On October 12, the magazine threw a party celebrating our annual Top 25 Restaurants cover story. The event, called 5280 Dines, was held at the newly opened Le Grande Bistro & Oyster Bar on Curtis Street. Guests gathered to mingle and taste dishes by six of the winning restaurants. Below, a few pictures to whet your appetite (more pics here).

Simon Purvis, executive chef of Edge Restaurant and Bar plates blueberry-venison sausage with fall root vegetable hash, Brussels sprouts salad, and huckleberry sauce.

A platter of ChoLon’s “Banh Mi Bites” stacked with duck terrine, foie gras, chicken liver mousse, pickled vegetables, and tarragon-Chinese mustard aïoli.

Edge’s blueberry-venison sausage with fall root vegetable hash, Brussels sprouts salad, and huckleberry sauce awaits guests.

Le Grande, which hosted the event, created a knockout two-bite dish: a pickled oyster with star anise, butternut squash, and foie gras, and a small serving of seared salmon and melted leeks with pink peppercorn horseradish beurre blanc.

Le Grande’s bartenders shook, mixed, and poured drinks from the open bar.

Colt & Gray, which maintained its top 10 slot from the year before, served crispy pig trotters in homage to the restaurant’s nose-to-tail mantra.

Table 6’s pho duck dumplings with green onions, jalapeño, lime, and mint.

Barolo Grill served a classic vitello tonnato—chilled veal with Piedmontese tuna aïoli, microgreens, and roasted pepper–caper tapenade.

Mizuna, which ranked third this year, served a delicate frutti di mare before finishing party-goers off with fresh-fruit tartlets.

—Images courtesy of Lori Fisher Eyecatcher Photographs

Amanda M. Faison
Amanda M. Faison
Freelance writer Amanda M. Faison spent 20 years at 5280 Magazine, 12 of those as Food Editor.