James Beard Awards mark another year of irrelevance
The 2008 winners of the James Beard Awards Foundation have been announced. The only one I saw coming was Grant Achatz for Outstanding Chef.
JBA are a little like the Golden Globes – not quite authoritative enough to get all worked up about. But, still. The sheer number of chefs at the top of their game that failed to win in numerous categories is a little surprising.
I think David Kinch is the best chef in the country today. Yet the award went to the guy from Delfina, a glorified neighborhood Italian joint. Really?
The Southern half of the US is equally perplexing. Sharon Hage and Andrew Weissman delivered some of the best meals I had in 2007. Neither won. Not a single chef from New Orleans even got nominated…
Graham Elliot Bowles and Michael Symon both got dissed, while Sean Brock got beat by some guy at Cafe Boulud. I haven’t been to any of these restaurants, but can you really be an outstanding chef if all you do is execute someone else’s food all night?
Maybe DIY is the future. Chefs get together, get crunk and stroke each others egos. Everyone gets a trophy. Just like in T-ball. We’ll see what happens with Randy’s effort, I suppose.
P.S. – I am sitting on a pile of dusty photos and uncompleted posts about Manresa, Le Reve, Alinea, Nana, York Street and Restaurant August. I’ll try to write them up before I head out to Europe in August. Let me know which of those sound most interesting and I’ll work on those first.
P.P.S. I recently had the pleasure of visiting Tres Agaves, a San Francisco based Mexican restaurant nominated in the JBA Outstanding Graphics category. This has to be one of the more bizarre (gratuitous much?) awards in any category, especially given the blandish design I saw at Tres Agaves.
Now, how about the food? Well… Hit and miss, run of the mill Mexican fare made California fresh. Chiles rellenos were completely naked and roasted, rather than fried. Carnitas looked like a huge chunk of braised meat that was then flash fried and blow torched.
If you are really curious about San Francisco inflected Mexican cuisine look no further than Ninfa’s on Navigation, where Alex Padilla is tweaking the classics with refined west coast "technique". Bleh.
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6 comments
I could not agree more with you regarding David Kinch.
If Delfina is “a glorified neighborhood Italian joint,” then PLEASE let’s get some glorified neighborhood Italian joints here in Houston. I think it’s great that the chef from Delfina won. He deserves it. Best tripe (Trippa alla Fiorentina) I have ever eaten. It was sublime.
Having grown up eating amazing Marchegiana cooking, taught to my mom by my Italian grandmother from Fano, I am a hypercritical critic of Italian food. Houston has nothing — NOTHING — to compare to Delfina’s authenticity and execution. Da Marco comes close, but no cigar. Alberto Bafoni, a Marchegiani himself (also from Fano), came close when Simposio was in its heyday. Currently, the best REAL Italian food I have eaten in Texas is at Nonna, in Dallas.
OK, so after getting all that off my chest, I have to admit, however, I know nothing of David Kinch, so I can’t compare. Maybe you’re right about him, but please don’t denigrate Delfina.
There is no doubt that San Francisco Italian restaurants are head and shoulders above what you find in Houston. My personal weakness is Incanto, but I’ve been highly very impressed with SPQR and some aspects of Quince. David Kinch is simply in a different class, however. Think Allain Passard, Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz.
I’ve had exceptional meals at French Laundry, L’atelier de Joel Robuchon, Restaurant August, Le Reve, Alinea and a good number of other restaurants at the top of their game, both traditional and progressive. But the most fascinating food and complete dining experience from start to finish and was at Manresa.
I’ll post a review soon.
in a class of his own. kinch is the man!
I would love to hear about your experience at August. When Jenny and I were in New Orleans last year (for Jazz Fest) we tried too late to get a table (booked) and happily ended up at Stella (which was fantastic). I know my next visit to N.O. will involve a visit there, so please wax poetic. Has Top Chef announced its city for next season? My vote would be for New Orleans. Great culinary tradition and the resulting publicity would give it a much deserved boost. Also curious about York. Next Dallas sojurn will entail a meal there or at Fearings.
THX
Fulmer – Will do. The pictures look like crap because of their yellowish lighting, which makes everything look like a hospice, but it was the most fun I’ve had at dinner in a very long time. Besh can easily go the highly refined route, but it’s clear that he is much more focused on serving great food with a heavy regional influence. The interesting thing is that Gulf Coast inspired dishes at both French Laundry and Manresa paled in comparison to what August does with the same ingredients. Goes to show that no amount of execution can replicate local flavors.
Fearing’s was quite good, BTW. Definitely one of the best Southwestern restaurants I’ve been to.
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