The James Beard Awards semi-finalist "long-list" is out, and as foodinistas in the know will tell you, this is the pat-on-the-back precursor to the actual list of nominees, referred to by the Beard committee as finalists, which will come out next month. And this year we'll be looking at Lazy Bear and The Progress both as potential contenders for the big Best New Restaurant honor (only one from SF is likely to make the shortlist), which covers the whole country and which State Bird Provisions walked away with in 2013.
The Chronicle's own Michael Bauer has for many years been the Bay Area's representative on the James Beard Award nominating committee, so after his rave reviews for both Lazy Bear and The Progress it's no wonder that he would push for their inclusion here.
Other local notables on the long-list this year are Tyler Florence (Wayfare Tavern), Corey Lee (Benu), Mourad Lahlou (Aziza), Matt Accarrino (SPQR), and Joshua Skenes (Saison), who are all listed for the second year in a row as contenders for the Best Chef: West prize; there are several new names listed for that same prize, including Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn), Russell Moore (Camino), and Jennifer Puccio (Marlowe); both Trick Dog and Bar Agricole are named for their bar programs once again; Saison gets called out for their great service; Acquerello has been added to the list for Outstanding Restaurant in the nation, following its elevation to two stars from Michelin this year; Michael Tusk (Quince), Nancy Oakes (Boulevard), and Traci Des Jardins (Jardiniere, The Commissary) are all up for the Oustanding Chef honor; and Manresa's young chef de cuisine Jessica Largey has been named a possible Rising Star. Also, as they were last year, Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski are co-nominees for the Best Chef: West honor, and since they made the shortlist last year they will in all likelihood make it again this year.
The annual awards ceremony, named for American culinary celebrant and author James Beard, are referred to as the Oscars of the food world and usually take place in New York in May. This year the gala is being held in Chicago, instead.
Inside Scoop shows us the entire list with all the national contenders, but below are just some local highlights.
Best Chef: West
Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco
William Bradley, Addison at the Grand Del Mar, San Diego
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Josef Centeno, Orsa & Winston, Los Angeles
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Justin Cogley, Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, Carmel, CA
Chad Colby, Chi Spacca, Los Angeles
Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Mitsuo Endo, Aburiya Raku, Las Vegas
Tyler Florence, Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco
Jeremy Fox, Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica, CA
Ed Kenney, Town, Honolulu
Mourad Lahlou, Aziza, San Francisco
Andrew Le, The Pig & the Lady, Honolulu
Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco
Ludo Lefebvre, Trois Mec, Los Angeles
Russell Moore, Camino, Oakland, CA
Jennifer Puccio, Marlowe, San Francisco
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles
Joshua Skenes, Saison, San Francisco
Outstanding Chef
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Sean Brock, Husk, Charleston, SC
Andrew Carmellini, Locanda Verde, NYC
Traci Des Jardins, Jardinière, San Francisco
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, NYC
Claude Le Tohic, Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas
Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans
Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, D.C.
Carrie Nahabedian, Naha, Chicago
Nancy Oakes, Boulevard, San Francisco
Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken, NJ
Stephan Pyles, Stephan Pyles, Dallas
Andy Ricker, Pok Pok, Portland, OR
Holly Smith, Cafe Juanita, Kirkland, WA
Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia
Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
Fabio Trabocchi, Fiola, Washington, D.C.
Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco
Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia
Best New Restaurant
42 Grams, Chicago
Abe Fisher, Philadelphia
Alden & Harlow, Cambridge, MA
The Alley Light, Charlottesville, VA
Bâtard, NYC
Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, Las Vegas
Central Provisions, Portland, ME
Cosme, NYC
Edmund’s Oast, Charleston, SC
Fiola Mare, Washington, D.C.
The Grey, Savannah, GA
Kachka, Portland, OR
Langbaan, Portland, OR
Lazy Bear, San Francisco
Lusca, Atlanta
Maude, Beverly Hills, CA
Olamaie, Austin
One Eleven at the Capital, Little Rock, AR
Parachute, Chicago
Petit Trois, Los Angeles
The Progress, San Francisco
San Salvaje, Dallas
Semilla, Brooklyn, NY
Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis
Townsend, Philadelphia
Rising Star of the Year
Tanya Baker, Boarding House, Chicago
Jay Blackinton, Hogstone Wood Oven, Orcas Island, WA
Alex Bois, High Street on Market, Philadelphia
Jamilka Borges, Bar Marco, Pittsburgh
Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground, Washington, D.C.
Mark Buley and Sam Hellman-Mass, Odd Duck, Austin
Mathieu Chartron, Restaurant Guy Savoy, Las Vegas
Nic Gonwa, Eatery A, Des Moines, IA
Max Hull and Irene Li, Mei Mei, Boston
Joseph “JJ” Johnson, The Cecil, NYC
Ari Kolender, Leon’s Oyster Shop, Charleston, SC
Elise Kornack, Take Root, Brooklyn, NY
Jessica Largey, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Garrett Lipar, Torino, Ferndale, MI
Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Ripple, Washington, D.C.
Jonah Miller, Huertas, NYC
Jon Nodler, A.kitchen, Philadelphia
Grae Nonas, Olamaie, Austin
Zach Pollack, Alimento, Los Angeles
Beau Schooler, The Rookery Café, Juneau, AK
Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan, Brunswick, ME
Ari Taymor, Alma, Los Angeles
Christopher Teixeira, Homestead on the Roof, Chicago
Landon Thompson, Cooks and Soldiers, Atlanta
Jeremy Wayne, La Folie, San Francisco
Outstanding Restaurant
Acquerello, San Francisco
Bacchanalia, Atlanta
La Belle Vie, Minneapolis
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY
Bluestem, Kansas City, MO
Canlis, Seattle
Fore Street, Portland, ME
Fork, Philadelphia
Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
Greens, San Francisco
Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
Hominy Grill, Charleston, SC
Jaleo, Washington, D.C.
Momofuku Noodle Bar, NYC
Per Se, NYC
Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco
Spiaggia, Chicago
The Spotted Pig, NYC
Vidalia, Washington, D.C.
Previously: Coqueta, Benu, And (Again) State Bird Among 21 Bay Area James Beard Award Nominees
James Beard Awards 2014 Semifinalists: Trick Dog, Tyler Florence, Tosca Cafe, & More
