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Two Wilmington favorites are finalists in the Best Dish in North Carolina competition (bestdishnc.com), which focuses on local ingredients. I am judging the East. (For the West, click here).

I visited Deluxe (114 Market St., (910) 251-0333) on opening night of an exhibit of painted surfboards and guitars. Wilmington’s arts and film crowd were well-represented. The visuals were stunning, and so was the food.

The BDNC entry started with a bisque ($4/cup, $6/bowl) of heirloom tomatoes and roasted pears with chives and basil oil. Next came a salad ($10) of strawberries, field greens and goat cheese along with jumbo lump blue crab and pecans in strawberry champagne vinaigrette. My wife dubbed this “dessert salad.”

The tuna entree ($27) was crusted with mashed potatoes gently blending into the flavor of the tuna, which was enhanced with crawfish and preserved lemon-caper aioli. Vegetable succotash, arugula, chili oil and micro herb sprouts completed this presentation. Grilled Pound Cake ($8), surrounded by blueberries and flanked by coconut-bourbon ice cream, was the dessert.

Other members of my party ordered from the menu. The Buttermilk Calamari ($10) is crisply fried, enhanced by sweet and sour apricot chutney with hot cherry peppers and cilantro. Tempura Shrimp ($10) are stacked on skewers, with cashew dipping sauce, wasabi dressing and ginger soy glaze.

My favorite entree was Thai Style Drunken Noodles ($21) with crisp, hot tempura prawns, stir-fried rice noodles with Thai basil, toy-box tomatoes and fried egg tossed in a sweet chili sauce. Pan-Seared Grouper Filet ($27) over jumbo lump crab with prosciutto-fennel vinaigrette and bearnaise aioli earned high marks as well. Fingerling potato hash and roasted asparagus were the vegetables.

Certified Executive Chef Scott Haulman — formerly of Liberty Oak, the original Undercurrent and Madison Park in Greensboro — is the proprietor. Executive Chef Trinity Hunt was in the first graduating class of Johnson and Wales Charlotte campus.

Circa 1922 (8 N. Front St., (910) 762-1922) serves tapas and full-sized entrees. The historic structure was converted from a bank, and the interior reminded me of New Orleans.

The BDNC entry consisted of Goat Lady Cheese Ravioli ($9) with eggplant, fennel, squash, peppers and lemon basil. Heirloom Tomato Salad ($8.50) came next, placing cucumbers, grilled onions and goat cheese over a purple tomato slice, joined by red and gold tomato cubes and radish strips and scattered with micro greens dressed in lemon verbena. The entree was Roasted Sheepshead ($17.50), a wild fish, plus succotash of field peas, corn, tasso ham and crab meat in tomato jus.

Guests chose two tapas selections: red and yellow sliced beets with bleu cheese and pecans and strawberries and arugula (both $4.50). From the sushi menu, Lobster Roll ($13.50) of tempura lobster with mango hot and sweet sauce matched any Asian rendition in my experience.

Paella ($14) included clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and chorizo sausage simmered in saffron rice. Crabmeat Cheesecake ($13) is baked in a roasted garlic and pecorino cheese crust and ladled with Champagne brie cream. Lush!

One claim to fame lies in the Colossal Confections menu ($9.75). Small portions are available for $3.

Kyle McKnight has been executive chef since May 2009. He tends the restaurant’s vegetable garden, as well as maintaining relationships with 10 area farms.

Two other Wilmington BDNC finalists, Kornerstone Bistro (8262 Market St., (910) 686-2296) and Marc's on Market (7213 Market St., (910) 686-6465), will be visited in July.

Farther up the coast, Circa 81 (4650 Arendell St., Morehead City, (252) 648-8300) is another finalist.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 25 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420, or send e-mail to john.e.batchelor@gmail.com. To find his recent columns, visit GoTriad.com..