The Grey in Savannah, featuring chef Mashama Bailey, was selected by Food & Wine magazine among "the most exceptional openings of the past year" in its first-ever Restaurants of the Year Awards, featured now in a slide show on foodandwine.com and in the July issue, on newsstands June 19.

According to Food & Wine: "Each of the five winners stands out for its energy, originality and style as well as for its food. Taken together, they represent some of the most compelling restaurant trends today."

Here's the list:

Cosme, New York City – This is superstar Enrique Olvera's first venture outside Mexico City. He takes tortillas to the next level with meticulously sourced corn kernels in shades of yellow, pink and black.

Petit Trois, Los Angeles – Ludo Lefebvre pays tribute to the French classics with dishes like a melty Boursin-stuffed omelet that even Justin Timberlake has Instagrammed.

Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis – Gavin Kaysen serves a stellar modern American menu, but he can cook anything. On Saturday nights he makes pork-confit ramen for 15 lucky diners at the bar.

The Grey, Savannah, Georgia – Bronx-born Mashama Bailey creates distinctive Southern dishes in a gorgeously renovated 1938 Greyhound bus station.

The Progress, San Francisco – Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski are so committed to the concept of sharing, they put a lazy Susan on their best table. At $65 for six courses (plus snacks), dinner is a bargain.