Best New Restaurant 2006 Beard Award

[rjwong]

Here are the six nominees for the 2006 JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARD CATEGORY: BEST NEW RESTAURANT: A restaurant opened in 2005 that already displays excellence in food, beverage and service, and is likely to make a significant impact in years to come. The winner will be announced on Mon. 8 May 2006. I’ve included links to each nominee’s website (if available) and eGullet discussion thread.

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Alinea Owners: Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas; Chef: Grant Achatz

1723 N. Halsted; Chicago, IL 60614; 312-867-0110

Alinea website

Alinea discussion thread

Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Resort Owner: Steve Wynn; Chef: Paul Bartolotta

3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; Las Vegas, NV 89109; 702-770-3305

Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare webpage in Wynn Resort website

Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare discussion thread

Del Posto Owners: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Joseph Bastianich, and Mario Batali; Chef: Mario Batali

85 Tenth Avenue; New York, NY 10011; 212-497-8090

Del Posto website (not available at the time of this posting)

Del Posto discussion thread

Joël Robuchon at the Mansion Owner: MGM Grand; Chef: Joël Robuchon

MGM Grand Resort; 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South; Las Vegas, NV 89109; 702-891-7925

Joël Robuchon at the Mansion webpage on the MGM Grand website

Joël Robuchon at the Mansion discussion thread

The Modern Owner: Danny Meyer; Chef: Gabriel Kreuther

11 West 53rd Street; New York, NY 10019; 212-333-1220

The Modern at MoMA website

The Modern discussion thread

Providence Owners: Michael Cimarusti and Donato Poto; Chef: Michael Cimarusti

5955 Melrose Avenue; Los Angeles, CA 90038; 323-460-4170

Providence website

Providence discussion thread

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Yes, everyone has their favorites on who will win. However, I would also like to include in the discussion, who among us has eaten at all six restaurants?. If not six, how about three or more? READ. CHEW. DISCUSS.

[Fat Guy]

I haven't eaten at all six, and neither have the judges!

[angrykoala]

I've eaten at 4 of the 6. Del Posto absolutely should not be on this list. Frankly, I'm flabbergasted to see it. But then, I also disagree with Bruni's 3 stars. I think it MIGHT deserve one. Maybe.

I do believe Alinea belongs, though my meal there was a travesty. I see it's potential, and my meal at Trio under Chef Achatz was superb. I also think it marks an important era in American cuisine.

My meal at Providence was the best of all the restaurants listed. It's highs were otherworldly, and it's "lows" were better than most restaurant's highs. Just lovely. I hope it wins, but I doubt it will.

Robuchon was impressive indeed, but I was cold to the experience. The food was divine, and extremely refined (dare I say Keller-esque in terms of perfection), but the environment left me cold. I think Vegas has an inherent stigma to make it impossible to develop the perfect setting for a meal. It just isn't condusive to that environment. Places like Burger Bar, and La Table de Joel Robuchon are better suited for Las Vegas.

I think Danny Meyer is a great restauranteur, and an important figure in the culinary world [in America], but I don't believe it belongs on the list either. I don't see The Modern as being a significant restaurant by any means; neither in terms of the level of cuisine, nor in it's ultimate importance/impact on the food scene in New York.

I would have liked to see The Modern replaced with Gilt. And I would have liked to see Burger King replace Del Posto.

[Jason Perlow]

Unfortunately I've only eaten at the Modern (twice) but I hope to correct things shortly by eating at Alinea in a few months when I have a Chicago gig.

[rjwong]

I just got back from Las Vegas. Now, I have dined at three of the six nominees:

Providence

Bartolotta

Joël Robuchon at the Mansion

Of the three, Joël Robuchon at the Mansion was clearly the best. The food, the creativity, the decor, the service, the precision, ... I could go on, when I post my report over in the Southwest forum later.

I would say it's between Robuchon or Alinea.

With less than a week left, is Alinea pretty much the favorite?

Or will it be a nod to the "Chef of the Century"?

[rjwong]

And the 2006 JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARD CATEGORY: BEST NEW RESTAURANT goes to ...

The Modern Owner: Danny Meyer; Chef: Gabriel Kreuther

11 West 53rd Street; New York, NY 10019; 212-333-1220

The Modern at MoMA website

The Modern discussion thread

That's it, folks. Any comments?

[docsconz]

All I can say is I am surprised.

[ilively]

For the entire list of James Beard winners, go to:

http://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/index.php

How many of you ate at these places, read these books? How many of you PLAN to, now that the winners have been selected?

[chuckyoufarley]

The Modern?

I would never have picked that place of the six.

I think the point here is that all awards given to the arts (Oscar's, Tony's, Grammy's, etc) are totally subjective.

Without eating at all six of these places, I am going to assume that each is so different its damn near impossible to line them up together and choose one who stands out over the lot.

The big problem I have with these "awards" is that that now the perception is made that "The Modern" is the best of the group.

Which, I think we all know is not a valid assesment.

Thats the real crime.

Shaun

Edited May 9, 2006 by chuckyoufarley (log)

[rjwong]

The big problem I have with these "awards" is that that now the perception is made that "The Modern" is the best of the group.

Which, I think we all know is not a valid assesment.

Thats the real crime.

←

Shaun,

[sARCASM]Don't you realize that NEW YORK, NEW YORK is the center of the culinary universe???[/sARCASM]

If you really want to be cynical, The Modern seems to be the logical choice: JBF is based in New York. That eliminates the four non-NY nominees. Of the two NY nominees remaining, would they have given the award to Mario Batali? So, that leaves them with The Modern.

Of course, we shouldn't be so cynical, right??

As for me, I've already dined at three of the six places. It'll be a long while before I'll be able to try the other three restaurants.

[chuckyoufarley]

I have been reading some threads about the requirements for voting on the JBF awards and I have to say I am a little disappointed in the voting requirements.

It appears that you dont even have to eat at the restaurants you are voting on. Another crime and the most rancid of all.

I dont care if the restaurant is on the east coast or west coast just do it in a manner that has some merit.

The validity of the whole JBF awards thing is dead to me at this point.

The JBF BS awards really need to do something to make this right.

But really, I guess I should not care.

Again, I think the point here is that all awards given to the arts are totally subjective.

Edited May 9, 2006 by chuckyoufarley (log)

[scottie]

I'm kind of excited about the Modern winning because it's the only one of the six I have dined at. Also, the meal I had there for my birthday last year was easily the best meal of my life, both in terms of service and cuisine. I like the decor and the ambience, as well, at least in the dining room.

However, I don't really have enough fine dining experience to say whether the

Modern did or did not deserve the award. I can say my meal there was better than the one I had at Le Bernardin, but that's neither here nor there. I've only dined at each place once.

FWIW, I think Alinea is probably the most creative and "cutting edge" of the six, but my understanding comes only from reading about it, not from actually having been there.

[SiseFromm]

I find it surprising that The Mansion is among the finalists. I mean, you enter the restaurant's front door after just walking past a bunch of slot machines. It's quite odd that one of the "best restaurants in the country" could be in such an environment. We were in Vegas just a bit ago and passed on dining there because, although it looked really gorgeous inside, we couldn't bring ourselves to pay those kind of prices with the jingle jangle just outside. We went to L'Atelier instead, right next door. It was lackluster, but that's for another thread. I suppose Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare might suffer from the same condition, but we didn't stop by that hotel/casino so I just don't know. What's really amazing is that Vegas holds just as many slots among the finalists as New York. What happened?

Although I'm surprised Cirimusti made the list, I'm really happy for him. I thought our meal over New Year's was absolutely fantastic, although I thought some of the service needed to be tightened up. The staff outfits were awful, but he made up for it with his jovial and dedicated food-nerd attitude. Nothing beats making the chef belly laugh when you tell him the grenache in the wine pairing smelled like a hooker with a moustache.

[chuckyoufarley]

I'm kind of excited about the Modern winning because it's the only one of the six I have dined at. Also, the meal I had there for my birthday last year was easily the best meal of my life, both in terms of service and cuisine. I like the decor and the ambience, as well, at least in the dining room.

However, I don't really have enough fine dining experience to say whether the

Modern did or did not deserve the award. I can say my meal there was better than the one I had at Le Bernardin, but that's neither here nor there. I've only dined at each place once.

FWIW, I think Alinea is probably the most creative and "cutting edge" of the six, but my understanding comes only from reading about it, not from actually having  been there.

←

I have never eaten at The Modern.

My rant above was not meant to suggest that The Modern was not worthy of getting the BNR nod.

How do you choose a greneral "best" choice in a group of resaturants comprising of a seafood restaurant, a restaurant helmed by a culinary legend, a new school cutting edge joint, 2 Italian restaurants and "the Modern"?

I am going to assume that Achatz, Bartolotta, Batali, Robuchon, Cimarusti could care less.

All are famously gifted chefs who need no validation from the the JBF judges who may or may have not eaten in their establishments.

Edited May 9, 2006 by chuckyoufarley (log)

[The Cynical Chef]

This award should be given to the "best new restaurant that also spends a ton of money on p/r, is a contributing member of the JB society, is located in a significant city and donates a ton of money to the James Beard Society in the form of the chef making appearances at the JB house and cooking at off premise events that directly benefit the JB Society".

Alinea may be the most significant of the 6 nominees but Grant's P/R machine was not strong enough to overcome Danny Meyer's P/R machine.

[Christopher Haatuft]

How much does recieving this acclaim have to say on a restaurants business? Can it compare to a european restaurant going up a star in the Michelin guide? Is this the biggest thing a american restaurant can get or is a top review in NYT or similar better for business?

[chuckyoufarley]

How much does recieving this acclaim have to say on a restaurants business? Can it compare to a european restaurant going up a star in the Michelin guide? Is this the biggest thing a american restaurant can get or is a top review in NYT or similar better for business?

←

No way a Beard award equates to recieving a Michelin star.

Frankly, outside the small world of us food nerds, most folks dont have any idea who James Beard was let alone that the Beard awards even exist.

I think at this point the biggest thing to goose business to your place would be positive reviews and personal word of mouth.

The Zagat thing also works okay for me. Ideally, I would like to see a nationwide Michelin standard over here as well.

Shaun

Edited May 9, 2006 by chuckyoufarley (log)

[Christopher Haatuft]

So for an established restaurant with good ratings, the effect is really minimal?

[chuckyoufarley]

So for an established restaurant with good ratings, the effect is really minimal?

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I would say that it might give "The Modern" website something to add to the frontpage. Its also is going to create a strong sense of curiosity amoung us who have not eaten there.

I am curious what "stuff" it has that would make it superior to its 5 other peers in the voting.

But in truth, its really just little more than a nice accolade rather than a true benchmark.

Edited May 9, 2006 by chuckyoufarley (log)

[Christopher Haatuft]

Well, congratulations to "The Modern" then.

[chuckyoufarley]

I say congrats to all 6.

Its all so subjective and the absent judging so invalid that all 6 should be considered as good as the other.

[rjwong]

Shaun, you're right.

You reminded me when I had my conversation with Michael Cimarusti after my dinner at Providence. He said that he was happy to be mentioned among all these other great chefs.

[SiseFromm]

All this talk of Cirimusti is prompting me to make a return visit as soon as possible. I'd love to hit up those NY and Vegas restaurants, but I don't have any trips planned in the near future. Providence on the other hand is only about 45 minutes from here. By the way, did anybody notice Suzanne was named best chef in California? I know she has detractors, but I agree with the foundation. She rules.