Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'James Beard Awards'.
Found 12 results
-
I always look forward to this time of year when the announcements will be made as to who will make the cut for semifinals, and I anticipate who may move onto the next round to be awarded a final nomination to be announce best of in May. Any predictions ?
-
The Semifinalists for this year's James Beard awards are out, and there are a lot of good Houston chefs and establishments listed...and one noteworthy exclusion. Xochi is up for Best New Restaurant. I've written here about Chef Hugo Ortega's flagship upscale Mexican, Hugo's, and @will_5198 shared his take on Ortega's new Oaxacan gem here. Tracy Vaught is nominated for Outstanding Restaurateur, for running H Town Restaurant Group (Hugo's, Backstreet Cafe, Xochi, Caracol). Finally, Hugo's is up for Outstanding Service. Anvil Bar & Refuge is up for Outstanding Bar Program, and with good reason. We have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to cocktail bars, but that wasn't always the case. Bobby Heugel opened Anvil in 2009, and it remains the benchmark in Houston. I'm psyched to see Chef Martha De Leon from Pax Americana up for Rising Star Chef. She took the helm after Adam Dorris decamped to the Heights gastropub-ish Presidio, and has kept Pax rolling along as an upper echelon Houston restaurant. The Best Chef Southwest category is packed with a diverse group of Houston talent, as is appropriate for our city. Chefs Coleman and Haywood from Kitchen 713 put out an impossibly diverse menu of fusion dishes that are good enough to win me over despite my strong initial aversion to "fusion" as a concept. Their fried okra with bacon, tomato jam and picked chilies is one of my favorite Houston dishes, and I will also go to the wall for their Black Vinegar Braised Oxtails (with black-eyed pea fried rice?!?). Their brunch is way better than it needs to be as well (think: Thai omelette with nam prik ong, hoe cakes with cured salmon, labne, & preserved lemon, grilled oysters with red curry, etc.). Chef Anita Jaisinghani's Pondicherri has expanded to NYC, but her Houston original is still chugging along full steam as far as I can tell. We've been several times, and the quality hasn't suffered from the expansion. Her Gulf Shrimp and tomato dosa is another top Houston dish for me. Chef Ryan Pera, from Coltivare. Colitvare in the Heights is one of the 1st places we went to when we decided to move back to Houston, and helped convince us the Heights was the neighborhood for us. Ronnie Killen is probably best known for his Killen's BBQ, or maybe even his latest inner-loop Killen's STQ. He's listed as up for Best Chef SW for his work at Killen's Steakhouse, though. I've only been to the BBQ joint, and I try to go back whenever I have the time. The pork rib there is either the best in TX, or at least in the top 5. Tough to decide between the ribs I've had there and City Market in Luling, and more recently, Truth BBQ in Brenham. I'm getting off topic... Trong Nguyen from Crawfish & Noodles. WHAT. IS. UP. The season is back upon us, and you better believe we'll be over there ASAP. You're not going to find a restaurant like this anywhere else. Period. If you come to Houston, you have to go. It's so great Chef Nguyen is getting recognized. David Chang is obsessed with this place, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some versions of Chef Nguyen's dishes show up at a Momofuku near you. Pappas Bros Steakhouse is in the Outstanding Wine Program category. I haven't been, so not much to add there. And last but not least, Jillian Bartolome is up for Outstanding Pastry Chef, for her work at the controversial Aqui. Chef Paul Qui's widely-publicised domestic violence case has led to some intense discussions in Houston about the ethics of dining at the restaurant of a chef accused of beating his girlfriend in front of her child. I haven't eaten there (and very likely never will), but there are many valid ways to look at this (Alison Cook wrote thoughtfully about her decision to visit in the Houston Chronicle). -
Yes, I snoozed through the mid-February announcement of restaurant and chef semi-finalists, but behold: the media and design nominees, as well as the restaurant and chef finalists!
-
It's that time again! The 2016 Semifinalist list (long-list) for the James Beard Awards has been released.
-
I want to congratulate my comrades, friends, and yes, our fellow DR members Tom Sietsema and Todd Kliman for both winning James Beard Awards for writing two evenings ago. Tom won a long-overdue award for his ongoing Washington Post serial "America's Best Food Cities," and Todd won the MFK Distinguished Writing Award for his article "Pork Life," published in Lucky Peach. Although equally happy for both, I'm particularly happy for Tom because of all the work he's put in for the James Beard Society over the years - it's very gratifying to see him take home the equipment after coming so close for so long. And yet, when Todd was on the stage, I'm quite certain he knew that his recently departed mother was up there with him - he's had a difficult year in coping with personal loss. Just as I will never be worth ten million dollars, I'm genuinely happy for my friends who are, assuming that's what they want. I've accepted that I will never win a James Beard Award or be recognized for my work during my lifetime, but I'm still genuinely happy that both Tom and Todd were, and hope they win more in the years to come, truly. We should all congratulate them - they both have helped to put Washington, DC on the nation's food map, and these awards are the pinnacle of recognition that a food writer can achieve - the equivalent of winning an Oscar for someone working in Hollywood films. What *I* want to know is: Where did you two celebrate? Kind regards, Don-
- 2
-
-
- James Beard Awards
- 2016
- (and 7 more)
-
The 2014 Semifinalist list (long-list) for the James Beard Awards has been released. Best Chef: NYC: Jonathan Benno (Lincoln Ristorante) Fredrik Berselius (Aska) April Bloomfield (The Spotted Pig) Paul Carmichael (Mí¡ Pèche) Amanda Cohen (Dirt Candy) Dan Kluger (ABC Kitchen) Mark Ladner (Del Posto) Paul Liebrandt (The Elm) Anita Lo (Annisa) Carlo Mirachi (Roberta's) Seamus Mullen (Tertulla) Joe Ng (RedFarm) Alex Raij and Eder Montero (Txikito) César Ramirez (Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare) Masato Shimizu (15 East) Justin Smillie (Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria) Alex Stupak (Empelií³n Cocina) Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone (Carbone) Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto) Michael White (Marea) National Awards Best New Restaurant: Betony Carbone The Elm Estela Fish & Game Uncle Boons Outstanding Bar Program: The Bar at the NoMad Hotel The Dead Rabbit Maison Premiere Outstanding Chef: Michael Anthony (Gramercy Tavern) Andrew Carmellini (Locanda Verde) Gabrielle Hamilton (Prune) Outstanding Pastry Chef: Dominique Ansel (Dominique Ansel Bakery) Matt Lewis and Rafael Poliafito (Baked) Christina Tosi (Momofuku) Jennifer Yee (Lafayette) Outstanding Restaurant: Hearth Pearl Oyster Bar wd-50 Outstanding Restaurateur: Phil Suarez (Suarez Restaurant Group) Andrew Tarlow Outstanding Service: Blue Hill Outstanding Wine Program: Bar Boulud Momofuku Ssäm Bar Rouge Tomate Yono's (Albany) Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield (Vanberg & DeWulf, Cooperstown) Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery) David Wondrich (Spirits Educator) Rising Star Chef Of The Year: Daniel Delaney (Delaney Barbecue) Malcom Livingston II (wd-50) Eli Sussman (Mile End) Michael Toscano (Perla)
-
The 2015 Semifinalist list (long-list) for the James Beard Awards has been released.
- 15 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- James Beard Awards
- 2015 James Beard Nominations
- (and 1 more)
-
Until tonight. Congratulations to Spike Gjerde - in my opinion, this award is well-deserved. Ironically, I had some tomato sauce just last night that I bought at Parts & Labor fully 18 months ago. Irony: Three years ago, people (including me) complained that Maricel Presilla got the NYC vote (Cucharamama is between the west exits of the Holland and Lincoln tunnels) - this year, I guarantee it was the absence of DC chefs on the ballot, and the DC judges' votes, that won the award for Spike Gjerde.
- 2 replies
-
- 3
-
-
- James Beard Awards
- 2015
- (and 2 more)
-
The 2014 Semifinalist list (long-list) for the James Beard Awards has been released.
-
The 2014 Semifinalist list (long-list) for the James Beard Awards has been released. Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic: Pierre Calmels (Bibou) Joe Cicala (Le Virtí¹) Rich Landau (Vedge) Brad Spence (Amis) Lee Styer (Fond) National Awards Best New Restaurant: Laurel Serpico Outstanding Bar Program: The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. Outstanding Chef: Marc Vetri (Vetri) Outstanding Pastry Chef: Kate Jacoby (Vedge) Outstanding Restaurant: Fork Outstanding Restaurateur: Stephen Starr (Starr Restaurants) Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran Outstanding Service: Vetri Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional Tom Peters (Monk's Cafe) Rising Star Chef Of The Year: Christopher Kearse (Will) Ben Puchowitz (CHeU Noodle Bar)
-
The 2014 Semifinalist list (long-list) for the James Beard Awards has been released. Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic: Spike Gjerde (Woodberry Kitchen) Cindy Wolf (Charleston)
-
The list of 2013 finalists.
