The Local Grill was judged a cut above the rest yesterday when the Parktown North, Johannesburg, steakhouse won the Wolfhouse Steakhouse Championships.The steakhouse championship, now in its fourth year, selects South Africa's favourite steakhouses by public vote.This year the public nominated 115 restaurants countrywide. A panel of judges led by MasterChef SA judge Pete Goffe-Wood then ate at the top 20 finalist restaurants. Scoring took place against a check list that included how they were greeted at the door, how the menu was presented and how well the staff understood cuts of meat.Of course, in order to step up to the plate the quality of the steaks was paramount. Overall, what was being judged was not a particular dish but the full steakhouse experience.Steak is the basis of our national cuisine, said Goffe-Wood."This is the quintessential South African restaurant experience. Over the years of the competition standards have improved. There is more attention to detail."The winner would be a steakhouse that shows the consumer the pleasure and experience of eating great steak . places that give you the back story."However, there was one negative across the board."Sauces are an integral part of the menu and people are expected to pay R35 for a Petri dish of sh**e. If you can stand a spoon in it, it is a spread, not a sauce."The top three - The Local Grill; last year's winner Little Havana, in Umhlanga; and The Godfather, in Pretoria - scored above 90%.This is the third win for Local Grill owner Steve Maresch, who said he owed a debt of gratitude to farmers who had faced the worst drought in a century."Our profession pays homage to the bovine," he said. "I salute all the people in this room who work 15 to 16 hours a day."..