Restaurants

You voted. We craved. And now the time has come to reveal the 2008 Maggy winners in the restaurant categories. From salty to sweet, these eateries just can't be beat. There's something old, something new, something to sip and something to chew. From near and far, these restaurants are local super stars!

Oh, enough already. Dig in.

Overall Winners:

Five Guys
Five Guys Burger and Fries is the "New Kid on the Block" to the Maggy's, as it just moved into town and beat out well known fast food joints with its Best Burger and Best Fries awards.

Franchise owner Mike Ruffer, who owns five local Five Guys (two of those in Cary) said his restaurants had a "Good year" in the awards department. He credited folks' love of Five Guys burgers and fries to one simple ingredient: freshness.

"Everything is fresh. Our meat has never been frozen, our bread is baked just for us and we cut 400 to 700 pounds of potatoes for our fries every day," Ruffer added.

"People think of us as fast food and that's OK, but at Five Guys, you have to wait seven to nine minute for your food so we can cook it the way you want it," he added.

Angus Barn
Welcome to the Maggy awards, Angus Barn. It is impressive that you clinched two top categories, Best Steak House and Best Wine Selection your first time around. But with the steaks and wine that appear on your menu, we are the ones who should be impressed.

A 14-ounce Chateaubriand, a 22-ounce Prime Rib, a 24-ounce T-bone and a 10-ounce bacon-wrapped Filet Migon. Holy Cow.

And as for a wine selection, if the 89 page wine list isn't enough selection for you, here are just a few countries the Raleigh eatery offers vino from: France, Chile, Greece, Italy and Portugal. Cheers!

Jack Astor's Bar and Grill
Located in the busy Crossroads area of Cary, it is shocking that this is the first time Jack Astor's Bar & Grill has made our big winner list. Last year, they did make honorable mention for Best Outdoor Dining, but they kicked second place to the curb this year and brought home the top spot.

Jack Astor's also won Best Kid-Friendly eatery. And based on the vittles they offer the little ones, we can see why. Sure you can get the old reliable Mac and Cheese or Chicken Fingers for your children, but why would you when you can get them a Sirloin Steak (5 ounces) with a baked potato or Jack's Pasta, made of rigatoni pasta tossed with fresh basil and roasted garlic tomato sauce or creamy cheese sauce. Exactly. If only I could pull off being 12-years-old again so I could order off the junior menu.

An
New world cuisine is what An offers up off Weston Parkway in Cary and readers love it. An, which means "to dine" or "to eat" in Vietnamese, was voted Best New Restaurant.

Chef Michael Chuong is the mastermind behind the new world cuisine, which the eatery describes as an elegant blend of Southeast Asian flavors and European influences.

Daniel's Restaurant and Catering
The only eatery of our overall winners to be here last year was Daniel's Restaurant and Catering off NC 55 in Apex. In fact, it was here the first year too, as this is the third year in a row the pizza/pasta place has won the Best Italian and Best Pizzeria awards.

If you are craving Italian food — the pastabilites are endless, as Daniel's serves gourmet pastas like, "Shrimp N' Grits Ravioli," "Penne alla Vodka" and "Fettuccini Alfredo."

The eatery is also known for its New York style pie slices.

Owner Daniel Perry said he owed his three-year Italian reign to "the quality of our food and ingredients, the consistency of our product and the dedication of our staff."

"A lot of my staff has been with us a long time," Perry said. "We couldn't do it without them."

Right On, Write-ins!

The power of the keyboard showed up in the restaurant section of the Maggy awards this year, as several eateries not on the ballot became the write-in champs of their category.

Best Bakery and Best Dessert – Twisted Fork
Best Burger – Hi5
Best Creative Sandwich and Best Ladies Lunch – Bogart's
Best Wines, Best Neighborhood Bar, Best New Restaurant and Best Steak House – 1705 Prime
Best Seafood – Michael Dean's