Rich Table, State Bird, Bowien, Danko, McNaughton Snag 2013 Beard Nominations

A month after we brought you the longlist for the 2013 James Beard Awards, the Beard Foundation has narrowed down the field to five nominees in each category, with SF performing extraordinarily well. Most notably, our hometown squad snagged two of the five nominations in the categories for up-and-comers: State Bird Provisions and Rich Table were both nominated for Best New Restaurant, while Danny Bowien (Mission Chinese Food) and Thomas McNaughton (Flour + Water) made the final five for Rising Star Chef for the second year in a row.

As with last year, SF brought home a whopping four of the five nominations in the Best Chef: West category, with newbie Corey Lee (Benu) joining second-time nominees Christopher Kostow (Meadowood), Daniel Patterson (Coi), and Chris Cosentino (Incanto). Also nominated for the second year running: A16 for Outstanding Wine Program, Bar Agricole for Outstanding Bar Program, Melissa Chou of Aziza for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and Gary Danko for Outstanding Chef. Quince and Meadowood are nominated for Outstanding Service, and The Slanted Door could take home Outstanding Restaurant (a laurel reserved for places open a decade or more). And, as previously announced, our own Cecilia Chiang is taking home the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Michael Mina will be inducted into the Who's Who in Food and Beverage in America.

As remarkably as SF performed in the nominations horse race this year, we still had numerous snubs. Those who didn't make the jump from the longlist to the nominee circle for 2013 include David Kinch (Manresa) and Michael Tusk (Quince) for Outstanding Chef; William Werner (Craftsman & Wolves) for Outstanding Pastry Chef; Foreign Cinema, Greens, and Terra for Outstanding Restaurant; Mark & Terri Stark for Outstanding Restaurateur; The Abbot's Cellar for Outstanding Bar Program; Nopa and Press for Outstanding Wine Program; and Michael Mina for Outstanding Service. We also could have easily fielded four different nominees for Best Chef: West, as Matthew Accarrino (SPQR), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn), Nick Balla (Bar Tartine), Michael Chiarello (Bottega), and Mourad Lahlou (Aziza) were turned away empty-handed.

Here's the full list of nominees, with Bay Area folks in bold. (For readability, we cut the regional chef nominees outside of the West, but interested parties can see them here.)

Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional
· Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
· Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Winery, Sebastopol, CA
· Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery, NYC
· Neal Rosenthal, Rosenthal Wine Merchant, NYC
· David Wondrich, Spirits Educator, NYC

Outstanding Wine Program
· A16, San Francisco
· The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
· CityZen at Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C.
· Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
· Picasso, Las Vegas

Outstanding Bar Program
· The Aviary, Chicago
· Bar Agricole, San Francisco
· NoMad, NYC
· Holeman & Finch Public House, Atlanta
· Pegu Club, NYC
· The Violet Hour, Chicago

Rising Star Chef of the Year
· Jimmy Bannos, Jr., Purple Pig, Chicago
· Danny Bowien, Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco & New York
· Thomas McNaughton, Flour + Water, San Francisco
· David Posey, Blackbird, Chicago
· Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn, Lummi Island, WA

Best New Restaurant
· Empellón Cocina, NYC
· Grace, Chicago
· The Ordinary, Charleston
· Rich Table, San Francisco
· State Bird Provisions, San Francisco

Best Chef: West
· Chris Cosentino, Incanto
· Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood
· Corey Lee, Benu
· Daniel Patterson, Coi
· Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles

Outstanding Pastry Chef
· Dominique Ansel, Dominique Ansel Bakery, NYC
· Melissa Chou, Aziza, San Francisco
· Ken Forkish, Ken's Artisan Bakery, Portland
· Hedy Goldsmith, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
· Brooks Headley, Del Posto, NYC

Outstanding Service
· Del Posto, NYC
· Quince, San Francisco
· The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
· Topolobampo, Chicago
· Vetri, Philadelphia

Outstanding Restaurateur
· Maguy Le Coze
· Donnie Madia
· Piero Selvaggio
· Carolyn Styne
· Phil Suarez

Outstanding Restaurant
· August, New Orleans
· Blue Hill, NYC
· Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
· The Slanted Door, San Francisco
· Spiaggia, Chicago

Outstanding Chef
· Sean Brock, Husk, Charleston
· David Chang, Momofuku, New York
· Gary Danko, Gary Danko, San Francisco
· Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
· Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago
· Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles

· Here Are the 2013 James Beard Awards Finalists [~ EN ~]
· 2013 James Beard Longlist Announced: Rich Table, State Bird, Craftsman & Wolves, More [~ ESF ~]
· All James Beard Awards coverage [~ ESF ~]