By Marlee Jackson and Maggie Edwards
(334) 613-4219

Eight Alabama restaurants are in the running to earn the Bama’s Best Surf & Turf title.

Those Edible Eight restaurants, and their respective semi-finalist dishes, are:

• Gather in Atmore — the “Shipwreck” (twin filets of beef, Conecuh creamed corn, crab cakes, bacon caramel green beans and shrimp sauce)
• Hunt’s in Dothan — 8-ounce ribeye and shrimp
• The Old Mill in Dothan — steak and grouper
• The Old Barn in Goshen — seafood plate
• Tin Top in Bon Secour — seafood-stuffed porterhouse pork chop
• Big Mike’s in Thomasville — filet mignon with shrimp skewer
• Jesse’s in Magnolia Springs — Wagyu teres major with pan-seared Gulf shrimp
• Crawmama’s in Guntersville — 14-ounce ribeye and grilled shrimp on bed of rice

The restaurants now compete in bracket-style, head-to-head voting on Sweet Grown Alabama’s Facebook page July 28-31.

During each matchup, customers must “like” the image highlighting the restaurant they wish to vote for. The restaurant that receives the most “likes” (reactions like “love” and “wow” also count) each day by 9 p.m. moves on to the Flavorful Four.

The competition matchups are:

• July 28: Gather and Hunt’s
• July 29: The Old Mill and The Old Barn
• July 30: Tin Top and Big Mike’s
• July 31: Jesse’s and Crawmama’s

Sweet Grown Alabama Director Ellie Watson said she’s excited to see customers rally around restaurants that serve exceptional seafood and land-based protein.

“As our state’s agricultural branding program, Sweet Grown Alabama strives to connect consumers and producers,” Watson said. “This competition celebrates restaurants that support local farmers through dishes like traditional surf-and-turf entrées or more outside-the-box cuisine.”

In August, the Flavorful Four restaurants will host a trio of judges ready to taste-test contenders for Bama’s Best Surf & Turf. The winner will receive bragging rights, a cash prize, a plaque and features on “Simply Southern TV” and in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Neighbors magazine.

Late last year, Sweet Grown Alabama partnered with the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources to continue the legacy of the Eat Alabama Seafood program. Bama’s Best Surf & Turf highlights the unified state brand, which promotes the men and women who fill Alabamians’ plates with delicious local food, whether on land or sea.