Top California Restaurants: 2016 James Beard Nominees Announced

The James Beard Foundation released its list of 2016 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists this week. As you would expect, many are right here in California. In fact, California is represented in every category.

San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego are well represented along with the wine country, but you’ll also find nominees in Alameda, Los Gatos, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Laguna Beach, Venice and elsewhere.

The winners will be announced May 2.

Would you like to slip away and grab a superior meal this weekend? Use this list as a guideline:

BEST NEW RESTAURANT A restaurant opened in the calendar year before the award will be given that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service, and that is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.

• Baroo, Los Angeles
• Bracero Cocina de Raíz, San Diego
• Cala, San Francisco
• Cassia, Santa Monica
• Liholiho Yacht Club, San Francisco

OUTSTANDING BAKER A chef or baker who prepares breads, pastries or desserts in a retail bakery, and who serves as a national standard-bearer of excellence. Must have been a baker or pastry chef for at least five years.

• Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco
• William Werner, Craftsman and Wolves, San Francisco

OUTSTANDING BAR PROGRAM A restaurant or bar that demonstrates excellence in cocktail, spirits and/or beer service.

• Bar Agricole, San Francisco
• Trick Dog, San Francisco
• The Varnish, Los Angeles

OUTSTANDING CHEF A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Eligible candidates must have been working as a chef for the past five years.

• Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
• David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos
• Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena
• Nancy Oakes, Boulevard, San Francisco
• Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries or breads in a restaurant, and who serves as a national standard bearer of excellence. Must have been a pastry chef or baker for the past five years.

• Melissa Chou, Mourad, San Francisco
• Juan Contreras, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
• Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
• Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT A restaurant in the United States that serves as a national standard bearer of consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere and service. Eligible restaurants must have been in operation 10 or more consecutive years.

• A.O.C., Los Angeles
• Acquerello, San Francisco
• Foreign Cinema, San Francisco
• Providence, Los Angeles
• Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have won a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past five years.

• Roy Choi, Los Angeles (Chego, Sunny Spot, A-Frame, Pot, LocoL)
• Michael Mina, Mina Restaurants, San Francisco (Michael Mina, Bourbon Steak, RN74, and others)
• Cindy Pawlcyn, Napa, CA (Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, Cindy’s Waterfront at the Monterey Bay Aquarium)
• OUTSTANDING SERVICE A restaurant in operation five or more years that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service.
• Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
• Quince, San Francisco
• Saam at the Bazaar by José Andrés, Beverly Hills
• Saison, San Francisco

OUTSTANDING WINE PROGRAM A restaurant in operation five or more years that serves as a standard bearer for excellence in wine service through a wellpresented wine list, knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine.

• Addison at the Grand Del Mar, San Diego
• Benu, San Francisco
• Nopa, San Francisco
• Press, St. Helena
• Spago, Beverly Hills
• Studio at the Montage, Laguna Beach

OUTSTANDING WINE, SPIRITS, OR BEER PROFESSIONAL A beer, wine or spirits professional who has made a significant national impact on the restaurant industry.

• Mannie Berk, Rare Wine Co., Brisbane
• Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa
• Miljenko Grgich, Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford
• Manfred Krankl, Sine Qua Non, Oak View
• Ted Lemon, Littorai Wines, Sebastopol
• Steve Matthiasson, Matthiasson Wines, Napa
• Lance Winters, St. George Spirits, Alameda

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

• Sara Hauman, Huxley, San Francisco
• Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer, Madcapra at Grand Central Market, Los Angeles
• Ryan Pollnow, Aatxe, San Francisco

BEST CHEFS Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Eligible candidates may be from any kind of dining establishment and must have been working as a chef for at least five years with the three most recent years spent in the region.

BEST CHEF: WEST

• Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco
• William Bradley, Addison at the Grand Del Mar, San Diego
• Josef Centeno, Orsa & Winston, Los Angeles
• Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
• Justin Cogley, Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, Carmel
• Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
• Jeremy Fox, Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica
• Mourad Lahlou, Mourad, San Francisco
• Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco
• Ludo Lefebvre, Trois Mec, Los Angeles
• Travis Lett, Gjelina, Venice
• Ori Menashe, Bestia, Los Angeles
• Melissa Perello, Octavia, San Francisco
• Carlos Salgado, Taco Maria, Costa Mesa
• Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles
• Joshua Skenes, Saison, San Francisco
• James Syhabout, Commis, Oakland
• Kris Yenbamroong, Night + Market Song, Los Angeles

– Image via The James Beard Foundation