Ayden Kitchen and Bar finalist in enRoute Magazine competition

Saskatoon's Ayden Kitchen and Bar is one of the finalists in the running to be namedCanada's Best New Restaurant.

Thirtyrestaurants across the country are up for theenRouteMagazinePeople's Choice Award. The top ten will get special mention in the magazine.

Dale MacKay, co-owner and co-chef of Ayden Kitchen and Bar,was named Top Chef Canada in 2011.He says it's an honourjust tobe nominated.

"It's obviously an honour no matter where you are in Canada. We're super proud and happy that we can hopefully be in the top 10 and be the Readers' Choice for the first time in Saskatchewan," MacKay said.

"It's just a proud feeling for both of us, definitely," co-chef and co-owner Nathan Guggenheimer added.

MacKay and Guggenheimer moved from British Columbia to Saskatoon to establish Ayden in 2013. They wanted to start a restaurant that would fill a need in the area.

"[We wanted to go] to a place that's maybe needing a restaurant like ours and just to kind of spread the flavour and spread the hospitality," MacKay said.

The top restaurants in Canada were chosen by a panel of foodies who recommended restaurants that opened in the last year. enRoute's food writer ate at each restaurants using a pseudonym and narrowed them down to the top 30. Now it's up to voters to decide the top 10, and ultimately Canada's Best Restaurant.

The ten restaurants that receivethe most votes will be announced in the November issue of enRoute.

The poll closed on Tuesday night.