The James Beard Foundation today announced semifinalists for its annual Restaurant and Chef Awards for 2013, often described as the Oscars of the restaurant industry. Texas did very well, capturing 25 individual nominations.
There are two more rounds to go, with finalists being named on March 18 at Lowndes Grove Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina, and winners on May 6 at a gala dinner in New York City. According to the press release from the Beard Foundation, the nominees were culled from “a list of over 44,000 online entries . . . in 20 categories . . . in ten different regions across the U.S.” The judges who vote in each round are composed of more than 600 individuals nationwide drawn from restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past James Beard winners.
Here’s a list of the nominated Texas restaurants and chefs:
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
Oxheart, Houston
Underbelly, Houston
OUTSTANDING BAR PROGRAM
Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston
OUTSTANDING CHEF
Tyson Cole, Uchi, Austin and Houston
Stephan Pyles, Stephan Pyles Restaurant, Dallas
OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF
Laura Sawicki, La Condesa, Austin
OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR
Nick Badovinus (Flavor Hook, Off-Site Kitchen, Tried and True, etc.), Dallas
Levi Goode, Goode Company Restaurants (Goode Company Seafood, Goode Company Taqueria, Goode Company BBQ, etc.), Houston
OUTSTANDING SERVICE
Biga on the Banks, San Antonio
The French Room, Dallas
OUTSTANDING WINE PROGRAM
Café on the Green at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving
RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR
Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin
Janina O’Leary, TRACE, Austin
Justin Yu, Oxheart, Houston
BEST CHEF: SOUTHWEST
David Gilbert, Sustenio at Éilan Hotel and Resort & Spa, San Antonio
Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin
Maiya Keck, Maiya’s, Marfa
Jason Maddy, Oak, Dallas
Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s, Houston
Rene Ortiz, La Condesa, Austin
Armando Pomales, Café Central, El Paso
Teiichi Sakurai, Tei-An, Dallas
Chris Shepherd, Underbelly, Houston
Michael Sohocki, Restaurant Gwendolyn, San Antonio
