Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh is listed for Best New Restaurant
The James Beard Award semifinalist list is out, that is, the long-list that will be winnowed in a month into its final much shorter shape. It’s long, and more Minnesota-inclusive than the coast-heavy later list will be. So, what do I see? A few very interesting things.
First, Popol Vuh as one of the best new restaurants in the whole darn country? That’s huge. The cooking-with-live-fire fine dining Mexican restaurant topped our Best New Restaurants of 2018 list and it’s wonderful to see the country noticing. Chef José Alarcon is a big talent, and this is spectacular, to see him recognized.
Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Diane Moua
Diane Moua is long-listed for Best Pastry Chef
Diane Moua as long-listed for best pastry-chef for the whole vast USA? I wouldn’t be surprised to see our home-grown great talent make the finalist list. Do yourself a favor and check out her delicate and precise work on display at Spoon and Stable, Bellecour, and now Demi.
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Courtesy of Bachelor Farmer
Managing Partner Erin Rolek of Bachelor Farmer
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Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Bachelor Farmer
Bachelor Farmer
The Bachelor Farmer is long-listed for their wine list, which is very nice. Raise a glass to Amy Waller and Paul Hennessy, who educate the staff about their wines, and Erin Rolek, who directs their wine list.
Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Spoonriver
Spoonriver
Very thrilling to see the Twin Cities represented in the Outstanding Restauranteur category, that’s a national category and really recognizes the people who make restaurants that anchor our food scene. So good to see founding foremother of Minneapolis farm-to-table cooking Brenda Langton is nominated for Spoonriver with her husband and business partner Timothy Kane. I am raising spoon dips in your general direction.
Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Restaurant Alma
Alma
Restaurant Alma is long-listed for best restaurant in America, in the Outstanding Restaurant category. This makes me remember how terrific that Alma renovation is. Maybe you want to book a room for your birthday?
Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Rikki Giambruno of Hyacinth
Rikki Giambruno of Hyacinth is long-listed in the Rising Star category
Rikki Giambruno is in the buzzy Rising Star category. I flipped over Hyacinth’s cooking and the Giambruno sweet family story when I reviewed it. Later I gave his new restaurant Hyacinth my prize for best dish of the year. With Giambruno’s New York background I tip his odds of making it to the short list as a little greater—and if you live here and haven’t been to Hyacinth yet, go!
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Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Thomas Boemer of In Bloom
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Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Karyn Tomlinson of Corner Table
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Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Ann Kim of Young Joni
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Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Jamie Malone of Grande Café
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Photograph by Eliesa Johnson
Christina Nguyen of Hai Hai
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Photograph by Eliesa Johnson
Daniel del Prado of Martina
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Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Steven Brown of Tilia
Finally, the biggest category that means a lot around here, Best Chef Midwest, despite us living in the #North and all. The Twin Cities have seven, count them, seven entries. Chef Thomas Boemer got the nod for In Bloom, and the restaurant group got more props for his chef-de-cuisine, the very talented Karyn Tomlinson of Corner Table. Of course Tomlinson recently won the national Cochon555 title, and she deserves the nod. She’s joined on the list by a great crew of women, Ann Kim for Young Joni, Jamie Malone for Grand Café, and Christina Nguyen for Hai Hai. No wonder the national group Women Chef’s and Restaurateurs is coming back in 2019 for their annual convention, it’s a great town for women chefs. Linden Hills gets two nominations, Steven Brown for Tilia, and Daniel del Prado for Martina—reservations for those will now fill up tonight, so maybe share the love at Brown’s St. Genevieve and del Prado’s Colita?
Congrats everyone! And remember, celebrate tonight, don’t wait for the short-list. Seize this joy, you all are national stars!
Best Chef: Midwest
Dane Baldwin, The Diplomat, Milwaukee
Karen Bell, Bavette La Boucherie, Milwaukee
Thomas Boemer, In Bloom, St. Paul, MN
Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis
Michael Corvino, Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room, Kansas City, MO
Daniel del Prado, Martina, Minneapolis
Linda Duerr, The Restaurant at 1900, Mission Woods, KS
Michael Gallina, Vicia, St. Louis
Nicholas Goellner, The Antler Room, Kansas City, MO
Jonny Hunter, Forequarter, Madison, WI
Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, EsterEv, Milwaukee
Ann Kim, Young Joni, Minneapolis
Lona Luo, Lona’s Lil Eats, St. Louis
Jamie Malone, Grand Café, Minneapolis
Jesse Mendica, Olive + Oak, Webster Groves, MO
Tim Nicholson, The Boiler Room, Omaha, NE
Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis
Karyn Tomlinson, Corner Table, Minneapolis
Joe Tripp, Harbinger, Des Moines, IA
Ny Vongsaly, Billie-Jean, Clayton, MO
