Best fine dining: Restaurants compete in WRAL Voters' Choice Awards

Whether it's for a special occasion or a date night, these were your picks for best fine dining establishment in the Triangle.

Posted 10:15 a.m. Jan 10, 2023 — Updated 11:21 a.m. Jan 10, 2023

RALEIGH, N.C. — The votes are in and it is almost time to find out who the winners are in the 2022 WRAL Voters' Choice Awards presented by M&F Bank. The awards will be announced Jan. 12, 2023. This is story is part of a series focusing on the categories that got the highest numbers of votes.

Whether it's for a special occasion or a date night, these were your picks for best fine dining establishment in the Triangle.

Here are the finalists:

Angus Barn, 9401 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh

The iconic Angus Barn is more than 62 years old and is the reigning winner for both best steak and best fine dining restaurant in WRAL's Voters' Choice Awards. The wine cellar is award-winning and vast, with some very rare wines for collectors.

VCA Spotlight: 5 facts about The Angus Barn

Angus Barn opened June 28, 1960. The restaurant is known as a "Beef Eaters Haven" and serves more than 22,000 steaks per month. Each year, reservations to dine at Angus Barn, which is elaborately decorated during the holiday season, sell out months in advance.

Angus Barn is also known for its hospitality and service -- servers will even bring diners a blanket if they're chilly.

Crawford and Son, 618 N. Person St., Raleigh

Owner and chef Scott Crawford created a neighborhood restaurant with creative entrees for meat eaters and vegetarians like roasted celery root, smoked quail and duck breast. In the past, Crawford and Son served some retro-inspired items including a version of a pot pie featuring rabbit. There is also a selection of raw items like beef tartare and yellowfin tuna.

Crawford and Son (Photo by Jessica Crawford)

Rey's Restaurant, 1130 Buck Jones Road, Raleigh

Rey's won third place in the WRAL Voters' Choice Awards fine dining category and best steak category last year.

Founded in 2004, Rey's serves up hearty New Orleans-inspired meals in a cozy, upscale setting. The menu is a mix of seafood, chicken, steak, veal and pork, with entrees like Bourbon Street pork chops, French Quarter Chicken, center-cut filets, New York Strip, roasted rack of lamb, veal marsala and more. Appetizers include shrimp and crabcakes, and sides large enough for sharing include green beans with almonds, au gratin potatoes, sautéed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, mashed potatoes and more. One of the signature menu items is Rey's New Orlenas turtle soup. The restaurant is well-known for its desserts prepared tableside, including bananas foster and cherries jubilee.

Second Empire, 330 Hillsborough St., Raleigh

Located in the restored 19th century Dodd-Hinsdale house, Second Empire elegantly combines history, ambiance and gourmet food.

Pastry chefs create homemade desserts and bake fresh bread daily, and entrees include a vegetable risotto, roasted Peking duck breast, grilled mountain trout, pan-roasted monkfish, arctic salmon, grilled citrus and oregano chicken breast and more. On the dessert menu are traditional items like creme brulee and chocolate cake and specialty desserts like sweet potato tea bread soaked in a spiced cherry custard with fresh and dried cherries, topped with streusel crumble and cherry ice cream.

Vidrio, 500 Glenwood Ave. #100, Raleigh

Vidrio is known for its beautiful dishes and setting. The restaurant aims to give patrons a window into the Mediterranean with a rotating menu focusing on fresh seafood and slow-roasted meat. The bar menu includes more than 50 wines, 300 bottles and craft cocktails. The signature cocktail, a gin and tea-based drink called the "Amortentia," changes colors from blue to purple as it's made and the longer it sits on the table.