Dining celebration

They know the awards are hard earned, and given without fear or favour.

You will see the certificates displayed prominently in many places where they have been won.

More than ever in 2009, we've seen clear evidence of what Adelaide restaurants do so very well.
While we may not have as many elite, fine-dining options as bigger cities, at the next level there is a fabulous collection of diverse, relatively affordable, brilliantly conceived establishments.

This inclusive culture is surely the mark of a mature, properly rounded culinary community.

Since the start of the year, our reviewers have been scouring the city, suburbs and regional centres to find restaurants worthy of inclusion in the Adelaide Food Guide 10.

More than 170 made it to the book, on the basis that we would happily recommend them to a friend or visitors to South Australia.

Our 14 award winners, chosen by a panel from the review team, are the best of the best in their particular area of excellence.

We have added a few new awards this year, reflecting the informal and accessible approach many people look for in a dining experience. So you will find recognition for our best cafe, family restaurant and community restaurant.

While some of our award winners don't attract a cluster of dining stars - or any at all - we feel they are perfectly in tune with their customers.

The awards were presented on Monday night at a gathering of more than 100 people.

Thanks to Coopers Brewery and Yalumba for supporting the event.

In this special edition, we reveal our award winners and pay tribute to their achievements.

Book a table now and share in the excitement.

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR and BEST REGIONAL RESTAURANT

FINO RESTAURANT
8 Hill St, Willunga
Phone 8556 4488
www.fino.net.au

THE 2009 Restaurant of the Year embodies what we love about eating out in South Australia.

We are home to the country's most vibrant wine producers. We have some of the best and most accessible produce. We do ``small is beautiful'' better than most.

We like genuine service with personality and humanity.

We love real food that tastes fresh, exciting and expressing flavour first rather than fashion and design.

All of this comes together as a natural experience at Fino Restaurant in its little stone cottage in Willunga, at the southern end of the McLaren Vale wine district.

Chef David Swain and co-owner Sharon Romeo craft a brilliant blend of regional produce-driven dishes and an outstanding short wine list that has won national recognition.

There's no hubris, no trickery to Fino - just a completely uplifting experience that reinforces why we all love to share a bountiful table with friends and family.

Those tables aren't dressed in heavy linen. They aren't attended by just-trained staff in vests wearing badges.

Fino does not get into the business of searching for those four or five fine-dining stars that many would expect is the starting point for attracting ``restaurant of the year'' awards.

But Fino genuinely reflects its region with a menu that might feature tommy ruffs or garfish caught locally, or Goolwa cockles from just down the road.

With those might go a simple Mediterranean salad including Sharon's dad's pickled eggplant, which she proudly tells diners about when touring the menu.

David Swain's sensitivity to the seasons is always on show and his light hand in the kitchen allows for even heavier sounding dishes to deliver freshness, flavour and balance on the plate.

Expect to see figs, walnuts, olives and their oil all fresh and singing with local flavour; and expect the menu to change regularly and instinctively to introduce the next fresh thing.

The restaurant offers a shared dining experience as well as individual choices through a tight little a la carte menu, and there is no other venue where the often over-used term ``rustic'' applies so well - many smaller courses arriving at the table in Spanish earthenware dishes which might hold local wild rabbit or huge, juicy Gulf prawns.

The regional focus has grown further in the past year with the introduction of the Fleurieu wine room, where visitors can pick up a select few local-hero drops.

The wine list is a comfortable page long and packed with great interest from those strongly connected to McLaren Vale, while offering enthusiastic wine lovers the opportunity to drink from a smart choice of foreign labels that sit alongside some of our best domestics all on the same sheet.

The capacity to combine a wide-angled view of global gastronomic influences with its feet-on-the-ground community relevance is arguably Fino's great achievement. This is perhaps best seen on a Saturdays when the neighbouring Willunga Farmers Market brings hordes into the restaurant for a rustic breakfast and great coffee - and there's that r-word used meaningfully again.

Our award for Restaurant of the Year goes to David and Sharon for their honesty, maturity, and passion for feeding people just the way they'd like to be fed themselves.

In that sense, Fino is a unique experience - the kind of dining South Australia does better than anywhere and the kind of restaurant we should all be most proud to call our own.