james beard award semifinalists..... thoughts?? -moved from Boston board

[cockscomb]

love maura kilpatrick's stuff @ oleana/sofra, lots of hungry mother lovers on hear as well. any thoughts on the other semifinalists?

[Carty]

Here's the list:

Outstanding restaurateur
Roger Berkowitz, Legal Sea Foods

Outstanding chef
Barbara Lynch, No. 9 Park
Ana Sortun, Oleana

Outstanding restaurant
Hamersley's Bistro

Best new restaurant
Hungry Mother

Rising star chef of the year
Will Gilson, Garden at the Cellar

Outstanding pastry chef
Maura Kilpatrick, Sofra

Outstanding wine service
Il Capriccio
Meritage

Outstanding wine and spirits professional
Jim Koch, Boston Beer Company

Outstanding service
Pigalle

Best chef Northeast:
Gabriel Bremer, Salts
Andy Husbands, Tremont 647
Steve Johnson, Rendezvous in Central Square
Michael Leviton, Lumiere
Tony Maws, Craigie on Main
Marc Orfaly, Pigalle

[yumyum]

I'm happy for Hungry Mother. They deserve to get a shout-out.

Will Gilson is also a good choice. Clearly talented and passionate, and the handful of mis-steps I've experienced at Garden at the Cellar have been mostly about service, not food.

My money is on Tony Maws to win best chef. Although I think they have a soft spot for Orfaly.

[Richard Hurts]

Best Transformation from a Revered Local Chain to A Overpriced Mall Chain A Step Above Long John Silvers. Roger Berkowitz Legal Seafood

[cockscomb]

any insight as to why orfaly (and pigalle) is even a nominee? from my experiences as well as all that i have read on chowhound suggest that orfaly should not even be mentioned.
and andy husbamds at 647??

[Carty]

I am psyched to see Hungry Mother, especially since unlike many of the semifinalists it is approachable price-wise.

[Bob MacAdoo]

My thoughts on the list:

(Outstanding restaurateur Roger Berkowitz, Legal Sea Foods). This is a business award, not a culinary award. Legal's was great once. It's reputation is the best thing about it now.

(Outstanding chef Barbara Lynch, No. 9 Park Ana Sortun, Oleana)

Neither are my cup of tea. I would tap Gabriel Bremer at Salts if I were so empowered.

(Outstanding restaurant, Hamersley's Bistro)

Yes. Still!

(Best new restaurant, Hungry Mother)

I gotta go!!

(Rising star chef of the year Will Gilson, Garden at the Cellar)

Way to go Will. He's a great guy, very much deserving. I hope his success continues.

(Outstanding pastry chef, Maura Kilpatrick, Sofra)

No opinion. One bad experience three years ago soured me. Maybe I should reconsider.

(Outstanding wine service Il Capriccio, Meritage)

Hard to beat Meritage for superior vintages and service.

(Outstanding wine and spirits professional, Jim Koch, Boston Beer Company)

A triumph of marketing $ over common sense. Rich & Dan at Harpoon get my vote.

(Outstanding service, Pigalle.)

The posters on this thread would surely protest:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/579915

(Best chef Northeast: Gabriel Bremer, Salts, Andy Husbands, Tremont 647, Steve Johnson, Rendezvous in Central Square, Michael Leviton, Lumiere, Tony Maws, Craigie on Main, Marc Orfaly, Pigalle

)

Hard to argue with Bremer or Maws. Can they both win?

[yumyum]

re: Bremer or Maws. Nope. One will win. Beard awards are not completely free of hype-meter so I'm thinking Maws.

And yes, get thee to Hungry Mother.

[Wursthof]

Those lists are not complete. Those are just the Boston area semifinalist nominees. There are more chefs/restauranteurs from New England area included.

[Bob Dobalina]

Bob, on the Maura Kilpatrick comment, assume you were referring to some experience at Oleana, and not Sofra, since the latter only opened in 2008? Not sure if Maura K. was pastry chef at Oleana three years ago either.

Incidentally, is Salts still doing great things? I only ever hear about the duck on the board. Maws is obviously pushing the edge at the new joint with the expanded menu.

Oh, and is Levitton on there for Lumiere? I would think he would get the pub for Persephone too.

[yumyum]

Levitan is in the list above for Lumiere.

[choco_lab38]

Legal's reputation was the best thing about it 20 years ago, when I graduated from college in Boston! Sheesh!