The G Manifesto

James Beard Foundation Awards Nominees for 2009

Click Here for The James Beard Cookbook

Finalists for the James Beard Foundation were named Monday: http://www.jbfawards.com/nominees.html. Winners are announced on May 4th at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York.

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The only ones I really pay attention to are the Restaurant and Chef Awards.

Here they are with my comments and picks below in Bold.

Restaurant and Chef Awards

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR AWARD

Tom Douglas
Tom Douglas Restaurants
Seattle

Keith McNally
Balthazar, Lucky Strike, Morandi, Pastis, Pravda, and Schiller’s Liquor Bar
NYC

Richard Melman
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Chicago

Drew Nieporent
Myriad Restaurant Group
NYC

Stephen Starr
Starr Restaurants
Philadelphia

Keith McNally in a landslide. Sure Stephen Starr’s Morimoto is dope, but Balthazar is one of the illest restaurants in the USA.

Click Here for The James Beard Cookbook

OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD

José Andrés
Minibar
Washington, D.C.

Dan Barber
Blue Hill
NYC

Tom Colicchio
Craft
NYC

Suzanne Goin
Lucques
Los Angeles

Paul Kahan
Blackbird
Chicago

Either Paul Kahan or José Andrés. Suzanne Goin’s Lucques I thought was an airball. Blackbird is mindblowing, but if I have to choose, its going to be Ferran Adrià’s understudy, José Andrés. The Spanish just can’t be touched right now. And that goes for Chefs and International Playboys.

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD

Babbo
NYC
Chef/Owner: Mario Batali
Owner: Joe Bastianich

Boulevard
San Francisco
Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes
Owner: Pat Kuleto

Fore Street
Portland, ME
Chef/Owner: Sam Hayward
Owner: Victor Leon and Dana Street

Highlands Bar & Grill
Birmingham, AL
Chef/Owner: Frank Stitt

Jean Georges
NYC
Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Owner: Phil Suarez

I am down with Jean Georges, but its a toss up between Boulevard and Babbo. If I have to pick one, I give it to Boulevard by a nose (I swooped too many super fly Sophito Girls out of there, so its hard for me to go against). Never been to Portland, ME or Birmingham, AL so I can’t comment on those two.

Mighty Show Stoppers – Hippy Skippy Moon Strut

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR AWARD

Nate Appleman
A16
San Francisco

Sean Brock
McCrady’s
Charleston, SC

Johnny Monis
Komi
Washington, D.C.

Gabriel Rucker
Le Pigeon
Portland, OR

Michael Solomonov
Zahav
Philadelphia

Sue Zemanick
Gautreau’s
New Orleans

Either Sue Zemanick’s Gautreau’s or Nate Appleman’s A16. I have heard tons of good things about Nate Appleman’s cooking from my peers and I enjoyed it myself, but Sue Zemanick’s Veal Chop with an fly New Orleans Exotic Dancer put it on top for me.

Click Here for The James Beard Cookbook

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Los Angeles
Chef/Owner: José Andrés
Owners: SBE

Corton
NYC
Chef/Owner: Paul Liebrandt
Owner: Drew Nieporent

L2O
Chicago
Chef: Laurent Gras
Owner: Richard Melman

Momofuku Ko
NYC
Chef/Owner: David Chang

Scarpetta
NYC
Chef/Owner: Scott Conant

Staying away from this one. Need to do more case studies on Momofuku Ko, The Bazaar by José Andrés, L2O and Corton.

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF AWARD

Gina DePalma
Babbo
NYC

Kamel Guechida
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas

Pichet Ong
P*ong
NYC

Nicole Plue
Redd
Yountville, CA

Mindy Segal
Mindy’s HotChocolate
Chicago

I can appreciate the art, but who cares about Pastries?

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD

Bin 36
Chicago
Wine Director: Brian Duncan

Blackberry Farm
Walland, TN
Wine Director: Andy Chabot

Le Bernardin
NYC
Wine Director: Aldo Sohm

Patina
Los Angeles
Wine Director: Eric Espuny

Picasso at Bellagio
Las Vegas
Wine Director: Robert Smith

Either Aldo Sohm from Le Bernardin (the only place in the US I will eat seafood on a Monday) or Robert Smith from Picasso at Bellagio. I still think this award should go to Mark Slater of Citronelle.

Living Funk – Silver Black Summer Day

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD

Dale DeGroff
Dale DeGroff Co., Inc.
NYC

Merry Edwards
Merry Edwards Wines
Sebastopol, CA

Garrett Oliver
The Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn, NY

John Shafer and Doug Shafer
Shafer Vineyards
Napa, CA

Julian P. Van Winkle, III
Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
Louisville, KY

What’s this award for again?

Click Here for The James Beard Cookbook

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

Daniel
NYC
Owners: Daniel Boulud and Joel Smilow

Emeril’s New Orleans
New Orleans
Owner: Emeril Lagasse

La Grenouille
NYC
Owners: Charles Masson and Giséle Masson

Spiaggia
Chicago
Owner: Levy Restaurants

Vetri
Philadelphia
Owners: Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin

Spiaggia hands down off this list. My true choice would be Galatoires Restaurant New Orleans.

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

Best Chef: Pacific (CA, HI)

Jeremy Fox
Ubuntu
Napa, CA

Douglas Keane
Cyrus
Healdsburg, CA

Loretta Keller
Coco500
San Francisco

David Kinch
Manresa
Los Gatos, CA

Daniel Patterson
Coi
San Francisco

Daniel Patterson of Coi. Never been to Healdsburg, CA.

Click Here for The James Beard Cookbook

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

Cathal Armstrong
Restaurant Eve
Alexandria, VA

Jose Garces
Amada
Philadelphia

Peter Pastan
Obelisk
Washington, D.C.

Maricel Presilla
Cucharamama
Hoboken, NJ

Vikram Sunderam
Rasika
Washington, D.C.

Peter Pastan, Obelisk. He has been at it long enough. Any place in Alexandria, VA is automatically disqualified.

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

Isaac Becker
112 Eatery
Minneapolis

Gerard Craft
Niche
St. Louis, MO

Colby Garrelts
Bluestem
Kansas City, MO

Tim McKee
La Belle Vie
Minneapolis

Alexander Roberts
Restaurant Alma
Minneapolis

Not even sure I have been to any of these states unless I was “passing thru” during my “distribution” days. And even then, I am pretty sure I took a more southern route.

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

Koren Grieveson
Avec
Chicago

Arun Sampanthavivat
Arun’s
Chicago

Bruce Sherman
North Pond
Chicago

Michael Symon
Lola
Cleveland

Alex Young
Zingerman’s Roadhouse
Ann Arbor, MI

Koren Grieveson of Avec. Where the heck is Shawn McClain of Spring?

Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)

Michael Anthony
Gramercy Tavern

Terrance Brennan
Picholine

Wylie Dufresne
WD-50

Gabrielle Hamilton
Prune

Gabriel Kreuther
The Modern

Wylie Dufresne. Because he is so trippy. Just playing.

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)

Rob Evans
Hugo’s
Portland, ME

Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier
Arrows
Ogunquit, ME

Michael Leviton
Lumiére
West Newton, MA

Tony Maws
Craigie on Main
Cambridge, MA

Marc Orfaly
Pigalle
Boston

Never been to any of those spots or even those states in the last year. Although I am intrigued by Pigalle.

Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)

Maria Hines
Tilth
Seattle

Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez
The Harvest Vine
Seattle

Ethan Stowell
Union
Seattle

Cathy Whims
Nostrana
Portland, OR

Jason Wilson
Crush
Seattle

Didn’t go to the great Northwest last year.

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

Hugh Acheson
Five and Ten
Athens, GA

Linton Hopkins
Restaurant Eugene
Atlanta

Mike Lata
Fig
Charleston, SC

Bill Smith
Crook’s Corner
Chapel Hill, NC

Bob Waggoner
Charleston Grill
Charleston, SC

Lets say Linton Hopkins’ Restaurant Eugene just because I heard good things from one of my old running partners who seems to frequent The Home of The Pimps, Players and Money Makers.

Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – If It Ain’t Funky (1979)

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)

Paul Bartolotta
Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas

Sharon Hage
York Street
Dallas

Ryan Hardy
Montagna at the Little Nell
Aspen, CO

Claude Le Tohic
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas

Andrew Weissman
Le Rêve
San Antonio

I have dug Paul Bartolotta’s joint since it first opened. Many great meals and nights there. Defeated a very heavy media-hyped up Professional Poker Player/ Playboy there too. Straight Peeled him for his girl right at the bar even before I finished my tuna carpaccio.

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS)

Zach Bell
Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court
Palm Beach, FL

John Currence
City Grocery
Oxford, MS

John Harris
Lilette
New Orleans

Douglas Rodriguez
Ola
Miami Beach, FL

Michael Schwartz
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
Miami

I have actually wanted to go to City Grocery for a long time, I just never seem to find myself in Oxford, MS. Pick either Lilette or The Savoy housed Ola. Rodriguez is The G on nouveau Latino and Cubano cuisine.

Click Here for The James Beard Cookbook

The Rest is Up to You…

Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

Sly & The Family Stone – Underdog