Blowing Rock restaurants

among state finalists

Blowing Rock has served up three of the 20 finalists in a statewide "fine-dining" competition for Best Dish.

Crippen's Country Inn & Restaurant and The Table At Crestwood earned slots in the fine dining competition, while the Storie Street Grille made it in the casual dining category. The competition is sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Goodness Grows in North Carolina program and Our State magazine.

The 20 finalists were chosen based on their proposed menus and their marketing plan for promoting the menu. Chefs were allowed to enter a combination of dishes, 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 N.C. products, creativity, presentation, taste and promotion.

First-, second- and third-place winners will be announced in August.

Visit www.bestdishnc.com for a complete list of finalists, restaurant information, entered menus with pictures, chef bios, judging criteria and contest information.