James Beard Awards 2016 add 5 NYC restaurants to the do-not-miss list

The 2016 James Beard Foundation Awards were given out this week, but its winners don’t receive money or prizes; the prestige is in being chosen by a committee of restaurant industry professionals who volunteer their time. And that makes them both more inclusive by virtue of having many voices, and more user-friendly since these places stand out to people who are used to impressive food and decor.

Here are the winners for NYC:

Outstanding Bar Program went to Maison Premiere, the oyster bar that pays as much attention to the cocktails and wines that pair with them.

The under-30 Rising Star Chef award went rightly to Daniela Soto‐Innes at Flatiron hotspot Cosme, where the Mexican menu could boast about authenticity but instead goes in on innovation.

The overall best chef in New York City was Jonathan Waxman for Barbuto, the Italian-American classic in the West Village. It opened 12 years ago, going all in on seasonal dishes before that became the standard, and the brick chicken still deserves a trip.

Among the new Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America inductees are Serious Eats founder Ed Levine, Red Rooster chef/Harlem champion Marcus Samuelsson and Jim Lahey, credited with starting the artisanal bread revolution at Sullivan Street Bakery.

Outstanding Service recognition went to Eleven Madison Park, though the restaurant is just about to change its tipping model to hospitality included.

The award for best small restaurant design (75 seats or fewer) was a tie between two entirely different projects: Demian Repucci Design for the industrial chic pizza-pasta joint Bruno in the East Village, and Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the Whitney’s new veggie-focused Danny Meyer project,Untitled.

April Bloomfield’s business partner, Ken Friedman, who was involved inThe Spotted Pig,The BreslinandTosca Café, won Outstanding Restaurateur.