America's Best: Top 10 Regional Classics

Alton Brown delivers Food Network Magazine's picks for best restaurants in the US offering classic American dishes. Check out this sneak peek of the finalists, then tune in September 20 to 23, 2010, at 9 p.m. ET, when Alton will reveal the winners.

Chef Robert Stehling grew up eating grits from the Old Mill of Guilford, a 250-year-old gristmill in North Carolina, and he uses the same ones for his phenomenal shrimp and grits. He breaks tradition, smothering the dish with mushrooms and bacon. It’s such a must-have dish that it's on the breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner menus. 207 Rutledge Ave., Charleston, SC

Doug Sohn opened this bright "encased-meat emporium" nine years ago after friends griped that they couldn't find good dogs in Chicago. Now fans line up around the block for specials like rabbit sausage with brie, foie-gras-and-duck sausage and crawfish sausage with aged Monterey jack. 3324 North California Ave., Chicago, IL

There are rules to barbecue, and in eastern North Carolina, you start with a whole hog and finish with a vinegar-based sauce. Pit master Ed Mitchell has been doing this for 30 years, and he has become a local legend, devoted to using humanely raised pigs. Some call his $7.60 sandwich pricey, but it comes with a side of conscience and darned good slaw. 328 West Davie St., Raleigh, NC

This legendary restaurant (Emeril's proving ground) closed for a year after Hurricane Katrina, but the Brennan family brought it back to its former glory — and the gumbo is better than ever. Chef Tory McPhail dreams up new ones daily, like speckled-belly-goose-and-foie- gras gumbo, using almost all local ingredients. 1403 Washington Ave., New Orleans, LA

Every night at 10 p.m., a server at this gastro pub grabs a megaphone and yells, "Burger time!" Chef Linton Hopkins makes only 24 of his deliciously simple double cheeseburgers each night, and they sell out in less than a minute. Get there early to put dibs on one. 2277 Peachtree Rd., Atlanta, GA

This chophouse has been open since 1885 and has plenty of memorabilia to prove it, including a pipe from Teddy Roosevelt. The steaks are dry-aged on site and served with tasty sides to boot. The day after a meal you'll regret not being able to finish the generous serving of skillet-fried hash browns and those last bites of perfectly cooked T Bone with charred red pepper. 72 West 36th St., New York, NY

This Philly cheesesteak isn't from Philly, and it's not even a sandwich: It's a bite-size, light-as-air roll injected with liquid cheese and layered with wafer-thin slices of kobe beef. Chef Jose Andres wows L.A. scenesters with this dish, among other playful ones at his spectacle of a restaurant. 465 South La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

No disrespect to Maine, but this little spot might be the lobster-roll holy land. The sandwiches here are stuffed with tons of claw, knuckle and tail meat and, better yet, they come both ways — with melted butter or with mayo — so no one has to argue about the proper style. 63 Salem St., Boston, MA

The Texas legislature proclaimed Lockhart the state's barbecue capital in 2003, and Rick Schmidt, co-owner of this 110-year-old joint, might as well be the town mayor. He sells his tender brisket and flaky ribs by the pound on butcher paper — no forks provided. 619 North Colorado St., Lockhart, TX