Some of our winners include (clockwise from top left) Buccan in Palm Beach, Pangea chef Ryan Vargas and El Sabor Latino of Palm Beach Gardens.

I know I will generate little sympathy when I say that 2011 has been a year of feasting, of new flavor adventures marked in a succession of courses, from amuse-bouche to dessert, all nibbled in the name of food journalism.

There have been sublime, unforgettable bites, like those in chef Roy Villacrusis’ progressive study of temari-style sushi, a dish he created for a north county event called “The Ultimate Chefs’ Dinner” in May. It was a story told in crescendo, with one flavor element hinting of the next.

And there was chef James King’s “fennel to the third power” diver scallops a la plancha at Verdea in Palm Beach Gardens. King, who recently moved on to the Four Seasons in Miami, presented just-seared scallops atop a saffron, caramelized onion and fennel chutney, veiled them thinly in fennel, then dusted them with fennel pollen.

So many bites came to mind as I deliberated on which chefs, restaurants and dishes to include in this, my first critic’s choice roundup, which we’ll call the Splendid Fork Awards. My picks are limited in scope, as I’m a relatively new reviewer with many restaurants left to explore.

Still, looking back at the year reveals some exciting food and dining happenings. We can remember 2011 as the year when:

West Palm’s Clematis Street saw a flurry of new business with the opening of Luigi’s, Grimaldi’s, World of Beer, Duffy’s, LongBoards, Kabuki and a few other eateries.

Downtown at the Gardens, in Palm Beach Gardens, experienced a revival with the addition of Dirty Martini, 51 Supper Club, Grimaldi’s and Paris in Town Le Bistro.

The burger wave continued its crest with the openings of Chef Allen’s Burger Bar and Chuck Burger Joint in Palm Beach Gardens and BurgerFi in Delray.

The farm-to-table concepts bloomed in Delray with Max’s Harvest and DIG (Doing It Green), in Wellington with Pangea Bistro, in Palm Beach Gardens with Verdea, as well as on Singer Island with Dean James Max’s 3800 Ocean.

And food truck convoys made their foray into the county en masse for several rallies, as new “561”-based gastro vessels made their debut, among them the Curbside Gourmet, Stocked N’Loaded, the Fire Within, Press’d Street Food and PS561.

These trends, as well as our Splendid Fork winners listed below, have made for an exciting year locally in food and dining — not to mention one heightened in carbs and calories for a hard-working food journalist. (Yes, I know: I’ll take a little cheese with that whine.)

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

BUCCAN: 350 South County Road, Palm Beach; (561) 833-3450; buccanpalmbeach.com | Directions, invite a friend

Chef/co-owner Clay Conley’s progressive American bistro is a temple of inspired small plates served in a lively space that instantly disarms you (yes, even you in the blue blazer).

Partners Piper Quinn, Sam Slattery and Conley have created an eatery where service is smart and efficient, the food outstanding (from the tartare and poke starters to the delectable short rib empanadas to the wood-fire grilled fare), the vibe forever young. The inspiration is infectious – Buccan truly has revved up the dining scene on The Island. It’s no wonder it’s the toughest table to get on a Saturday night. We can’t get enough of it.

BEST REVISITED RESTAURANT

TALAY THAI: 7100 Fairway Drive, Palm Beach Gardens; (561) 691-5662; talayonpga.net | Directions, invite a friend

This bustling Thai restaurant is the domain of chef/owner Charlie Soo and family (Papa Soo helps in the kitchen; Momma Soo greets and manages the flurry of reservations and diners, golf royalty and local celebs among them).

What makes this a restaurant to visit again and again is its consistently stellar dishes. Like a well-edited greatest hits list, the menu is short and to the point.

Order an entrée of jumbo scallops in lush panang curry and it will be as delicious the fifth time as it was the first.

BEST ESTABLISHED RESTAURANT

MARCELLO’S LA SIRENA: 6316 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; (561) 585-3128; lasirenaonline.com | Directions, invite a friend

Marcello and Diane Fiorentino serve impeccably prepared Italian classics in an understated elegance that transports you to the Italian countryside.

And despite the fact they enjoy a loyal clientele, the Fiorentinos keep the business fresh and updated with wine dinners and seasonal specials.

BEST VIEW

THE BREAKERS’ TOP OF THE POINT and SEAFOOD BAR: Top of The Point: 777 S. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach; (561) 832-2424 | Directions, invite a friend

Seafood Bar: 1 S. County Road, Palm Beach; (561) 655-6611 | Directions, invite a friend

Be it on Palm Beach island or across the bridge in downtown West Palm, The Breakers has cornered the market on some of the county’s best settings. The Top of the Point offers a sweeping panorama of city, waterway and island, the Seafood Bar’s windows open onto ocean. Two very different views and experiences, yet parallel in splendor.

BEST BAR

GRATIFY PUB: 125 Datura St., West Palm Beach; (561) 833-5300; gratifypub.com | Directions, invite a friend

Tucked behind E.R. Bradley’s on Datura, Gratify has the feel of an old neighborhood favorite. It’s only a feeling, as the gastro pub has been open for less than two years. But owner Gene Playter has created a great gathering spot that seems to have everything locals could want in a bar: a good view of the downtown scene and an ample selection of wines, beers and craft brews. What makes it all that much better is chef Fritz Cassel, who keeps the yummy bites steaming out of the kitchen, bites like house-made potato chips, crispy, cheese-stuffed risotto balls, juicy burgers, and caramelized brussels sprouts with homemade bacon – yes, Chef makes his own bacon. And it rocks.

BEST SERVICE

CAFE BOULUD: 301 Australian Ave. in Palm Beach; (561) 655-6060; cafeboulud.com | Directions, invite a friend

The café’s undertow of excellence extends throughout the ranks of its servers, who are knowledgeable, efficient and gracious.

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BISTRO

MAISON CARLOS: 3010 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; (561) 659-6524; maisoncarlos.com | Directions, invite a friend

This lovely little spot has all the things you want in a favorite, go-to eatery: wonderful food, genial ambiance and hospitable service. Carlos and Lanie Farias have achieved an ideal balance of fresh and familiar, serving seasonal specials as well as old favorites – and always a complimentary dish of crisp zucchini chips to say "welcome."

BEST VEGETARIAN

CHRISTOPHER’S KITCHEN: 4783 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens; (561) 318-6191; christopherskitchenfl.com | Directions, invite a friend

Raw foods chef Christopher Slawson has created a vegan eatery that stylishly removed from the old school crunchy-vegan set. His salads are as clean and beautifully composed as his café. And, yes, they are bursting with nutrients – but they’re also flavorful and delicious.

BEST VALUE

EL SABOR LATINO: 4391 Northlake Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens; (561) 202-6948; elsaborlatinorestaurant.com | Directions, invite a friend

This is my happy meal: a hearty, steaming bowl of meaty soup, fragrant with cilantro, thick with root veggies, served with a side of fresh salad, white rice and plantains. All for under 10 bucks. Guatemalan-born owner Edgar Perez runs a sunny, friendly café that pays homage to soul-warming Latin specialities. El Sabor Latino deserves my special "Triple B" seal of approval for its commitment to frugal gastronomy. Triple B as in bueno, bonito y barato – good, lovely and a great bargain.

BEST DINING MAKEOVER

PGA NATIONAL RESORT & SPA: 400 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens; (561) 627-2000; pgaresort.com | Directions, invite a friend

In the little more than a year since chef Gordon Maybury took over the kitchen at PGA as the resort’s executive chef, the food service has been transformed in dramatic ways. The Dublin-born Maybury, having commanded the kitchens of New York’s Peninsula Hotel and South Beach’s Loews resort, has brought finesse and fresh local ingredients to the menu. And now as the resort prepares to further refurbish and re-brands its eateries, Maybury and the management team have unveiled the new and greatly improved Ironwood Steak & Seafood.

BEST CHEF

RYAN VARGAS, corporate chef

Pangea Bistro: 10140 Forest Hill Blvd., No. 170, Wellington; (561) 793-9394; pangeabistro.net | Directions, invite a friend

Hawaiian native Ryan Vargas, a classically trained chef who honed his craft at Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii and Palm Beach, has redefined the concept of "chef’s inspiration" with his inventive, yet soulful cuisine at this year-old eatery in Wellington.

Give him a secret ingredient – say, salmon – and he’ll deliver to you a salmon tiradito with ají limo, hearts of palm, avocado and mango; an olive oil-poached salmon with split peas and bacon; a salmon Wellington with wild mushrooms, organic micro greens and two-mustard beurre blanc; and perhaps a spicy salmon sushi roll.

The 40-year-old Vargas, who trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., is part artist, part scientist, part poet. And part athlete – he’s managed to lose 95 pounds by training in judo and jiujitsu with wife Rhonda, sons Rocco and Lakea, ages 7 and 13, and daughter Lilinoe, all martial arts champs. Mahalo!

BEST RISING-STAR CHEF

Max’s Harvest: 169 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; (561) 381-9970; maxsharvest.com | Directions, invite a friend

Ask Chris Miracolo what’s cooking at Max’s Harvest, the Dennis Max-owned, farm-to-table bistro in Delray’s Pineapple Grove dining district, and he’ll go on a riff about his purveyors, the local farmers who gather about three dozen perfect eggs for him each week, the cheese maker in Pompano Beach who hand-crafts the cream-rich burrata that goes in his most popular salad, the local grandmother who makes fresh yogurt and delivers it with specific instructions not to uncover the containers for another 24 or so hours because "it’s not yogurt yet."

He eagerly awaits the arrival of locally grown heirloom tomatoes the way a Heat fan awaited the start of NBA season. At 38, Miracolo demonstrates tremendous dedication to his ingredients – in the way he selects them and uses them. Where will his menu go next? Where ever the ingredients take it. He’s the breakout chef to watch.

BEST SALAD

BROWARD COUNTY BURRATA

Max’s Harvest: 169 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; (561) 381-9970; maxsharvest.com | Directions, invite a friend

The majestic simplicity of this salad is something to behold: a plump oval of locally hand-made burrata (cream-filled mozzarella) cheese served with a rustic heirloom tomato and bread salad, organic arugula and parsley and a drizzle of aged balsamic.

BEST APPETIZER

CARAMELIZED BAY SCALLOPS

Pistache: 101 N. Clematis St., No. 100, West Palm Beach; (561) 833-5090; pistachewpb.com | Directions, invite a friend

This is a starter to savor, a dish of contrasts and complex flavors. Bay scallops are served caramelized over a foie gras and truffle-scented potato mousseline with green apple and a citrus jus. C’est magnifique!

BEST SOUP

DEAN JAMES MAX’S CREAMY CHESTNUT SOUP

3800 Ocean: 3800 N. Ocean Drive (at the Marriott resort) on Singer Island; (561) 340-1795 | Directions, invite a friend

Max served this savory Cognac and cinnamon-scented cream at the Beard Down South dinner at Buccan recently during the Palm Beach Food & Wine fest and gained all kinds of new fans as a result. The most sinful flavorful and textural element of this soup: small, toasty cubes of smoked guanciale, pig cheeks.

Max, a Stuart native who was a finalist this year for a prestigious James Beard Award, offers this soup seasonally at his 3800 Ocean restaurant.

BEST DESSERT

LEMON CURD TART

Belle & Maxwell’s: 3700 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; (561) 832-4449; belleandmaxwells.net | Directions, invite a friend

This homemade lemon curd tart embodies a delicate balance of sweet and tart. It’s buttery shortbread crust holds a creamy, sweet-tart filling. It’s brilliant in its simplicity – and, oh, so delicious!

BEST HOME GROWN

SWANK FARM, Loxahatchee: (561) 202-5648; swankspecialtyproduce.com

The Swank family of farmers has made Loxahatchee proud with its all-natural, hydroponic greens, micro greens, sprouts and veggies. Swank’s verdant harvests – from its peppery cress to its sweet micro basil – turn up on the menus of South Florida’s best farm-to-table eateries. And they also turn up in the weekly baskets of local CSA (community supported agriculture) members and at the Swanks’ kiosk at the West Palm green market. Jodi and Darrin Swank grow with heart.

BEST FOOD TRUCK

STOCKED N’ LOADED: stockednloaded.com

Chef Dave Rashty and his crew turn out edified street food from this jazzed-up gastro vessel, from Vietnamese pork banh mi sandwiches to gator chili (that would be gator cooked in the French sous vide method, under vacuum in a gentle water bath). The former Café Boulud chef de tournant hopes to build up a fleet of such vessels. To which we say, "keep on truckin’!"

BEST FOODIE EVENT

PALM BEACH FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL: pbfwf.com

Just last year, this fest was a three-hour event. This year, it morphed into a five-night shindig starring all kinds of culinary royalty. For an extra-long weekend, Palm Beach buzzed with chefs and foodies and beautifully appointed venues, from The Breakers to the Four Seasons.