Brisbane Times Good Food Guide names Regional Restaurant of the Year finalists

It's getting close to the date Queensland food fans look forward to all year.

The Brisbane Times 2017 Good Food Guide Awards, set for July 18, will reveal which Queensland restaurants gain, lose or maintain their coveted chefs' hats. Also announced on the night are acclaimed awards including Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year, Citi Chef of the Year and Bar of the Year.

Leading up to the awards night, Good Food will publish the top-five finalists for many of the categories, beginning with Santa Vittoria Regional Restaurant of the Year.

This award is for the best eating establishment beyond Brisbane, whether it's on the beach or in the bush. The winning venue must provide a restaurant experience comparable to anything in the city but still remain uniquely regional.

Here are your top-five regional finalists for the Brisbane Times 2017 Good Food Guide Santa Vittoria Regional Restaurant of the Year.

The Fish House, Burleigh Heads

It's hard to know what's whitest at this long-lunching destination diner. Would it be the tiles providing a backdrop for Dolin bottles and duck statues? The salty rich flesh of Patagonian toothfish beneath miso-caramelised skin? Or whole John Dory braised in white wine and onions? Ah, hang on. We've got it. It's the teeth of Burleigh's most beautiful people, sparkling like diamonds against rolling waves and the Surfers' skyline. If you're in want of a place to model Ralph Lauren knitwear near an open window, come in, spinner.

The Long Apron, Montville

Impressive degustations and flawless service give this innovative restaurant detour-worthy status. Dramatic and cleverly wrought plates include steamed scampi with oil extracted from the garden's young pine shoots, and Mooloolaba prawns with charred cos. Banish outdated bias against hotel dining at the light and breezy Long Apron.

Noosa Waterfront Restaurant & Bar, Noosaville

Now this is regional dining. Think linen tablecloths, crisp rosé and classic Italian cooking. Bifold doors that open onto mangrove trees while butterflies flicker on a green lawn and Ray Charles floats on the afternoon breeze. The spruced-up Waterfront, now under ownership of chef Andrea Ravezzani, is a place to experience slowly. As slowly as a white veal ragout has been cooked that bonds to small puffs of ricotta gnocchi. The house-made pasta is a winner here.

Nu Nu, Palm Cove

Tiger prawns coated in rainforest honey. Red emperor smoked in melaleuca bark. Innisfail palm heart with young coconut salad, and North Queensland mud crab wok-fried to the colour of a dying sun. Nic Holloway celebrates tropical produce like no other chef in the region and holy line-caught mackerel, as if Nu Nu isn't one of the best beachside dining rooms in Australia.

Wasabi, Noosa

Japanese cooking lives and dies by the freshness of ingredients and they don't get much fresher than at Wasabi, which showcases produce from its own nearby farm. It's a sexy space with Scandinavian and Japanese design where Dave Brubeck plays and highly professional waitstaff pour shochu, sake and Starward whisky. Then a bloke walks in wearing shorts and T-shirt and the romance is over. But, hey. This is Noosa, not Noma, so why shouldn't he?

The Brisbane Times 2017 Good Food Guide is available for $9.99 from participating newsagents and bookstores from July 19. Purchase includes free download of the new Good Food app, launching late 2016. Read all the latest reviews, get the scoop on scores and hats and book your favourite restaurants.