JBF Announces 2012 Semifinalists: Lots of SF Love

This morning, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists in the 2012 Restaurant and Chef Awards — the finalists will be announced on March 19 in Las Vegas and livestreamed on Eater National. That would make this the "long list" before they announce the actual, official finalists in March. Of course San Francisco gets a good amount of play on the list. It's quite fitting that the Awards happen yearly right around the same time as a similar sort of judgement day in movie land: the Academy Awards. Our local semi-finalists follow, by category.

Best New Restaurant: AQ and Park Tavern
Outstanding Bar Program: Bar Agricole and Beretta
Outstanding Chef: Gary Danko, Charles Phan and David Kinch
Outstanding Pastry Chef: Aziza's Melissa Chou and Jardinière Lisa Lu
Outstanding Restaurant: Boulevard and Foreign Cinema
Outstanding Restaurateur: Doug Washington, Mitchell Rosenthal, and Steven Rosenthal of Stock & Bones
Outstanding Service: Michael Mina and Nopa
Outstanding Wine Program: A16 and Perbacco
Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional: Abe Schoener, The Scholium Project, Napa, CA; Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Winery, Sebastopol, CA; Jörg Rupf, St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Danny Bowien, Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco; Preston Clark, El Paseo, Mill Valley, CA; Thomas McNaughton, flour + water, San Francisco
Best Chef: Pacific: Matthew Accarrino of SPQR, Michael Chiarello of Bottega, Chris Cosentino of Incanto, Loretta Keller of COCO500, Mourad Lahlou of Aziza, Corey Lee of Benu, Daniel Patterson of Coi, Richard Reddington of Redd

Take a look at all the semi-finalists across the country, over at Eater National

· Awards Watch: The 2012 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists [Official Site]
· All James Beard Foundation Coverage [~ ESF ~]