But this Beard Award winner constantly fine-tunes and reinvents his cuisine so that it is as vibrant and fresh as on the day he opened. One of the handful of contenders for D'Amato's spot in the Midwest's culinary firmament is Takashi Yagihashi of Tribute in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Yagahashi has been doing for Detroit what D'Amato has done for Milwaukee, that is, up the ante when it comes to quality dining. According to John Mariani , Yagihashi has succeeded with a style of cooking that draws on his Asian background and solid French training. In case you might have forgotten, Beard events are not just about food and culinary camaraderie.
Wine always plays an important role.