Best dishes?

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Our State magazine run a contest each year for "the best dish in North Carolina," focusing on area ingredients used with "ingenuity." In the west (where we are), finalists include Gallery, Mimosa Grill, Savannah Red and Zebra in Charlotte (all in the fine dining category).
Gallery will offer its three-course menu with ingredients from 12 area farms July 10-Aug. 13, for $45 plus tax and tip. You can also order a la carte. Among its dishes: Chapel Hill Creamery Thunder Mountain Swiss cheese with shaved Johnston County ham; black walnut smoked heritage pork marinated in Junior Johnson cherry moonshine; Baucom's Best short rib with local blueberry and peach barbecue sauce; and more. 10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway; 704-248-4100.