2009 James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists

The James Beard Awards are the most prestigious honors in America for the food & beverage industry, The "Academy Awards of the Food Scene". Past winners include a who's who of the country's culinary greats. Almost 10,000 entries were narrowed down to the semifinalists listed here. 5 finalists in each category will be chosen by a panel of 400 judges and announced March 23, 2009. These same judges will vote for the winner in each category to be announced Monday, May 4 at the Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception at Lincoln Center, New York City.

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR

Ashok Bajaj: The Oval Room, The Bombay Club, Ardeo, Bardeo, 701, and Rasika, Washington, D.C.

Tom Baron: Big Burrito Restaurant Group, Pittsburgh

Roger Berkowitz: Legal Sea Foods, Boston

Frank Bonanno: Mizuna, Luca D’Italia, and Osteria Marco, Denver

Jimmy Bradley: Red Cat Restaurants, NYC

Larry D’Amico and Richard D’Amico: D’Amico & Partners, Minneapolis

Tom Douglas: Dahlia Lounge, Palace Kitchen, Etta’s, Lola, Serious Pie, and Dahlia Bakery, Seattle

Sam Fox: Fox Restaurant Concepts, Scottsdale, AZ

Jim Goode and Levi Goode: Goode Company Restaurants, Houston

Bill Higgins and Bill Upson: Real Restaurants, Sausalito, CA

Pano Karatassos: Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, Atlanta

Pat Kuleto: Pat Kuleto Restaurant Development & Management Co., San Francisco

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

Richard Melman: Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Chicago

Drew Nieporent: Myriad Restaurant Group, NYC

Dennis Quaintance, Nancy King Quaintance, and Mike Weaver: Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants, Greensboro, NC

Ralph Rubio: Rubio’s Restaurants, Carlsbad, CA

Stephen Starr: Starr Restaurant Organization, Philadelphia

Alan Stillman and Michael Stillman: Fourth Wall Restaurants, NYC

Doug Washington, Mitchell Rosenthal, and Steven Rosenthal: Town Hall, Salt House, and Anchor & Hope, San Francisco

OUTSTANDING CHEF

José Andrés Minibar, Washington, D.C.

Dan Barber Blue Hill, NYC

Tom Colicchio Craft, NYC

Suzanne Goin Lucques, Los Angeles

Vincent Guerithault Vincent on Camelback, Phoenix

Sam Hayward Fore Street, Portland, ME

Jean Joho Everest, Chicago

Paul Kahan Blackbird, Chicago

Barbara Lynch No. 9 Park, Boston

Michael Mina Michael Mina, San Francisco

Tamara Murphy Brasa, Seattle

Scott Peacock Watershed, Decatur, GA

Charles Phan The Slanted Door, San Francisco

Stephan Pyles Stephan Pyles, Dallas

Anne Quatrano Bacchanalia, Atlanta

Ana Sortun Oleana, Cambridge, MA

Frank Stitt Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL

Marc Vetri Vetri, Philadelphia

Janos Wilder Janos, Tucson, AZ

Michael Smith Restaurant Michael Smith, Kansas City, MO

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT

Alan Wong’s Restaurant Honolulu

Babbo NYC

Bacchanalia Atlanta

Bern’s Steak House Tampa, FL

Blackbird Chicago

Boulevard San Francisco

Brigtsen’s New Orleans

Delfina San Francisco

Everest Chicago

Fore Street Portland, ME

Greens San Francisco

Hamersley's Bistro Boston

Higgins Restaurant and Bar Portland, OR

Highlands Bar & Grill Birmingham, AL

Jean Georges NYC

Kinkead’s Washington, D.C.

Lucia’s Restaurant Minneapolis

Magnolia Grill Durham, NC

Sanford Milwaukee

Vidalia Washington, D.C.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Animal Los Angeles

The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills Los Angeles

Bottega Yountville, CA

Camino Oakland, CA

Cork Washington, D.C.

Corton NYC

Distrito Philadelphia

Django Des Moines, IA

Emilitsa Portland, ME

Feast Houston

Holeman and Finch Public House Atlanta

Hungry Mother Cambridge, MA

Izakaya at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Atlantic City, NJ

L2O Chicago

Merriman’s Kapalua Maui, Lahaina, HI

Momofuku Ko NYC

Noca Phoenix

Palate Food & Wine Glendale, CA

Poppy Seattle

Raku Las Vegas

Richard Chen Pittsburgh

Scarpetta NYC

Spinasse Seattle

Sra. Martinez Miami

Tei An Dallas

Trattoria Lucca Charleston, SC

Volt Frederick, MD

Zahav Philadelphia

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