I have to admit I was rooting for Kevin Sbraga, a little bit. Sbraga is the culinary director of the Garces Restaurant Group, which owns Amada in Philadelphia. I had one of the best meals of my life at Amada and have frequently considered going back to Philly just to eat there again, calling ahead for the whole roasted suckling pig (wow I'm hungry) and try Tinto while I'm at it. Sbraga was assisted by commis Aimee Patel, a cook at Amada.
The cooks in their kitchen:
Here is the Cod Presentation, "Southern Flair" most of the components are described below in greater detail; however, a few of the pictures didn't turn out very well, so the little thing on the green teardrop is green onion bread pudding with scallop and red pepper confit; the square item wrapped in green is a terrine of shellfish with duck liver wrapped in swiss chard:
Shrimp & Grits with Quail Egg and Shaved truffle:
Fried Okra with Benton's Bacon & Buttermilk: 
Loin of Cod with Pecan Squared and Tomato Marmalade - I love how they peeled the tomatoes and then fried them so that the peels stood up and out like little flowers:
Here is the plated presentation:
and here is Chef Gavin "Boy Wonder" Kaysen taking in the aroma before tasting:
The meat presentation. I think my heart might have stopped beating for just a few seconds when I saw this - the perfectly roasted tenderloin, the little jars, the perfectly-latticed pie, Not surprisingly, it won the award of best meat presentation. Beef tenderloin with peach wood smoke and red eye gravy:
Collard green and bbq beef cheek en croute:
Jalapeno cornbread with oxtail and cheddar:
This is definitely going to be on my Thanksgiving menu - candied yams with sage and pecans, along with toasted orange blossom marshmallow:
and here's the plated presentation for the judges:
André Soltner takes notes while tasting:
