Sneak Peek - Bravo's New Competition Series BEST NEW RESTAURANT, Premiering 1/21

Bravo Media is warming up winter with the new culinary competition series "Best New Restaurant," premiering on Wednesday, January 21 at 10pm ET/PT. Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio dines across the U.S. as host, judge, and executive producer, taking a look at the food world from a fresh direction: the restaurant. The series is also executive produced by restaurateur and TV personality Gordon Ramsay.

The majority of the series takes place on location in the restaurants themselves to highlight each establishment's unique point of view. In the end, only one will be crowned Best New Restaurant and win an editorial feature in Bon Appétit, a featured spot at America's number one global food festival, Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appétit 2015, and $100,000.

For a sneak peek at the season, click here!

Joining Tom as culinary experts on this gastronomic journey across the country are Maggie Nemser (CEO & Editor-in-Chief, BlackboardEats.com) and Jeffrey Zurofsky (Co-founder & Partner, 'wichcraft), who will offer their unique and diverse opinions to help guide Tom in his final decisions. The team will evaluate each restaurant on not only the dishes that are served, but also everything from décor to hospitality to overall concept.

The 16 restaurants hail from four cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Austin and Miami, and were chosen to compete based on an extensive search in conjunction with the editors at Bon Appétit as well as executive producers Tom Colicchio and Gordon Ramsay. In the first round of competition, the restaurants are divided into pairs based around a common theme reflected in their concepts or culinary influences. All are challenged to the same three tasks testing their overall performance, the strength of their staff, and the clarity of their concept. First, the restaurants are subjected to a "Pressure Test," in which 30 hungry diners descend on the restaurants without notice to see how the businesses handle the stress of a packed house. Next, Tom sends in two "Undercover Diners" wired with hidden cameras in order to get a patron's perspective when the restaurants do not know they are being judged. Finally, the two paired-up restaurants come together in a neutral location and serve dinner for 30 VIP diners. At the end of each of the first eight episodes, Tom declares one restaurant the victor, and the establishments move on to the semifinals.

The semifinal rounds will feature the restaurants battling in two groups to open a pop-up restaurant based around what the eateries see as the next evolution of their current concepts. The grand finale pits the final two restaurants against each other in a head-to-head CONTEST to put forward their best service possible for a group of 50 VIP diners at Tom's restaurant Riverpark in New York City.

The restaurant pairings featured on the show are:

Shared Plates - The Federal vs. Swift's Attic

Italian Cuisine - Dolce Italian vs. Doma Beverly Hills

New Service Concepts - The Church Key vs. Restaurant Jezebel

Operated by Couples - R House vs. Barlata Tapas Bar

Battle of the Burger - Porter Ale House and Gastropub vs. Tongue & Cheek

European Inspired - L'Apicio vs. Little Sparrow

Fast Casual Dining - Morgan's Barbecue vs. Buns & Buns

Seasonal Menus - Union Restaurant vs. The Pines

"Best New Restaurant" is modeled after the UK hit "Ramsay's Best Restaurant" and is produced by One Potato Two Potato with Gordon Ramsay, Tom Colicchio, Elizabeth Cook, Nicola Moody, Pat Llewellyn, and Ben Adler serving as executive producers.

Bravo is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBCUniversal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.

Photo courtesy of Bravo