If you’re looking for one of the “South’s best diners,” look no further than Kings Highway.

Strawn’s Eat Shop, 125 Kings Highway, Shreveport, earned that distinction in Southern Living’s November issue.

The article listed five diners across the South it considered top draws. All included photos and a featured recipe.

The article said, in part: “Owner Buddy Gauthier’s must-stop spot is known for its colorful murals (such as George Washington eating Strawn’s pie and a Roman coliseum) and its decadent icebox pies (strawberry is our flat-out favorite).”

Other diners in the top five: Bel-Lock Diner, Baltimore, Md; Mama Dip’s Kitchen, Chapel Hill, N.C.; Arnold’s Country Kitchen, Nashville, Tenn.; and Celebration Restaurant, Dallas.

Also in the November issue: “Autumn on Caddo Lake,” lauded as “one of East Texas’ best fall getaways.”

From Christopher Borelli of the Chicago Tribune: Decades from now, when you reflect on what dining was like during the fledgling years of the 21st century, on a good day you will picture a heartening trend toward comfort food in the wake of Sept. 11 and a well-meaning push toward locally sourced menus.

But on a bad day, when someone asks what the worst restaurant trends of that first decade were, will you be able to shut up? One restaurant type cracked: "As long as we're not naming names, I'll talk. Because now that you ask this, specific chefs and self-important restaurants are coming to mind."

Then there were those who, like It Boy and New York chef David Chang, when asked to name the worst trends of the decade, simply blurted: "The Cheesecake Factory. The Kobe beef movement was stupid -- it was never meant to be a burger! Sliders are stupid too. Sorry, I mean to say 'a trio of sliders' is stupid. What else? Walls of wine bottles as decoration. The steakhouse craze -- why does there need to be more than a couple of steakhouses in any metropolitan area?"

Then, when his outrage subsided, Chang made an excellent point: "Bad trends were usually good trends. They just got watered down into a really bad, overdone trend."

Here are the top 10 with a link to the full article below:

• Fried Onion Blossoms
• Molecular gastronomy
• The $40 Entree
• The Communal Table
• Proudly Obnoxious Fast Food Options
• Knee-jerk Online Reviews (ie. Yelpers)
• Foam
• The Menu as Book
• The Chef as Media Whore
  
• Deconstruction

FULL STORY

From EATER.COM: Last week, the Association of Food Journalists descended upon New Orleans for some navel-gazing at its annual conference, and over the weekend, the group announced 42 winners at its awards competition. This year, the San Francisco Chronicle reclaimed top food section honors in the Best Newspaper Coverage (Circulation 215,001 and Over) category, topping the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune.

The individual awards were led by Jonathan Kauffman of the Seattle Weekly, who beat out Tom Sietsema (Washington Post) and Bill Addison (Dallas Morning News) in the Best Newspaper Restaurant Criticism category. Elsewhere, Kim Honey of Toronto Star won Best Newspaper Food Feature for her piece "Incredible Edibles." All winners received a whopping $300 prize for their weekend enjoyment. The complete list of winners follows:

From Chicago.GrubStreet.com: Bon Appétit has announced the 2009 recipients of Bon Appétit Awards, a somewhat nebulous honor for "people, companies, and products setting new standards of culinary excellence in food, drinks, travel, and design." This year's winners range from chefs like Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi (honored for "bringing the fun back to dessert") to food purveyors like Rancho Gordo founder Steve Sando (cited for his commitment to rare and heritage beans). OpenTable gets a nod for its iPhone app and Kogi truck founders Caroline Shin-Manguera, Mark Manguera, and Roy Choi are applauded for being "grassroots guerilla restaurateurs. Check out the full list below — it's an eclectic one for sure...

• Daniel Boulud, for the inspired idea of going downtown with DBGB Kitchen and Bar.
  
  
• OpenTable (Jeffrey Jordan, CEO), for perfecting reservations on the go with the OpenTable iPhone app.
  
  
• Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo, for his commitment to the preservation of rare and heirloom beans.
  
  
• Jeremy Fox at Ubuntu, for creating innovative, inspired vegetarian food.
  
  
• The Beehive Oven from Al Fresco Imports (Fiona Hughes, president), for making it easy to bring wood-fired pizza into our own backyards.
  
  
• Caroline Shin-Manguera, Mark Manguera, and Roy Choi of the Kogi truck, for being true innovators as grassroots guerrilla restaurateurs.
  
  
• St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur (Robert Cooper, creator), for giving innovative artisanal "flower power" to the home bar.
  
  
• Christina Tosi of Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar, for bringing the fun back to dessert through inspired and innovative recipes.
  
  
• Ace Hotel Group (Alex Calderwood), for making travel budget-friendly, eco-friendly, and stylish.
  
  
• Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian of Edible Communities Publications, for the pioneering Edible magazines that empower local cooks, farmers, and restaurateurs to create sustainable culinary communities.

Go here to read the full descriptions: http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/baawards/2009/10/baa_2009?currentPage=1

 

From Yahoo! Health By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding of Men's Health: Somewhere between the brick ovens of Italy and the delivery cars of America something went horribly wrong. The traditional pizza, made with just bread, cheese and tomatoes, is now tricked out with inflated crusts, four-cheese toppings, and a surplus of pepperoni, all of which contribute to its quadrupled caloric count. And man, do we love it. With 69,000 pizza joints scattered across the U.S., it's no wonder that each man, woman and child devours an average of 46 slices a year. That's the equivalent of 23 pounds of pie!

Any way you slice it, we're taking in a lot more fat than our slimmer friends in Italy, where only 9 percent of the population is obese compared to our 34 percent . Their secret: Thin crust, half the formaggio, and extra vegetables. That's why we've included Best and Worst pizzas in our new book: Eat This, Not That! The Best (& Worst!) Foods in America! The following 7 problematic pies are pulled straight from the book: Avoid them at all costs, and see how, with the help of the Eat This, Not That! series, you can lose 10 pounds or more of belly fat--while still eating all of your favorite foods!

7. WORST SEAFOOD PIZZA
Red Lobster Lobster Pizza
720 calories
30 g fat (13 g saturated)
1,390 mg sodium
69 g carbs

It's a cool concept (certainly more appetizing than your grandfather's old anchovies habit), but it makes for a heavy meal that's stuffed with more sodium than you should eat in one sitting. Fare from the sea is one of the best ways to go, but sprinkled over a bed of starchy dough and fatty cheese and you've got a different story altogether. Billed as a starter, this Lobster Pizza is the only pizza on Red Lobster's menu. Luckily it shares space with one of the world's greatest appetizers--shrimp cocktail--and the chain restaurant is among the healthiest chain restaurants in the land, so you'll have no problem finding better options. 

6. WORST VEGGIE PIZZA
Papa John's Pan Crust Garden Fresh Pizza (2 slices)
740 calories
38 g fat (12 g saturated)
1,320 mg sodium
78 g carbs

Just because it's topped with veggies doesn't make it healthy. The real problem here isn't the toppings, though; it's the excessively thick, greasy pan crust that sinks this veggie-strewn ship. Two slices of this garden fresh pie will set you back the caloric equivalent of 7 ½ Rice Krispies Treats, and it'll stuff your belly with as much salt as you'll find in nearly 4 large orders of McDonald's French Fries. Save over 300 calories by switching to a larger pie (14") with a thinner crust. Just another example of why crust is king when trying to find a healthy pie.

5. WORST STUFFED PIZZA
Sbarro Stuffed Pepperoni Pizza
960 calories
(Sbarro doesn't offer other nutritional information)

Sbarro's individual pizza slices are oversized to begin with, but throw in the stuffed factor and you're looking at this single worst slice of pizza in America--the equivalent of almost 4 pepperoni slices from Pizza Hut. A rule of thumb for ordering pizza in general (and it's especially applicable at Sbarro) is to always choose the thinnest crust possible, and to always avoid any "stuffed" options, which indicate at least double the toppings. Downsize this massive wedge for a Fresh Tomato Pizza--and be sure to limit yourself to just one.

4. WORST PIZZA LUNCH COMBO
Romano's Macaroni Grill Sicilian Mio Pizza and Insalata Blu
1,010 calories
58 g fat (22 g saturated)
2,755 mg sodium
71 g carbs

Consuming over half your daily calories at lunch is asking for energy trouble in the afternoon (not to mention difficulties with your belt buckle). Macaroni Grill boasts about their perfect sized lunch combos as if super-sized individual pizzas and high-calorie "side" salads are a good thing. Even more disturbing is the fact that recent research found that people tend to underestimate portion sizes when their meals have more variety in them, so you're bound to eat more when you have more pieces to your meal. All the more reason to skip the Mac Grill combo meals and choose a simpler lunch, instead. (But beware: Healthy doesn't come easy at this restaurant, especially with pasta. Canneloni or Pasta Pomodoro are the only two bowls with less than 1,000 calories.)

3. WORST CALZONE
Pizza Hut Meaty P'Zone Pizza
1,480 calories
66 g fat (30 g saturated, 2 g trans)
3,680 mg sodium
152 g carbs

The word "calzone" alone should spell trouble, but this Pizza Hut Meaty P'Zone takes bad pizza pockets to a completely different level. The worst part is that Pizza Hut brags about their massive P'Zone like it's something to be proud of: The website reads "Over 1 LB of pizza goodness." Why is it over a pound? Because it's a regular-sized 12" pizza folded over onto itself and stuffed with meat and cheese. There's nothing impressive about eating an entire pizza by yourself.

2. WORST PIZZA APPETIZER
Uno Chicago Grill Pizza Skins
2,400 calories
155 g fat (45 g saturated)
3,600 mg sodium
195 g carbs

How are pizza skins different from an actual pizza? Well, they're not--they just come topped with crumbly processed bacon bits and a big fat dollop of sour cream. The only reason this monstrous dish didn't make it to our number one worst pizza spot is because it's supposed to be an appetizer, which means that some of the damage is mitigated by the fact that multiple people are digging in (or should be, at least). But even if you're traveling with a party of 5, it makes no sense to order what's essentially a family-sized pizza before your meal. To put it in perspective, a medium 12" pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut only racks up 1,840 calories. That's nearly 600 fewer calories than you'll find in this one appetizer! Disgusting.

1. WORST PIZZA IN AMERICA
Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Individual Pizza
2,310 calories
165 g fat (54 g saturated)
4,920 mg sodium
120 g carbs

This individual pizza has been named Worst Pizza in America three years in a row now, but Uno Chicago Grill doesn't seem to care--all they've done to minimize the epic impact of this monstrous meal is to change the nutrition labels on their website to reflect the calories "per serving," instead of the total calories per dish as a whole. What's revealing about that slight of hand is that it shows that Uno knowingly sells an individual pizza that actually has three servings' worth of calories, fat, sodium, and carbs. This one individual pizza has more calories than you should eat in a day and more than two days' worth of sodium. (That's as much salt as you'll find in 27 small bags of Frito Lays Potato Chips!) The only way to go at Uno is to steer away from the infamous deep dish Chicago-style pizzas and opt for a flatbread pie instead.

HALL OF FAME
THE BEST PIZZAS IN AMERICA

Next time you're hankering for a pie, grab a slice from one of these premium pizzas.

BEST VEGGIE PIZZA
Pizza Hut 12" Fit and Delicious Diced Red Tomato, Mushroom and Jalapeno (2 slices)
300 calories
16 g fat (7 g saturated)
1,220 mg sodium
46 g carbs

BEST HAWAIIAN PIZZA
Domino's Thin Crust Ham and Pineapple Pizza (2 slices)
294 calories
14 g fat (5 g saturated)
790 mg sodium
30 g carbs

BEST INDIVIDUAL PIZZA
Chuck E. Cheese Individual Cheese
540 calories
19 g fat (8 g saturated)
1,255 mg sodium
69 g carbs

BEST MEAT-LOVER'S PIZZA
Pizza Hut Meat Lover's 12" Pan Pizza (1 slice)
330 calories
18 g fat (7 g saturated, 0 g trans)
820 mg sodium
27 g carbs

Full Article on Yahoo! Health

From Sean McCusker of Playboy: America didn’t invent the sandwich—that honor purportedly goes to John Montague, the 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792). But if we didn’t create this sublime, handheld delicacy we damn sure perfected it—from the decadent lobster roll to the gooey genius of the Philly cheesesteak. So, with an open mind and an empty gut, we went in search of the best sandwiches this country has to offer.

• Lobster Roll at Straight wharf Fish Store, Nantucket, MA
  
• Cuban at Hugo's Spanish Restaurant, Tampa
• Philly Cheesesteak at Pat's King of Steaks, Philadelphia
• Banh Mi at Saigon Sandwich, San Francisco
  
• Pastrami at Katz's, NYC
  
• St. Paul Sandwich at Wong's Inn, Maplewood, MO
  
• French Dip at Phillipe's, LA
• Sloppy Joe at Town Hall Deli, South Orange, NJ
  
• Shrimp Po' Boy at Guy's Po' Boys, New Orleans
  
• Italian Beef at Al's Italian Beef, Chicago

Read more about each at Playboy

If you want to save your cash and eat out too, you're in luck. Experts predict a sales decline at restaurants this year, so diners are in the driver's seat. "Today's dining deals are incredible," says Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic, a food-service research and consulting firm based in Chicago.

Our recent survey of 70,403 subscribers who made 158,744 visits to 101 restaurant chains revealed good meals, good deals, and choices for every budget and taste. Readers gave 21 chains top marks for food, and five very different chains earned exceptional scores for value: Black-eyed Pea (home-style comfort food), Sonny's Real Pit BBQ, Azteca Mexican Restaurant, Cheddar's Casual Café (eclectic American), and First Watch (eggs, pancakes, and sandwiches).

At the other end of the spectrum, with lower marks across the board, were Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, Joe's Crab Shack, and Friendly's. 

A look at the top-rated chain restaurants in various categories as ranked by Consumer Reports:

• Traditional American: Houston's
• Barbecue: Sonny's Real Pit BBQ, Famous Dave's (tie)
• Italian: Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano
• Mexican: Abuelo's, On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina (tie)
• Steakhouses: The Capital Grille
• Pub Style or Grille: Cheddar's Casual Cafe
• Unique Dinner Houses: P.F. Chang's China Bistro, California Pizza Kitchen (tie)
• Family: First Watch
• Seafood: Bonefish Grill

From Elissa Elan of Nation's Restaurant News (www.nrn.com): Zagat released the findings Monday for its latest survey on the nation's best fast food, and McDonald's topped the list in several categories.

The winners were based on the responses of 6,107 consumers who participated in the survey, which charted 103 chains nationwide. According to Zagat officials, the typical surveyor eats at chain restaurants 11 times a month.

“These chains offer a lot of value to diners, and in the current economic times that’s more important than ever,” said Tim Zagat, chief executive of Zagat Survey. “Given the large number of such chains, even the most avid fast-food aficionados may need help in figuring out what’s best.”

Among fast-food chains, McDonald’s took first place for best French fries, best breakfast sandwiches, most child-friendly, best drive-thru and best value.

In-N-Out Burger, a West Coast chain, took best burger honors, followed by Wendy’s, Burger King and McDonald’s.

As the coffee wars heat up in fast food, Starbucks is still consumers' favorite, followed by Dunkin' Donuts, Peet's Coffee & Tea, McDonald's and Caribou Coffee, according to the survey.

Other fast-food winners included KFC for best fried chicken, Chick-fil-A for best grilled chicken; Long John Silver’s for best fish; Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops for best shakes; and Panera Bread Co. for best salad.

Among the full-service chain winners, Outback Steakhouse took the prize for best steak; Olive Garden for best pasta; IHOP, best breakfast; Red Lobster, best seafood; and Chuck E. Cheese’s for most child-friendly.

For full-service best value honors, Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden and Cracker Barrel topped the list.

For more survey results, click here. 

From Pamela Parseghian at www.nrn.com: Nation's Restaurant News has selected the 2009 inductees for its prestigious Fine Dining Hall of Fame. In addition, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., has been named the 2009 Fine Dining Legend.

This year's restaurant honorees include:

    * Barolo Grill in Denver
    * Blue Ginger in Boston
    * Bouley in New York City
    * Herbsaint in New Orleans
    * Naha in Chicago
    * Nana Restaurant in Dallas
    * Michael Mina in Las Vegas
    * Michael's on East in Sarasota, Fla.
    * New Rivers in Providence, R.I.
    * Slanted Door in San Francisco

The inductees, along with Waters, will be highlighted in the July 20 issue of Nation's Restaurant News. Waters joins a list of Fine Dining Legends that includes Los Angeles-based Wolfgang Puck, Ella Brennan of Commander‚s Palace in New Orleans, and Jerry Burns, who was at the 21 Club in New York City. More than 220 restaurants have been inducted into the Fine Dining Hall of Fame since the awards were established in 1980. The 2009 winners were nominated by past winners and selected by Nation‚s Restaurant News‚ editors. Criteria for winning include excellence in food quality, gracious and professional service and a memorable ambiance. 

Each of the restaurants and chefs honored as James Beard Foundation's 2009 award winners, presented May 4 in New York City, are featured on our LocalEats IPhone application and Where The Locals Eat website. Here are the links:
 
RESTAURANTS AND CHEFS (NATIONAL)

• Outstanding Chef: Dan Barber, Blue Hill, New York
• Outstanding Restaurant: Jean Georges, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez, New York
• Outstanding New Restaurant: Momofuku Ko, David Chang and Peter Serpico, New York
• Rising Star Chef: Nate Appleman, A16, San Francisco
• Outstanding Pastry Chef: Gina DePalma, Babbo, New York
• Outstanding Wine Service: Le Bernardin, Wine Director: Aldo Sohm, New York
• Outstanding Service: Daniel, Daniel Boulud, New York
  

CHEFS (REGIONAL)

• Best Chef: Great Lakes
  Michael Symon, Lola, Cleveland
• Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
  Jose Garces, Amada, Philadelphia
• Best Chef: Midwest
  Tim McKee, La Belle Vie, Minneapolis
• Best Chef: New York
  Gabriel Kreuther, The Modern, New York
• Best Chef: Northeast
  Rob Evans, Hugo's, Portland, Maine
• Best Chef: Northwest
  Maria Hines, Tilth, Seattle
• Best Chef: Southwest
  Paul Bartolotta, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, Las Vegas
• Best Chef: South
  John Currence, City Grocery, Oxford, Miss.
• Best Chef: Southeast
  Mike Lata, Fig, Charleston, S.C.
• Best Chef: Pacific
  Douglas Keane, Cyrus, Healdsburg, Calif.
  

AMERICA'S CLASSICS AWARDS

• Totonno's, Brooklyn, NY
• Mustache Bill's Diner, Barnegat Light, NJ
• Yank Sing, San Francisco
• Arnold's Country Kitchen, Nashville
• Breitbach's Country Dining, Sherrill, IA
  

From Verena Dobnik, Associated Press: NEW YORK - Dan Barber, a pioneer of the so-called farm-to-table restaurant movement, was named the nation's top chef Monday by the James Beard Foundation.

Dan Barber was lauded for using his New York restaurants - Blue Hill New York and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills - to highlight the difference seasonal and sustainable agriculture can make on the plate.

Barber sees his cooking - which he calls American seasonal - as an effort to raise awareness about everyday food choices. At Stone Barns, which is set on a working farm, the menu is a simple list of fresh ingredients.

Barber, who was named one of the nation's best new chefs in 2002 by Food & Wine magazine, previously was recognized by the Beard Foundation as the top New York chef in 2006. He also was a finalist for the top chef last year.

The James Beard awards are the Oscars of the food world, and honor those who follow in the footsteps of Beard, considered the dean of American cooking when he died in 1985.

Barber's award comes at a time when much is being made of the importance of reconnecting Americans with food at its source. For example, first lady Michelle Obama recently planted a vegetable garden at the White House, a move long sought by proponents of sustainable agriculture.

Michael Pollan, a vocal critic of conventional agriculture, got a similar nod from the foundation Monday. His "In Defense of Food," an examination of the American diet and food system, won a Beard book award.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten's New York restaurant Jean Georges was honored as the nation's top restaurant. The restaurant was a finalist in the category last year.

David Chang, who has received numerous accolades for his Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam Bar restaurants in New York, earned "Best New Restaurant" for his Ko, which has been celebrated for its tasting menu-only offerings. The foundation honored Chang as best New York chef last year.

The foundation's award for rising star went to San Francisco chef Nate Appleman, whose restaurant A16 features the foods of Italy's Campania region.

In the cookbook categories, Jennifer McLagan's "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient," won two awards ó cookbook of the year and single subject cookbook.

Last year's top chef, Grant Achatz, won a book award this year for "Alinea," a cookbook based on his Chicago restaurant of the same name. The book won the professional cooking category.

The organization's Lifetime Achievement award went to Ella Brennan, whose family has been a virtual dynasty in the New Orleans restaurant scene for decades.

Here's the recap of top winners go to www.JamesBeard.org for the complete list:

RESTAURANTS AND CHEFS (NATIONAL)

 

• Outstanding Restaurateur: Drew Nieporent, Myriad Restaurant Group, New York
• Outstanding Chef: Dan Barber, Blue Hill, New York
• Outstanding Restaurant: Jean Georges, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez, New York
• Outstanding New Restaurant: Momofuku Ko, David Chang and Peter Serpico, New York
• Rising Star Chef: Nate Appleman, A16, San Francisco
• Outstanding Pastry Chef: Gina DePalma, Babbo, New York
• Outstanding Wine Service: Le Bernardin, Wine Director: Aldo Sohm, New York
• Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional: Dale DeGroff, Dale DeGroff Co., New York
• Outstanding Service: Daniel, Daniel Boulud, New York
  

CHEFS (REGIONAL)

• Best Chef, Great Lakes: Michael Symon, Lola, Cleveland
• Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic: Jose Garces, Amada, Philadelphia
• Best Chef, Midwest: Tim McKee, La Belle Vie, Minneapolis
• Best Chef, New York: Gabriel Kreuther, The Modern, New York
• Best Chef: Northeast: Rob Evans, Hugo's, Portland, Maine
• Best Chef, Northwest: Maria Hines, Tilth, Seattle
• Best Chef, Southwest: Paul Bartolotta, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas
• Best Chef, South: John Currence, City Grocery, Oxford, Miss.
• Best Chef, Southeast: Mike Lata, Fig, Charleston, S.C.
• Best Chef, Pacific: Douglas Keane, Cyrus, Healdsburg, Calif.
  

BOOKS

• Cookbook of the Year: Jennifer McLagan, "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes"
• Cookbook Hall of Fame: Jane Grigson, body of work including "The Art of Charcuterie," "Good Things," and "Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book"
• American Cooking: Martha Hall Foose, "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook"
• Baking and Dessert: Shirley O. Corriher, "Bakewise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking"
• Beverage: Steven Kolpan, Brian H. Smith, Michael A. Weiss and The Culinary Institute of America, "WineWise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Enjoying Wine"
• Cooking from a Professional Point of View: Grant Achatz, "Alinea"
• General: Mark Bittman, "How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition)"
• Healthy Focus: Ellie Krieger, "The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life"
• International: Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, "Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China"
• Photography: Photographer: Dominic Davies, "The Big Fat Duck Cookbook"
• Reference: Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, "The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs"
• Single Subject: Jennifer McLagan, "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes"
• Writing and Literature: Michael Pollan, "In Defense of Food"
  

OTHER

• Humanitarian of the year: Feeding America
• Lifetime achievement: Ella Brennan
  

The James Beard Foundation, the nation's most prestigious recognition program honoring professionals in the food and beverage industries, has announced the nominees for the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards. Susan Ungaro, James Beard Foundation President, hosted an invitation-only breakfast at JBF Award-winning chef Rick Bayless' and JBF Trustee Deann Bayless' highly-acclaimed Frontera Grill restaurant in Chicago, where nominees in 52 categories were announced [on Mar. 23] in the Foundation's various awards programs: Restaurant and Chef, Book, Journalism, Design and Graphics, and Broadcast Media. Honorees in a number of special achievement awards, including Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America, Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian of the Year, and America's Classics, were announced as well. For the complete list of nominees, please visit www.JBFAwards.com. Highlights from this year's list of nominees include:
 

• Outstanding Restaurant:
  
  • Babbo (Chef/Owner: Mario Batali, Owner: Joe Bastianich, New York, NY)
  • Boulevard (Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes, Owner: Pat Kuleto, San Francisco, CA)
  • Fore Street (Chef/Owner: Sam Hayward, Owners: Victor Leon and Dana Street, Portland, ME)
  • Highlands Bar & Grill (Chef/Owner: Frank Stitt, Birmingham, AL)
  • Jean Georges (Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Owner: Phil Suarez, New York, NY)
    
    
• Outstanding Chef:
  • Jose Andres (Minibar, Washington, D.C.)
  • Dan Barber (Blue Hill, New York, NY)
  • Tom Colicchio (Craft, New York, NY)
  • Suzanne Goin (Lucques, Los Angeles, CA)
  • Paul Kahan (Blackbird, Chicago, IL)
    
    
• Rising Star Chef:
  
  • Nate Appleman (A16, San Francisco, CA)
  • Sean Brock (McCrady's, Charleston, SC)
  • Johnny Monis (Komi, Washington, D.C.)
  • Gabriel Rucker (Le Pigeon, Portland, OR)
  • Michael Solomonov (Zahav, Philadelphia, PA)
  • Sue Zemanick (Gautreau's, New Orleans, LA)
    
    
• Best New Restaurant:
  
  • The Bazaar by Jose Andres at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills (Chef/Owner: Jose Andres, Owners: Sam Narian and Philippe Starck, Los Angeles, CA)
  • Corton (Chef/Owner: Paul Liebrandt, Owner: Drew Nieporent, New York, NY)
  • L2O (Chef: Laurent Gras, Owner: Richard Melman, Chicago, IL)
  • Momofuku Ko (Chef/Owner: David Chang, New York, NY)
  • Scarpetta (Chef/Owner: Scott Conant, New York, NY)
    

In addition, some of the special achievement award recipients include:

• Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America:
  
  • David Burke (Chef, Entrepreneur, New York, NY)
  • John T. Edge (Journalist, Director, Southern Foodways Alliance, Oxford, MS)
  • Betty Fussell (Author, Culinary Historian, New York, NY)
  • Dorothy Cann Hamilton (Founder, The French Culinary Institute, New York, NY)
  • Clark Wolf (Clark Wolf Company, New York, NY)

• America's Classics:
  
  • Breitbach's Country Dining (Owner: Mike Breitbach, Sherrill, IA)
  • Totonno's (Owner: Lawrence Ciminieri, Brooklyn, NY)
  • Mustache Bill's Diner (Owner: Bill Smith, Barnegat Light, NJ)
  • Yank Sing (Owner: Vera Chan-Waller, San Francisco, CA)
  • Arnold's Country Kitchen (Owners: Jack and Rose Arnold, Nashville, TN)

Winners of the Restaurant and Chef, Book, Design and Graphics, and special achievement awards will be celebrated at the highly-anticipated annual Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception, taking place on Monday, May 4, 2009 at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. The Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception are open to the general public, and tickets can be purchased by calling the Awards Box Office at 212.925.0054 or by visiting www.JBFAwards.com. General public tickets are $450, but the James Beard Foundation is offering an "Early Bird Special" $50 ticket buyer discount from March 23rd - April 4th. The Journalism and Broadcast Media Awards will be presented at the invitation-only Media Awards Dinner on Sunday, May 3, 2009 at the Hudson Theatre in midtown Manhattan. All award winners will receive a certificate and a bronze medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash awards.
 
Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and continue to emphasize the Foundation's mission: to celebrate, preserve, and nurture America's culinary heritage and diversity. The 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards will celebrate Women in Food. A highlight of the May 4th festivities will be the Gala Reception, which will take place following the Awards Ceremony at Avery Fisher Hall, featuring a line-up of some of America's most noteworthy female chefs, sommeliers, mixologists and artisanal producers. Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, acclaimed chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author and multiple James Beard Foundation Award-winner, will serve as the honorary Gala Chair. As Gala Chair, Ms. Bastianich will work with the Awards Committee in the menu selection of the culinary talents featured at the Gala Reception."
 
http://www.jbfawards.com/nominees.html#restaurant