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Mesa Provisions and Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. were finalists for the prestigious James Beard Awards this year. Dubbed the 鈥淥scars of the food world,鈥� the awards represent a crowning achievement for any food or beverage professional.

Do these two sa国际传媒官网网页入口 establishments live up to the hype?

The Journal asked me to find out why they鈥檝e been selected among the best nationwide.

Mesa Provisions

Everything at Mesa Provisions 鈥� ambiance, service, food 鈥� is sophisticated yet relaxed, making for an elevated but easygoing dining experience.

Case in point: The wine list is arranged light to heavy, from the lightest-bodied white to the richest red. I knew I wanted the pork chop, so my server directed me to the middle of the list, and I chose their heaviest white, a timorasso by La Spinetta ($18 a glass). Timorasso, a grape that was all but forgotten by the end of the 20th century, is in the midst of a revival.

Mesa鈥檚 food menu is arranged from lightest to heaviest, too, in contrast to the usual breakdown of 鈥渟tarters鈥� and 鈥渕ains.鈥� More restaurants should do it this way, as it helps patrons estimate portion sizes.

For my appetizer, I got the grilled asparagus ($16). The meaty spears, with good char marks and tender-crisp texture, were topped with an herbaceous, spicy gribiche and webs of melted cheese. A caramelized lemon, which I squeezed over everything, unleashed the summery garden flavors.

My bone-in pork chop was about 2 inches thick 鈥� they don鈥檛 skimp! 鈥� and beautifully presented on a bed of creamy yellow grits, with marinated peaches, pepita pesto and microgreens. The peaches were bursting with fresh-off-the-tree flavor, their sweetness balancing the savory grits. The pesto was scrumptiously nutty.

For dessert, I got the rhubarb fool ($11). Fool, traditionally, is a velvety swirl of pureed fruit and custard, but Mesa鈥檚 is more like a trifle, with layers of dense sponge cake, stewed rhubarb and brittle bits of meringue. Theirs is a serious fool: texturally complex, not overly sweet. It still has a touch of whimsy, courtesy of the meringue, which recalled the pineapple-flavored astronaut ice cream I had as a child.

Mesa Provisions is at 3009 Central Ave. NE. For more info, visit .

Bow & Arrow Brewing Co.

I started my Bow & Arrow journey with the Denim Tux Blue Corn Pilsner. Brewery founder Shyla Sheppard (Three Affiliated Tribes of Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation) uses locally sourced Indigenous ingredients in her recipes, and I was eager to try a beer made with blue corn. Was it silly of me to think it would be blue in color? It鈥檚 not. But with sweet corn on the nose and a pleasantly bitter finish, it鈥檚 a satisfying, summery beverage.

The menu promises a 鈥渃rackery, honeycomb and herbal鈥� flavor profile for the Desert Standard German Pils. To me, it was drinkable but basic. No herbs detected. I preferred Dos Arrows, their Mexican-style lager 鈥� an easy-drinking, conversational beer with a pleasantly bitter finish. Still, I felt the menu overpromised. If it鈥檚 鈥渄osed with pineapple puree,鈥� as they state, it must be a low dosage.

Bow & Arrow鈥檚 hazy IPA, See the Canyons Broken by Cloud, is a true standout. It gives all the mango and citrus you want from a hazy without feeling as though you鈥檝e tumbled face-first into a fermented fruit salad. It鈥檚 restrained, almost flinty. A sophisticated choice.

By this point, a married couple on a road trip 鈥� Mark and Eileen Butt 鈥� had sidled up to me at the bar. The beer hall atmosphere at Bow & Arrow makes it an easy place to meet new friends. See the Canyons was a fave of theirs, too.

Midnight With a Chance of Coyotes was the most flavorful, and unusual, beer I had all night. A decadently rich imperial stout made with actual peanuts, it evoked Mexican mazap谩n and chocolate milkshakes. But what I found exciting in my first sip became cloying by sip three.

As my new friends, the Butts, regaled me with stories of live concerts they鈥檇 seen, I tried SETI NOT YETI, an oatmeal stout. 鈥淩oasted malt鈥� does not even begin to describe the campfire-charred marshmallow richness of this seductive dark ale. In my mind, I was camping in the high desert with my new, music-loving pals, the air thick with woodsmoke, listening to a celestial guitar solo by Prince and watching for UFOs.

The menu referenced extraterrestrials, Mark Butt was wearing a Prince shirt and my imagination was clearly running wild. But I bet it鈥檒l make you feel otherworldly, too, for SETI NOT YETI is bewitching and beguiling. I had come to the bar just to taste, but I couldn鈥檛 resist finishing this one.

My 5-ounce pours ranged from $3 to $5 each 鈥� $22 total for six 鈥� a great value. Although I was disappointed with a few of my early selections, we finished strong. Bow & Arrow has something for everyone, and some of their handcrafted beers are truly inspired.

Bow & Arrow Brewing is at 608 McKnight Ave. NW. For more info, visit .

Conclusion

Mesa Provisions definitely lived up to the hype 鈥� a seamlessly delightful dining experience from beginning to end 鈥� and it鈥檚 a shame Steve Riley didn鈥檛 win for Best Chef this year.

Bow & Arrow, for me, is a great bar with some amazing beers, but perhaps by experimenting with such a wide range of styles they鈥檙e watering themselves down. I鈥檇 love to see them focus on a few signature styles and ensure that every beer on tap is equally spectacular.

But sa国际传媒官网网页入口 should be proud of both contenders, and I hope these near-wins push them to come back even stronger next year.

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .