23 James Beard Awards Semi-Finalists Represent Los Angeles in 2014

The creme de la creme of restaurants are toasted at the James Beard Awards, and this year, Los Angeles boasts 23 semi-finalists.

Three LA eateries are up for the Best New Restaurant award, including Ludo Lefebvre’s Trois Mec, Connie & Ted’s and chi Spacca. 

Casey Lane of the Tasting Kitchen has been nominated for the Rising Star award, while David LeFevre of M.B. Post, Josef Ceteno of Baco Mercat and Ricardo Zarate of Picca have been nominated for Best Chef of the West.

The awards were announced on Wednesday at a press conference held in Orlando; also announced was this year’s theme: “Sounds of the City.” This theme will explore the enduring relationship between music and food, celebrating the many ways in which the culinary community is inspired by music and the artists who create it.

The final nominees will be announced on March 18, two months ahead of the James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception, which will take place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City on Monday, May 5, 2014.

See the full list of nominees below. 

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

The 404 Kitchen, Nashville

Aragona, Seattle

Ardent, Milwaukee

Asta, Boston

Bar Sajor, Seattle

Betony, NYC

Brindille, Chicago

Carbone, NYC

Casa Rubia, Dallas

The Cavalier, San Francisco

Chi Spacca, Los Angeles

Connie and Ted’s, West Hollywood, CA

Coqueta, San Francisco

The Elm, Brooklyn, NY

Estela, NYC

Fish & Game, Hudson, NY

Izanami at Ten Thousand Waves, Santa Fe

Laurel, Philadelphia

MilkWood, Louisville, KY

MW, Honolulu

Nico Osteria, Chicago

Pêche, New Orleans

Pinewood Social, Nashville

Ribelle, Brookline, MA

Rose’s Luxury, Washington, D.C.

Serpico, Philadelphia

Tosca Cafe, San Francisco

Trois Mec, Los Angeles

Uncle Boons, NYC

Virtù, Scottsdale, AZ

OUTSTANDING BAR PROGRAM

Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston

Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, New Orleans

Bar Agricole, San Francisco

The Bar at the NoMad Hotel, NYC

The Broken Shaker, Miami Beach, FL

Butcher and the Rye, Pittsburgh

Canon, Seattle

Clyde Common, Portland, OR

Columbia Room inside the Passenger, Washington, D.C.

Cure, New Orleans

The Dead Rabbit, NYC

The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., Philadelphia

Hard Water, San Francisco

The Hawthorne, Boston

Kimball House, Decatur, GA

Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, NY

Marvel Bar, Minneapolis

The Porter Beer Bar, Atlanta

Rivera, Los Angeles

Rogue 24, Washington, D.C.

Taste, St. Louis

Trick Dog, San Francisco

The Varnish, Los Angeles

The Violet Hour, Chicago

Williams & Graham, Denver

OUTSTANDING CHEF (PRESENTED BY ALL-CLAD METALCRAFTERS)

Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, NYC

Isaac Becker, 112 Eatery, Minneapolis

Sean Brock, McCrady’s, Charleston, SC

Andrew Carmellini, Locanda Verde, NYC

Gary Danko, Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco

Suzanne Goin, Lucques, West Hollywood, CA

Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, NYC

David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans

Carrie Nahabedian, Naha, Chicago

Nancy Oakes, Boulevard, San Francisco

Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken, NJ

Anne Quatrano, Bacchanalia, Atlanta

Michael Schwartz, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami

Julian Serrano, Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas

Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles

Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA

John Sundstrom, Lark, Seattle

Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco

Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF

Dominique Ansel, Dominique Ansel Bakery, NYC

Melissa Chou, Aziza, San Francisco

Dana Cree, Blackbird, Chicago

Steve Horton, Rustica Bakery, Minneapolis

Kate Jacoby, Vedge, Philadelphia
Michelle Karr-Ueoka, MW, Honolulu

Maura Kilpatrick, Oleana, Cambridge, MA

Phoebe Lawless, Scratch, Durham, NC

Belinda Leong, b. patisserie, San Francisco

Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, Baked, Brooklyn, NY

Yasmin Lozada-Hissom, Spuntino, Denver

Tiffany MacIsaac, Birch & Barley, Washington, D.C.

Dolester Miles, Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL

Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles

Neil Robertson, Crumble & Flake, Seattle

Philip Speer, Uchi, Austin and Houston

Jonathan Stevens and Cheryl Maffei, Hungry Ghost, Northampton, MA

Christina Tosi, Momofuku, NYC

Nick Wesemann, The American Restaurant, Kansas City, MO

Jennifer Yee, Lafayette, NYC

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT

Bern’s Steak House, Tampa, FL

Canlis, Seattle

The Fearrington House Restaurant, Pittsboro, NC

Fore Street, Portland, ME

Foreign Cinema, San Francisco

Fork, Philadelphia

Greens, San Francisco

Hamersley’s Bistro, Boston

Hearth, NYC

Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL

Jaleo, Washington, D.C.

Mélisse, Santa Monica, CA

Pearl Oyster Bar, NYC

Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix

Primo, Rockland, ME

The Slanted Door, San Francisco

Spiaggia, Chicago

Terra, St. Helena, CA

Vidalia, Washington, D.C.

wd~50, NYC

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR

Ashok Bajaj, Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, Washington, D.C. (The Bombay Club, The Oval Room, Rasika, and others)

Giorgios Bakatsias, Giorgios Hospitality Group, Durham, NC (Kipos, Parizäde, Village Burgers, and others)

Frank Bonanno, Bonanno Concepts, Denver (Mizuna, Osteria Marco, Bones, and others)

JoAnn Clevenger, Upperline, New Orleans

George Formaro, Des Moines, IA (Centro, Django, South Union Bread Café, and others)

Sam Fox, Fox Restaurant Concepts, Phoenix (Olive & Ivy, True Food, Little Cleo’s Seafood Legend, and others)

Ford Fry, Ford Fry Restaurant Company, Atlanta (The Optimist, JCT Kitchen, No. 246, and others)

Garrett Harker, Boston (Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar, The Hawthorne, and others)

Mike Klank and Eddie Hernandez, Taqueria del Sol, Atlanta

Barbara Lynch, Barbara Lynch Gruppo, Boston (No. 9 Park, Menton, B&G Oysters, and others)

Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality Group, Chicago (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican, and others)

Larry Mindel, Poggio and Copita, Sausalito, CA

Cindy Pawlcyn, Napa Valley, CA (Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Back Street Kitchen, and Cindy Pawlcyn’s Wood Grill & Wine Bar)

Nick Pihakis, Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Birmingham, AL

Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants, Philadelphia (The Dandelion, Talula’s Garden, Serpico, and others)

Caroline Styne, West Hollywood, CA (Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern, and others)

Phil Suarez, Suarez Restaurant Group, NYC (ABC Kitchen, Jean-Georges, wd~50, and others)

Andrew Tarlow, NYC (Diner, Marlow & Sons, Reynard, and others)

Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, Philadelphia (Little Nonna’s, Jamonera, Barbuzzo, and others)

Rick and Ann Yoder, Wild Ginger, Seattle

OUTSTANDING SERVICE

Abacus, Dallas

Bacchanalia, Atlanta

Blue Hill, NYC

Brigtsen’s, New Orleans

Cafe Juanita, Kirkland, WA

L’Espalier, Boston

Komi, Washington, D.C.

L2O, Chicago

Lucques, West Hollywood, CA

Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas

Marcel’s, Washington, D.C.

McCrady’s, Charleston, SC

One Flew South, Atlanta

Persimmon, Bristol, RI

Providence, Los Angeles

Quince, San Francisco

Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis

The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA

Topolobampo, Chicago

Vetri, Philadelphia

OUTSTANDING WINE PROGRAM

5 & 10, Athens, GA

A16, San Francisco

Addison at the Grand Del Mar, San Diego

Archie’s Waeside, Le Mars, IA

Bar Boulud, NYC

The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN

Café on the Green at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving, TX

CityZen at Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C.

FIG, Charleston, SC

The Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans

The Little Nell, Aspen, CO

Marcel’s, Washington, D.C.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar, NYC

Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas

Press, St. Helena, CA

Rouge Tomate, NY

Sepia, Chicago

Spago, Beverly Hills, CA

Troquet, Boston

Yono’s Restaurant, Albany, NY 

OUTSTANDING WINE, SPIRITS, OR BEER PROFESSIONAL

Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Ranchos de Taos, NM

Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, Vanberg & DeWulf, Cooperstown, NY

Mike Floyd, Nick Floyd, and Simon Floyd, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN

Ted Lemon, Littorai Wines, Sebastopol, CA

Steve Matthiasson, Matthiasson Wine, Napa, CA

Stephen McCarthy, Clear Creek Distillery, Portland, OR

Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

Luca Paschina, Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville, VA

David Perkins, High West Distillery & Saloon, Park City, U

Tom Peters, Monk’s Cafe, Philadelphia

Joey Redner, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL

Jörg Rupf, St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA

Eric Seed, Haus Alpenz, Edina, MN

Rob Tod, Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME

Ann Tuennerman, Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans

Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY

Burt Williams, founder of Williams Selyem Winery, Healdsburg, CA

David Wondrich, spirits educator, Brooklyn, NY

Stephen M. Wood, Farnum Hill Cider, Lebanon, NH

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR

Jimmy Bannos Jr., The Purple Pig, Chicago

Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville, NC

Daniel Delaney, Delaney Barbecue, Brooklyn, NY

Chris Kajioka, Vintage Cave, Honolulu

Christopher Kearse, Will, Philadelphia

Matthew Kirkley, L2O, Chicago

Casey Lane, Tasting Kitchen, Venice, CA

Jessica Largey, Manresa, Los Gatos

Andrew Le, The Pig and the Lady, Honolulu

Rick Lewis, Quincy Street Bistro, St. Louis

Malcolm Livingston II, wd~50, NYC

Tim Maslow, Ribelle, Brookline, MA

Matt McNamara and Teague Moriarty, Sons & Daughters, San Francisco

Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Ripple, Washington, D.C.

Ben Nerenhausen, Mistral, Princeton, NJ

Jorel Pierce, Euclid Hall, Denver

David Posey, Blackbird, Chicago

Ben Puchowitz, CHeU Noodle Bar, Philadelphia

Eduardo Ruiz, Corazón y Miel, Bell, CA

Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan, Brunswick, ME

Eli Sussman, Mile End, Brooklyn, NY

Ari Taymor, Alma, Los Angeles

Michael Toscano, Perla, NYC

Chris Weber, The Herbfarm, Woodinville, WA

Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Lummi Island, WA

BEST CHEF: WEST

Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco

Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco

Josef Centeno, Bäco Mercat, Los Angeles

Michael Chiarello, Bottega, Yountville, CA

Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles

Justin Cogley, Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, Carmel, CA

Mitsuo Endo, Aburiya Raku, Las Vegas

Tyler Florence, Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco

Ed Kenney, Town, Honolulu

Mourad Lahlou, Aziza, San Francisco

Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco

Ludo Lefebvre, Trois Mec, Los Angeles

David LeFevre, MB Post, Manhattan Beach, CA

Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles

Daniel Patterson, Coi, San Francisco

John Rivera Sedlar, Rivera, Los Angeles

Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles

Joshua Skenes, Saison, San Francisco

James Syhabout, Commis, Oakland, CA

Ricardo Zarate, Picca, Los Angeles

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