexican Restaurant | Durham | ||
| Circa 81 | Morehead City | @Circa81 | |
| Market | Raleigh | @MarketRaleigh | |
| Tribeca Tavern | Raleigh | @TribecaTavern | |
| Kornerstone Bistro | Wilmington | @KstoneBistro | |
| Yancey House Restaurant | Yanceyville | @YanceyHouse |
Fine Dining
| Il Palio at The Siena Hotel | Chapel Hill | @SienaHotel | |
| 1895 Grille | Pinehurst | ||
| Elliott’s on Linden | Pinehurst | @Elliotts_Linden | |
| McCormicks & Schmicks Seafood Restaurant | Raleigh | @McandSchmicks | |
| Zely and Ritz | Raleigh | @ZelyandRitz | |
| Marc’s on Market | Wilmington | ||
| Deluxe | Wilmington | @DeluxeNc | |
| Circa 1922 | Wilmington |
Western Piedmont/Mountain region
Casual Dining
| Off the Square | Albemarle | ||
| Bistro forty two | Asheboro | ||
| Café Azalea | Asheville | @CafeAzalea | |
| Kitchen Roselli | East Bend |
Fine Dining
| Crippen’s Country Inn and Restaurant | Blowing Rock | ||
| Table at Crestwood | Boone | @CrestwoodNC | |
| The Gallery Restaurant at the Ballantyne Resort | Charlotte | @GalleryRest | |
| Mimosa Grill | Charlotte | @MimosaGrillCLT | |
| Savannah Red | Charlotte | ||
| Zebra Restaurant | Charlotte | ||
| Knife & Fork | Spruce Pine | ||
| Simplicity at the Mast Farm Inn | Valle Crucis |
Which of these restaurants have you tried? Tell us your favorites in the comments below.