&DINING DRINKING

Best Sandwich Shop Best Steakhouse Best Ribs

JAY’S SMOKIN’ BBQ

Grand Junction Grilled Subs Texas Roadhouse

Location: Fargo Location: Fargo Location: Fargo and Moorhead

What do you think of the win?

“Incredible! We work hard to turn out the best products we can. It feels great to see that people recognize all our hard work,” Co-owner Jacey Henrichs said.

What sets your ribs apart?

“We’ve put a lot of hard work into coming up with a smoking system that works best for our units and our food. When that’s paired alongside our amazing staff and family-style atmosphere, it’s a win-win situation,” Henrichs said.

What do you recommend customers try?

“Ribs, of course!” he said. “However, you can’t go wrong with The Cuban (our smoked pulled pork with shoulder ham, swiss cheese, pickles, and our special mustard sauce all pressed together on Cuban bread), Garlic Melt (smoked brisket, onions, green chili aioli, provolone cheese, and a special garlic butter spread lightly pressed on Cuban bread), or our Poutine (big plate of fries topped with brisket, cheese curds, gravy, and green onions).” honorable mentions

SECOND PLACE: SPITFIRE BAR & GRILL

THIRD PLACE: THE PIGGY BBQ

FOURTH PLACE: NOBULL SMOKEHOUSE

FIFTH PLACE: COWBOY JACKS

What sets your sandwiches apart?

“We put a lot of effort into our prep, making our subs with a much higher standard of ingredients. Along with that is our speed of service. There are very few restaurants that can provide a freshcooked, made-to-order meal as fast as we can,” Owner John Lester said.

How do you plan on defending your title?

“To give us a little more of an edge we are looking to expand our menu a little bit,” Lester said. “Later this fall we plan to start our rotating ‘Sub of the Month’, and we will be exploring the possibility of soup or fruit as a side option for the combos.” honorable mentions

What do you suggest people try?

“My current recommendation is a Junction Delight with black pepper added to it,” Lester said.

SECOND PLACE: GOOD GRUB

THIRD PLACE: MCALISTER’S DELI

FOURTH PLACE: JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS

FIFTH PLACE: WHICH WICH SUPERIOR SANDWICHES honorable mentions

What do you think of the win?

“We’re excited and honored to win again this year!” Managing Partner Brandon Goebel said.

What sets your steaks apart?

“We hand cut our steaks daily and put a lot of love into everything we touch. We also take pride in offering a quality meal at an amazing value,” Goebel said.

What else on your menu do you recommend your customers try?

“I’ve always been a fan of our ribs which have a three-day preparation procedure to make sure they always fall off the bone. We added a few new items to the menu recently including hand-breaded, beerbattered cod,” he said.

SECOND PLACE: SPITFIRE BAR & GRILL

THIRD PLACE: LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE

FOURTH PLACE: MAXWELL’S

RESTAURANT & BAR

FIFTH PLACE: PORTER CREEK

HARDWOOD GRILL

Best Sushi

IZUMI SUSHI & HIBACHI

Location: Two in Fargo

What do you think of the win?

“It’s an honor to win again this year,” General Manager John Weng said. “I always had confidence that we would win again this year just like the last five years in a row.”

What sets your restaurant apart?

“Our menu is built for anyone. It’s so big that it doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an adventurous sushi eater, our menu is right for you,” Weng said.

What do you recommend customers try?

“The crispy crab roll, Ichiban roll, and a new rollTitanic Roll,” he said.

Anything else we should know?

“We are expanding our locations to different cities. This year we have set up a new location in Jamestown and we are working on another location in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,” Weng said.

Honorable Mentions

SECOND PLACE: KOBE’S JAPANESE CUISINE

THIRD PLACE: WASABI

FOURTH PLACE: CRAVE AMERICAN KITCHEN & SUSHI BAR

FIFTH PLACE: SAMURAI JAPANESE CUISINE