Forget the Met Gala. Whether you’re a self-proclaimed foodie or are still in the closet about how much you enjoy fancy food, last night’s James Beard Awards Gala was even more important than Celebrities Wearing Crazy Dresses. They’ve been teasing us for months now, with their longlists, and their shortlists—but finally, the Oscars of Food have been released.
Thankfully, you don’t have to be in New York or LA to visit a James Beard winning restaurant. The awards represent a pretty broad swath of the U.S., from Taos to New Orleans to Tampa. So, if anything, your nearest Beard winner will be a road trip away. With these Yelp reviews and Instagram pictures from actual paying customers, you’ll probably be convinced that the drive is totally worth it. Just be sure that you don’t forget to make reservations first.
Check out the list of winning restaurants and bar programs below, and be sure to take a look at our tour of the winning chefs’ restaurants, as well.
Outstanding Restaurant: Alinea, Chicago
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From the Instagram photos, it’s easy to see that Alinea is one of those fancy places with where the experience of seeing your meal arranged into artful dabs and squiggles matches the experience of actually eating it. On Yelp, it’s classified as a New American/Modern European restaurant, and has a 4 1/2-star average with 1,399 reviews.
The restaurant was temporarily closed for staff re-training (in Spain, yes, really), so the most recent five-star review is from March. Mark S. acknowledges the theatrics of what he considers to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience — but doesn’t downgrade its rating because of the meal’s price tag:
During 2015/16 renovations in Chicago, the chef took his entire team to Spain and Miami for “pop-up” experiences in those cities. In Miami the setting was the Faena hotel (new in 2015), next door to Faena house, site of the record-breaking $60M penthouse, and home to many a hedge fund billionaire.
When you consider the concentration of obscene wealth in these structures, the $385 price tag (plus $150 for the lowest tier of wine pairings) is completely proportional, ja? With service and taxes added on (everything is prepaid), the total of $1,400 is like fast food pricing for a billionaire.
But fast food it is not: this is more theatre than dining – the service is fluid and friendly, and Miami has never seen such talent and professionalism (and after March 31 when Alinea leaves, we may never see it again).
If you’re a foodie, you are always looking for that one amazing bite during a meal that will be one to remember. At Alinea, you can sometimes have several of those experiences on a single plate. And when you read about all the steps that each element of each dish requires (one of the Miami dishes was studied in great detail by the New York Times at mobile.nytimes.com/2016/…), you understand why the cost of admission is so high.
Worth it? Oh, yes. But it’s a “once in a lifetime” for me… unless I win a small lottery.
Reviews less than four stars are difficult to find, but one was recently left by Maricar T., who commented on Alinea’s new, limited-time experiment, “The Progression.”
When 3-star Michelin Chefs play, this is how theatrical — and according to New Yorker me, rather tacky — it could be. They called it ‘The Progression’.
First I was happy to be booked at Alinea, known for its notorious waiting list where reservations are made months in advance, expecting the 3-star Michelin dinner by Chef Grant Achatz but instead experienced this experimental pop-up version of his famed cutting edge and avant garde molecular gastronomy fare. It wasn’t too happy because I had sublime expectations (sadly true!) but at the end of the rather unusual service I have to give it to them for effort.
The Progression Experience
It looks like they are experimenting on Asian and Islands flavor. We were brought to 5 different rooms. It started in a tiny art gallery with unlimited Japanese- inspired amuse-bouche and interactive quick lesson in mixology. The next was in a dining hall where they experimented on different ambience and serving styles (so tacky, I don’t want to elaborate anymore). The next was a kitchen tour where we had a few Mexican courses and DIY with the Chefs. Next was the ‘forest room’, an indoor venue with fresh grass floor and several food stands that were serviced and curated by several Chefs who handed us scientifically-mangled food items. We sat in wooden picnic tables, chat with the staff and other diners while 80s music played. Last rooms was another serving of amuse-bouche in a hall covered with a big graffiti blanket where diners were encouraged to self express. This is a place where you go because you are curious, not for filling up the tummy. I was filled, but not happy. Looks like I am not a fan of the experimental, at least not this kind.Only take away: my vocabulary was temporarily enriched by a lot of unfamiliar cooking and preparation techniques that I all forgot the following day.
Wish list: I just want 3-star Michelin Chef Grant Achatz. Where is he?
#AlineaTheProgression
#Alinea #Aviary #GrantAchatz
Best New Restaurant: Shaya, New Orleans
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Shaya is a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant that’s already earned a 4 1/2 star average with exactly 300 reviews on Yelp. For being a new restaurant, that’s definitely worth something. (But then, it’s not your average new restaurant — obviously. It’s a restaurant that’s managed to secure a coveted bronze James Beard award.)
Diners are generally positive when reviewing on Yelp, touting its excellent service and stellar food — including house-made pitas that one reviewer described as “fluffy pillows of hot bread goodness.”
The most recent five-star review comes from Mia L., who drove in from Mobile, AL, and described her meal in terms we can all appreciate:
It’s true: food here was dope. My fella and I live in Mobile, AL but we can’t seem to stay away from the culinary offerings of NOLA, and Shaya was a place that we obvs needed to try.
We ordered way too much food for the two of us, but whatever. Worth it. I loved the little dishes. We got 5 of them: baba g, labneh, ikra, Moroccan carrots, and wood-roasted asparagus. The ikra and asparagus were especially tasty. The labneh was good, but too salty. The baba g was the one I was most excited about but left the least impression on me. It was just good. The server recommended the curried cauliflower hummus. The hummus itself was rich and silky smooth, but I didn’t care for the curried stuff in the middle. It made me cough. The fella loved it tho. He also ordered fois gras for himself and said it was the best thing ever. It tasted similar to French toast in its preparation. I got falafel, which–fuck yeah! Falafel! The accompanying cabbage salad would have been great if it weren’t mostly salt. I wanted dessert, but my body already felt like a cheese wheel, so next time.
Shaya is worth a visit. Go.
But Shaya is not without its mildly disappointed three-star reviews, like the one from Rick K., who found his physical experience to be metaphorical to the food:
As we dined at Shaya , the much acclaimed Israeli restaurant , on a recent trip to New Orleans, strange things kept happening. First, the lights would suddenly dim, casting darkness over the dining room. Then, just as quickly, they would brighten and causing diners to cover their eyes. Water began to drip on our table and shirt sleeves from the A/C vents over us. These occurrences seemed to setting a theme for our meal.
We had eagerly anticipated our dinner at Shaya . It has received a James Beard award and gotten lots of praise from critics. We are fans of Israeli food , having dined at Machneyuda in Jerualem and Nopi in London.
The staff at the restaurant could be compared to the lighting. Our waiter would appear and was almost overbearing. Next he would disappear for long periods. A wine list never was brought as promised. The wait between courses seemed endless. Getting our check was a challenge. When water dripped, minimal apologies were offered and no “corrections ” attempted.
The food , too, seemed to lighten and dim as it was served in drips. A humus with beef cheeks plate was excellent as was the pita along side. The slow cooked lamb was wonderful and the roasted cabbage was delicious. Kibbeh Nayah ( beef and lamb tartare) was tasty. Smaller plates were disappointing including Moroccan carrots, and “pickles” ( various pickled veggies) .The wine list included several interesting Israeli wines . The cocktails were disappointing and small. (Bringing to mind the adage ” the food here is terrible and the portions are so small!”)
Overall, we were glad to experience Shaya . It has bright memorable moments and suddenly, things go dark, only to shine again. The water drip may be an easier fix than some other issues.
Outstanding Bar Program: Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, New York
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If you go to Instagram and look at geo-tagged photos of Maison Premiere, you’re going to find a lot of oyster platters in addition to the already mouthwatering-looking drinks. That’s because it’s also a seafood restaurant that has dollar oysters during Happy Hour. But really, the drinks are the reason to visit, especially now that it’s officially The Place To Get A Drink.
As for Yelp, Maison Premiere currently has a four-star average, with 752 reviews. Scott B. raved about the throwback ambiance in his five-star review last month:
This place is a throwback to the turn of the 20th century in just about every way possible: (a) the interior has an early 20th century aesthetic with marble counters and polished dark wood, (b) the dispensers for beer are vintage copper, and (c) the bartenders and some of the other male staff often wear period-ish clothing! How awesome is that!
I’ve only been to Maison Premiere druring Happy Hour (which goes to 7 p.m.), which, in my opinion is THE time to check this place out. Why? Well, Happy Hour is when they feature some awesome dollar oysters! Well, the prices actually range from like $1.25 to $1.50, but that’s close enough, right? At any rate, they feature several varieties of both tasty east coast and west coast oysters that are all worth trying. Then, when you find the ones you like the best, order more because the price is right!
As for drinks, as you’d guess, MP serves up the fancy, pre-prohibition kind made by mixologists… AND they are all super tasty!
Oh, one quick list thing: there is USUALLY a line. SO, just be prepared
But Lindsey S. found the Maison Premiere’s slow service to be a dealbreaker, rating it just three stars. To be fair, though, she ordered a Bloody Mary at a place known for its cocktails — and even she acknowledges that she hopes to come back again:
We came for oysters and cocktails. We were lucky to be sat right away on a busy Saturday afternoon. However, it took awhile for us to be greeted. The waitress who poured our water didn’t even make eye contact or smile when we said “Thank you.”
We ordered the Chef’s Selection dozen Oysters, added Cherrystone Clams and a Shrimp Cocktail. The oysters were OK. The Bloody Mary was good to start but watered down towards the end. Not to mention no one brought us our drinks for a good 10 minutes while they were ready and waiting at the bar.
I would like to come back to try the cocktails. They had a really great list.
Outstanding Restaurateur: Ken Friedman, The Spotted Pig, The Breslin, Tosca Café, NYC
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Award winner Ken Friedman’s got three restaurants on his plate (ha), all of which have healthy Yelp ratings.
The Spotted Pig, a gastropub burger joint, maintains a 3 1/2-star average with 2,343 reviews. A recent four-star review from Lauren T. is filled with both raving and mild disappointment—but not enough that she won’t be back:
My co-worker and I have been trying to plan a late night meal here for a while now, last night we finally got to try it out!
Luckily we found a parking spot just a few feet from the door and we were pleased to be seated right when we walked in (10:15 ish on a Thursday).
We chose to go with the two classics, gnudi and the Roquefort burger/shoe string fries.
The gnudi is indescribably absolutely amazing. Pasta dumplings filled with ricotta swimming in sage butter heaven. Could have enjoyed a plate all to myself. Last meal on earth? Add this gnudi to the list!
On to the Roquefort burger, not impressed. Cheese was cold, leaving each bite cooler than I’d want my burger to be. My friend and I split it so it was just the right size for me. Unlike the gnudi, I certainly didn’t need my own order of this.
The fries had great taste but a hassle to eat leaving your hands super greasy and just a mess. Hard to even dip them in ketchup without them snapping.
I’ll be back for the gnudi!
The Breslin, another gastropub, also has a 3 1/2-star average, with 1,217 reviews. And according to many reviewers—including Nina K., the lamb burger is the thing to get:
All you need to know: lamb. burger.
Seriously, the hype is real and they’re awesome. Fries are really tasty well. The Breslin’s atmosphere is fun too — dark and cozy while also lively — all the better for you to sit and devour your juicy LB. This is a two-hands experience; not only are they large and thus a little tricky to eat (hey, you’re paying more than $20 here) but you won’t want to but this down.
When I was here last with a group of 3, we also shared a salad (a solid Caesar) and dessert, but honestly not even necessary. Their cocktails were tasty and friends enjoyed their craft beers too. My advice: can’t go wrong with lamb burgers, fries and drinks. Not that I would turn down a ribeye here, either. April does it again!
Finally, the Italian/Wine Bar of the bunch, Tosca Cafe, has — you guessed it — a 3 1/2-star average, with just 276 reviews. Mark O. kept his five-star review of the San Francisco restaurant short and sweet:
Dinner review.
Pressed pig ears – 4/5
Foccacia – 5/5
Crispy pig tails – 3/5
Meatballs – 4/5
Polenta – 4/5
Crispy potatoes – 4/5
Roasted chicken for two – 5/5 – 7×7
Tiramisu – 5/5
Overall, roast chicken was great. Tiramisu was probably the best I’ve had yet in SF. “As good as it gets.”
Outstanding Service: Eleven Madison Park, NYC
With 1,398 reviews on Yelp, the Modern American/French Eleven Madison Park is holding steady at a 4 1/2-star average. Critic A. compared the restaurant to Alinea, another award-winner, in his (her?) five-star review, even mentioning the high cost as compared to the delicious food:
3 story high vaulted ceiling with an amazing pink tiled design up there. A bit boring ambiance overall though.
Service was right up there with Alinea as being the best in the business. They are super nice, quick, and seem totally genuine. Service was a great addition to the experience.
The creativity of the food was great, lots of really fun dishes like the pig bladder asparagus and caviar dish. Every food item was amazing. The pace of the meal was perfect. However, I do have some issues. The portion sizes were really small and there was only 3 really savory courses, and the sizes were small. Bottom line I wasn’t very full. The price for the amount of food was ridiculous. I’ve been to a lot of these places and this was the worst value of many I’ve had for amount of food/courses vs cost.
I had a really good time, probably a top 10 meal I’ve had. However, I can’t say I’d be back because for the roughly $800-$1000 you’re going to spend for 2 people, you can go twice to most of its peers across the country.
And although anything less than four stars is difficult to find on Eleven Madison Park’s Yelp page, Steve A. did have a few critical things to say about it back in 2013. (He recently returned, and updated his review to five stars, so maybe the moral of the story is that this is truly the place to be.)
I had the greatest meal of my life at Eleven Madison Park. I also had the second greatest here. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend their new format. There are still 16 complex courses, and the service is still masterful yet friendly. But the emphasis on theatre rather than flavor has taken it down a notch. Some courses seemed repetitive, and there were very few “wow” moments. I’d trade the table-side magic act (lame) and the carrot grinding for a few of those one-bite orgasmic wonders of the past.
The carrot course was actually one of the best. It offered a dozen ingredients to add to the freshly ground carrot. I selected mustard and mustard seed. If that sounds like haut cuisine, you need to get out more. And it would have been just as good if the carrot was ground in the kitchen rather than on a hand grinder clamped to the table.
Another theatrical course that was a bit more successful was the “picnic basket.” This was a fun idea, where you took ingredients out of the basket and set up your own picnic. The second best food came out of this. It was a freshly made soft pretzel with house-made mustard. There’s a theme here. Madison Park makes good mustard.
The various shellfish courses that started the meal were simply repetitive. And why did we have to all have the same meat course, when they were individually plated? Surely there are enough two ounce portions of lamb and duck in the kitchen to be able to mix it up?
Sadly, the great bottle of cognac that used to end the meal is also gone, replaced by a local apple brandy.
In short, Eleven Madison Park is still a good restaurant, but it is no longer THE restaurant. I’ll certainly go back… but not until the concept changes again.
Outstanding Wine Program: Bern’s Steakhouse, Tampa, Florida
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Do you see that wine cellar? There are a whole lot of Instagram selfies taken in that wine cellar. But why wouldn’t you want to nab a photo in a place that holds over 6,800 individual bottles of wine, at one of the greatest steakhouses in the country? Even if you’re a Republican you can #feelthebern here.
As for Yelp, Bern’s has a 4 1/2-star average with 1,312 reviews — many of which rave not only about the wine selection, but also about the food. Arianna Nicolette S. says, “Screw the Beard winners, this really is the best restaurant in the country.” Not in so many words, of course, but still:
This is not only the best restaurant in Florida but this is the best restaurant in the United States – hands down! If you are ever in the Tampa area this is a must try place. It is expensive but so worth every cent. Make sure you read the back story of Bern’s as well because they have a really interesting story/history and it’s pretty awesome.
The steak is beautiful and the seafood is exquisite and everything just overall tastes phenomenal. When I went it was for my birthday and my sister was breast feeding at the time so she couldn’t have any alcohol, and we were all drinking and they had an alcohol free wine that she LOVED and wasn’t left out.
This is definitely a restaurant where you shouldn’t have any plans afterwards….our dinner was about 4 hours. I love how the staff allow you to take your time and its a very enjoyable experience. There are all these different rooms and sections in the restaurant and its all such a beautiful and romantic setting.
After dinner they take you on a tour around the kitchen and through the wine cellar which is really cool. The tour is optional but I would definitely do it. They showed us this massive bottle of Cabernet Sauvingon which is $30,000. Crazy!
After our dinner we wanted dessert, so we paid our bill and we were taken to the dessert room, where you have your own private room and it’s just simply incredible.
Overall its an amazing experience, amazing food and you will agree with me that this place is the best!
Cathryn G., though, had some trouble with the service at Bern’s, leaving a very detailed three-star review of her experience there:
So I’ve been wanting to try this place, literally, for years! Yesterday, was my birthday and I finally got to go.
One of the cool things about Bern’s is that they have 8 separate small dining rooms so you could come many times, sit in different areas and feel like you are eating in different restaurants. We were handed our menus which are basically novels and we began to peruse them. The menu is overwhelming. If you have never been here I suggest reading up before you go. Our server arrived and asked for our drink order. At this point I hadn’t even found the drink menu so he said he would come back. Meanwhile, people were seated next to us and their server asked if they had been there before and actually began explaining the menu. This is where I became frustrated with our server. I needed help. The server at the next table was offering such assistance without being asked, so when he returned my boyfriend said, “We’ve never been here before. Can you go over the menu.” At this point he proceeds to go over some things, but nothing in the detail that the other gentlemen did. Super disappointed.
He took our drink orders. He said, pick out what steak you want and you will get soup, salad, baked potato, onion rings, and vegetables. Ok, so he went and got our drinks. I said I wanted to try Chateaubriand since I’d never had one. I ordered 7 oz, medium. He said that comes with French onion soup. I said ok. He said what kind of dressing. I chose the macadamia nut vanilla bean vinaigrette. He said, excellent that is our specialty. Well, gee, I’m glad I randomly picked it. That is the kind of info you should’ve shared before I ordered. I asked if I could have the twice baked potato instead and he was like sure, but it is just the same thing. Um, no a baked potato and a twice baked potato are not the same thing and if they were why would you have both on the menu?! Ugh, so this is my frustration. I LOVED the food, but I did not enjoy the experience. It was my birthday and I would have felt just as special, probably more so at Manny’s Chophouse. There was so much stuff on the menu. I would’ve loved to have tried something else, but he didn’t talk about different cuts of steak, the caviar options (I love caviar!), appetizers, the cheese selection, anything. We did a tour of the kitchen later and found out that they do a tableside Caesar salad. Why didn’t he mention that? Especially, since my bf ordered Caesar dressing?
Outstanding Wine Beer or Spirits: Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico
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This award is a bit different than the others — it’s actually an award for a spirit; namely, Ron Cooper’s Mezcal.
Cooper describes himself as a visionary and a Mezcal artist who, according to the Del Maguey website, “introduced the world to previously unavailable 100% certified organic, artisanal mezcal produced the original handcrafted way.”
And while there isn’t a Yelp page for the liquor, someone did post this encouraging review on liquor.com three years ago:
I spent the weekend in Tampa, FL bouncing back and forth between a small restaurant group that specializes in traditional mexian cantina food. The Red Mesa Cantina and Red Mesa. The Cantina has one of the best Tequila and Mezcal selections in Florida for sure, and probably in New York too.. I sat with the owners, and they were gracious enough to allow me to taste the Pechuga and Chichicapa. As a whiskey drinker originally, I’ve been ruined by this mezcal. After tasting through roughly 15 new tequilas over the weekend, with an already extensive knowledge moving into this, the Del Maguey Mexcal rose above the rest. Not because of their smoky component, but because of their stunning complexity. Understood, this isn’t tequila, but I know enough about the industry to know these are absolutely unique and special. Do not pass up your chance to try these single appelation Del Maguey’s. And if you’re in or near Tampa, pay a visit to Red Mesa Cantina. You will not be dissappointed.
Looks like we have some sipping and roadtripping to do! Stay tuned for the visual tour of the 2016 James Beard award-winning chefs’ restaurants.
