James Beard Foundation announces award finalists: L.A. chefs on the short list

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The James Beard Foundation has winnowed a long list of semi-finalists for its 2011 awards and Monday announced the finalists, including Los Angeles chefs Suzanne Goin of Lucques for outstanding chef and Dahlia Narvaez of Osteria Mozza for outstanding pastry chef.

[Updated, March 22: An earlier version of this post misspelled Dahlia Narvaez’s surname as Nervaez.]

Michael Cimarusti of Providence is a finalist for best chef in the Pacific region, along with Christopher Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, Calif.; Daniel Patterson of COI in San Francisco; Richard Reddington of Redd in Yountville, Calif.; and Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco.

Here’s the full list of nominees for outstanding chef, outstanding pastry chef and other chef and restaurant categories:

OUTSTANDING CHEF: José Andrés, Minibar, Washington; Gary Danko, Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco; Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles; Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago; Charles Phan, the Slanted Door, San Francisco.

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF: Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe, Boston; Patrick Fahy, Blackbird, Chicago; Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles; Angela Pinkerton, Eleven Madison Park, New York; Mindy Segal, Mindy’s HotChocolate, Chicago.

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR: Aaron London, Ubuntu, Napa, Calif.; Thomas McNaughton, flour + water, San Francisco; Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon, Portland, Ore.; Christina Tosi, Momofuku Milk Bar, New York; Sue Zemanick, Gautreau’s, New Orleans.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT: ABC Kitchen, New York; Benu, San Fransisco; Girl & the Goat, Chicago; Menton, Boston; Torrisi Italian Specialties, New York (beating out A-Frame and Waterloo & City in Los Angeles).

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT: Blue Hill, New York; Boulevard, San Francisco; Eleven Madison Park, New York; Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, Ala.; Vetri, Philadelphia (beating out Mélisse).

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR: Bruce and Eric Bromberg, Blue Ribbon restaurants, New York; Tom Douglas, Dahlia Bakery, Dahlia Lounge, Etta’s, Lola, Palace Kitchen, Seatown Seabar & Rotisserie, and Serious Pie, Seattle; Pat Kuleto, Boulevard, Epic Roasthouse, Farallon, Jardinière, Martini House, Nick’s Cove and Waterbar, San Francisco; Richard Melman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Chicago; Phil Suarez, ABC Kitchen, Co., Gigino Trattoria, Gigino Wagner Park, Jean Georges, JoJo, J&G Steakhouse, Market, the Mark Restaurant by Jean Georges, Mercer Kitchen, Perry St., Pipa, Prime Steakhouse, Spice Market, and wd~50, various cities.

OUTSTANDING SERVICE: Canlis, Seattle; Emeril’s, New Orleans; La Grenouille, New York; Per Se, New York; Topolobampo, Chicago.

OUTSTANDING WINE & SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL: Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Del.; Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Winery, Sebastopol, Calif.; Paul Grieco, Hearth, New York; Rajat Parr, Mina Group, San Francisco; Julian P. Van Winkle III, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, Louisville, Ky.

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE: A16, San Francisco, wine director Shelley Lindgren; Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tenn., wine director Andy Chabot; Frasca Food & Wine, Boulder, Colo., wine director Bobby Stuckey; Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas, wine director Robert Smith; The Modern, New York, wine director Belinda Chang.