The Homestead Chop

Maddhatter’s

Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

Creator: Dana Gough, head chef

Price: $26.99

This dish includes a locally sourced pork chop from the Homestead Farm just outside of Grande Prairie in Alberta. Lightly brined and grilled, the chop is served with housemade chorizo gnocchi, braised pork belly and smokey maple pork jus. It’s a straightforward combination of good locally sourced ingredients.

Thyme-crusted seabass, seafood essence sauce and tomato concasse

Olhats Food Corp.

Corona Del Mar, Calif.

Creator: Chef Pascal Olhats

Price: $35

Pascal Olhats is a longtime chef in Southern California who was known for his restaurant Pascal in San Juan Capistrano, which closed in 2019. Now Olhats is catering, creating dishes like this seabass fillet braised in chardonnay and topped with a thyme crust and broiled. The fish is served over slow-cooked diced tomatoes and surrounded with a cream seasoned with mussel juice and shrimp shells. A surprising number of seabass dishes were submitted but this is a standout with a bright plate presentation.

Grilled Miso Salmon and brown rice bowl

Claudine Kitchen and Bakeshop

Encino, Calif.

Creator: Anthony Jacquet, chef/partners

Price: $16.98

“This dish skyrocketed to the top of our menu mix and it really started as a way to move salmon trimmings,” wrote Anthony Jacquet with his submission. The dish includes grilled sesame-miso salmon with sushi-style organic brown rice, cucumber, avocado, red cabbage, radish, broccoli, pickled carrots and our signature nori dynamite sauce. The salmon is marinated with a thick paste made of gochujang, sesame oil, sugar and tamari and then grilled on the flat top. The brown rice is steamed and tossed with sushi vinegar and assembled with all fresh vegetables and garnished with our signature brown sugar miso sauce, nori dynamite sauce and furikake.

New York Steak Tasting

Urban Farmer

Sage Restaurants (5 locations)

Creator: Matt Christianson, executive chef of Urban Farmer Portland

Price: $70-$85

Urban Farmer's ethos is rooted in the responsible sourcing of high-quality ingredients, and the New York Steak Tasting dish is a great example. This dish is comprised of 5 oz. cuts of three different steaks: One from a grass-fed cow; one from a grain-finished cow; and one dry-aged. Guests also have the option of adding on a wagyu steak upon request so they can compare all of them side by side. There are notable differences in the nuances of the meat based on the animal's diet. We loved that this dish invites conversation and debate, and that it connects diners with the restaurant’s mission so tangibly.

Cuban braised beef short rib with chimichurri

Millennium Catering

Kalamazoo, Mich.

Creator: Chef Eric Gillish

Price: NA

Tender bone-in beef short ribs are rubbed with robust Cuban influenced-spices — including smoked paprika, ancho chili powder and cinnamon — as well as coffee. The meat is slow braised with grilled peppers, onions and tomato, and then served with fresh ground chimichurri, enlivened with fresh cilantro, parsley and oregano. We loved this dish as a representation of the larger trend of exploring Latin cuisines beyond Mexico.

BBQ Shrimp Detroit-style Pizza

Reginelli’s Pizzeria

New Orleans

Darryl Reginelli, owner

Price: $25.95 for a whole 10- x 14-inch pizza

This pizza is a twist on the original New Orleans classic BBQ Shrimp dish. Louisiana Gulf shrimp are tossed in a worcestershire butter sauce, barbecued red onions, bourbon honey, a cheese blend and a fresh squeeze of lemon. It serves as a topping for the Detroit style pizza, which is rectangular and features double-proofed dough with crispy edges.

Hong Kong Chicken and Waffles

Manna Restaurant

Castle Rock, Colo.

Creator: Adam Freisem

Price: $11

Here’s an example of a classic dish made new with Vietnamese flavors. The waffle is spiked with lime leaf, Thai basil and parsley and topped with braised greens and garnished with radish. On top is brined and fried chicken with four sauces: a sesame sambal, an Asian Caesar (essentially a Caesar dressing made with fish sauce rather than anchovy and sesame oil), tonkatsu sauce and Vietnamese caramel (like traditional caramel but with a touch of fish sauce).

Canard a la Presse (for two)

Ariete

Miami

Creator: Chef Michael Beltran

Price: $125 (for two)

Chef Michael Beltran uses a two-feet tall, 36 lb. Paderno Duck Press, imported from France, for this showstopping dish. Working tableside, Beltran carves a whole, Rohan duck that has been dry aged for 14 days, and sets the breast aside. He then inserts the carcass into the press, which uses a screw-down plate to compress the cooked bones and squeeze out every last drop of juice. It is then cooked tableside with red wine vinegar and finished with seasonal jam. The jus is spooned over the sliced breast and garnished with pistachio dukkah. The duck is served with duck pastelitos, duck leg tamale with wild mushroom gravy and the option of adding foie gras, along with a seasonal salad.

Phat Stack Sliders

Radio Room, Chicago

Creator: Andrew Sikkelerus, executive chef

Price: $19

There had to be a burger, right? At Radio Room, four sliders with brie cheese, oxtail marmalade, crispy shallots and garlic aioli are stacked for dramatic presentation. At the table, guests have the option of having a four-cheese fondue poured over the sliders, or they can have it on the side for dipping. The sliders are served with curly fries. This dish may potentially make a mess, but sometimes it’s fun to play with your food.