The 2017 James Beard Award semifinalists were announced today, and Portland chefs and restaurants are contenders in 9 categories including the Best Chef: Northwest, and Rising Star Chef of the Year. That's a big deal, especially considering our big sister city Seattle has only 17 semifinalists.
Read our reviews of the nominees below. Best of luck Portland! Bring home those JBAs!
Best New Restaurant
Han Oak
REVIEW: The Lowdown on Han Oak and Fusspot Chicken: The Quest for Fine Korean Food within City Limits (from 2016)
Outstanding Bar Program
Clyde Common
Clyde Common's Rich Remodel (2016)
From our Happy Hour guide (2015):
Clyde Common's happy hour is to bar food what a Great Dane is to a tiny, yappy dog. Yes, they're technically the same species, but one is a whole lot more regal and awe-inspiring than the other. The Ace Hotel's bar, run by the we-can't-believe-he's-still-in-Portland Jeffrey Morgenthaler, is so sleek and composed that it makes other downtown bars look like mangy Chihuahuas. The burger ($8) is a beautiful example of everything humanity can do with bread and meat, and the fried cheese curds ($6) ooze like tasty magma. Branch out with less traditional bar fare, like the pork and shiitake lumpia ($5, it's like a fried spring roll), or rock a basic green salad ($3), which is also at the top of its game.
Outstanding Chef
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon
REVIEW: Trust in Le Pigeon: If Chef Rucker Says, "Eat It"? Eat It (from 2006)
Outstanding Restaurateur
Monique Siu, Castagna and Café Castagna
Patron of the Arts: Castagna: In the Kitchen, Looking Out (from 2013)
Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional
Steve McCarthy, Clear Creek Distillery
Father Booze: The Life and Times of Steve McCarthy (from 2008)
Rising Star Chef of the Year
Maya Lovelace, Mae
REVIEW: Mae Will Leave You Stuffed and Longing for More: The Down-Home Finesse of Chef Maya Lovelace (from 2016)
Maya was the 2015 Portland Mercury Chili Jamboree Champ!
BONUS: Chefs, Booze, and Frozen Pizza: We Got Top Portland Chefs Drunk and Then Made Pizza—with Toppings Purchased at 7-Eleven FEATURING Maya Lovelace! (from 2016)
Best Chef: Northwest
Jose Chesa, Ataula
REVIEW: Polished and Precocious: Is Ataula an Institution in the Making? (from 2014)
Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox
Food critic Andrea Damewood tried Tackling the Trickiest Recipe in the Ox Cookbook for our 2016 food issue.
Ha (Christina) Luu, Ha VL
REVIEW: Bún Cari Gà (Chicken Curry Noodle) Soup (from 2016)
Joshua McFadden, Ava Gene’s
REVIEW: Medium Is the Message at Ava Gene's: Separating the Accolades from the Food (from 2014)
Katy Millard, Coquine
REVIEW: Put a Beret on It: Coquine Is a French-Infused, Lady-Helmed Gem on Mt. Tabor (from 2015)
Sarah Pliner, Aviary
REVIEW: Small Plates, Big Range: Aviary Makes Avant-Garde Taste Good (from 2011)
Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro
REVIEW: Nodoguro Is the Best Sushi in Portland: Ryan Roadhouse's Sushi—Direct from Tokyo to Your Face (from 2015)
Justin Woodward, Castagna
Other nominees:
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Kristen Murray, Måurice
Outstanding Baker
Ken Forkish, Ken’s Artisan Bakery