The last year dealt some of the harshest criticisms DC has received on their restaurant scene from the New York Times, a near bottom placement in Esquire’s Top 10 Restaurant Cities, hosting a boring season of Top Chef which highlighted lackluster local restaurants, and no James Beard Award winners for the last two years DC scrambling to find a mark in the food industry. The DC food discussion has been stuck in nostalgic group therapy cupcake sessions with little appreciation for the talented chefs like Jose Andres, Johnny Monis, and the other repeat James Beard nominees.
Having lived in DC for the majority of my adult life, I find myself at odds with the city I love and the food in it. A city that runs on power, alcohol and nicotine, should have the gluttony to go with it, but the big wigs are too full of themselves, and the rest of us can’t afford to dine out after we spend half our monthly pay on rent.
Last week I was bemused to see the list of local nominees for the James Beard Awards announced. It felt like more of the same old. It’s not shocking Jose Andres is up for an Outstanding Chef Award. He has earned each and every nomination he has received for one James Beard award or another for the better part of the last decade, and most of our Mid-Atlantic Chef nominees have been up before as well. The only remote “surprise” is this year we have two nominees up for best new restaurant. That’s all of twice of what we had last year! But can we muster a win for the first time in three years?
I’m doubtful, but my money is on a 2011 James Beard Award win for Chef Andres for Outstanding Chef for Minibar and Best Chef: Mid Atlantic to Johnny Monis for Komi.
Jana Erwin is the primary chef and writer of CherryTeaCakes.com, a non-profit venture combining the love of fine desserts and feeding the impoverished in Washington DC.
