Dining out? Try one of these!

The panel of judges: Arnold Tanzer (director of the SA Chefs Association); Dario D’Angelo (restaurateur); Letitia Prinsloo (principal of the Institute of Culinary Arts); Abigail Donnelly (editor, Eat Out) and Pete Goffe-Wood (food alchemist).

After reviewing over 800 restaurants countrywide, Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly and her team of judges have announced the shortlist of 20 nominees for the 2007 Eat Out Restaurant Awards.

They are:
•Auberge Michel (Johannesburg)
•Aubergine (Cape Town)
•Bosman's (Cape Town)
•Bread & Wine (Cape Town)
•Café 1999 (Durban)
•Ginja (Cape Town)
•Grande Provence (Cape Town)
•Jardine (Cape Town)
•La Belle Terasse and Loggia (Johannesburg)
•La Colombe (Cape Town)
•Linger Longer (Johannesburg)
•Ninth Avenue Bistro (Durban)
•Reuben's (Cape Town)
•Roots (Johannesburg)
•Salt (Cape Town)
•The Tasting Room (Cape Town)
•Templeton's at Four Oaks (Montagu)
•Terroir (Cape Town)
•The Showroom (Cape Town)
•Zachary's at the Pezula Resort Hotel and Spa (Knysna)

These 20 finalists are competing for the following coveted awards: EAT OUT Restaurant of the Year; EAT OUT Chef of the Year; EAT OUT Service Award; EAT OUT Lifetime Achievement Award; as well as the Woolworths TASTE Bursary Award.

The final top 10 restaurants as chosen by Abigail Donnelly and the panel of four judges (Food Alchemist Pete Goffe-Wood; Principal of the Institute of Culinary Arts Letitia Prinsloo; Restaurateur Dario D'Angelo, and Director of the SA Chefs Association Arnold Tanzer), will be unveiled at the glamorous Eat Out Restaurant Awards ceremony to be held at The Rotunda at The Bay Hotel in Camps Bay (Cape Town) on Sunday 25 November.

The judging procedure

The judges follow a set list of criteria when eating out and reviewing a restaurant. These criteria include:

At the table:
•Menu composition
•Seasonality of ingredients
•Food presentation
•Food taste
•Specific dishes eaten
•Value for money
•Wine choice and service
•Service
•Ambience

The establishment:
•The restaurant must be open and have been operating since November 2006.
•The restaurant owners and chef should show an absolute passion for their business.
•The restaurant owners and chef should show a dedication to uplifting the industry.
•The chef should care where their produce comes from.
•There should be consistency and excellence in every aspect of the business.