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Glorious News: James Beard Foundation Award Nominees 2012

By on March 19, 2012 in California, DC, Food and Wine Vacations, Illinois, Louisiana, New York

It’s that time of year again, and the nominees for the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards (often referred to as the Oscars of U.S. cuisine) have just been announced! It’s a lengthy list, with categories ranging from health-focused cookbooks to restaurant graphics, food blogs to outstanding pastry chef. You can see the entire list here, but I thought I’d highlight a few of the categories I’m most excited about.

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT DESIGN

• Design Firm: Design Bureaux, Inc.  Designer: Thomas Schlesser  Project: DBGB Kitchen and Bar, New York City (below)

• Design Firm: Bentel & Bentel Architects  Project: Le Bernardin, New York City

• Design Firm: Glen & Company  Designer: Glen Coben  Project: Romera, New York City

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

• AQ, San Francisco

• Fiola, Washington, D.C.

• Isa, NYC

• Next, Chicago

• Tertulia, NYC (below)

OUTSTANDING CHEF

• David Chang, Momofuku Ssam Bar, NYC

• Gary Danko, Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco

• Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, NYC

• Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago (below)

• Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans

• Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles

COOKBOOKS ON AMERICAN COOKING

• A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen by Hugh Acheson (Clarkson Potter)

• American Flavor by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman (Ecco)

• Masala Farm: Stories and Recipes from an Uncommon Life in the Country by Suvir Saran with Raquel Pelzel and Charlie Burd (Chronicle Books)

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The Glorious Bucket List: National Cherry Blossom Festival

By on March 13, 2012 in Cultural & City Vacations, DC, Family Travel, Glorious Bucket List

photo by Rachel Walker

 

What: An annual celebration commemorating the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, D.C.

Why: This is Washington at its prettiest, and with over five weeks of activities planned there’s plenty to keep visitors of all ages entertained

How: There’s no better time to attend the National Cherry Blossom Festival than this year, which marks the celebration’s 100th anniversary. The festival officially runs from March 20th to April 27th, with event highlights that include:

March 25th: The festival’s Opening Ceremonies, taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from 5-6:30pm.

March 31st: Hundreds of kites take to the skies surrounding the Washington Monument during the Blossom Kite Festival.

April 7th: Starting at 2pm, the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival features live music, family-friendly water activities, and cherry-inspired foods and drinks, and culminates with a fireworks show at 8:30pm.

April 14th: Lavish floats, balloons, marching bands, and more travel down Constitution Avenue during the The National Cherry Blossom Parade from 10am-12:30pm. And from 11am-6pm, Pennsylvania Avenue is home to Sakura Matsuri, the largest Japanese cultural festival in the country, featuring food from 25 restaurants, two Kirin Ichiban beer gardens, and dance, musical, and martial arts performances.

April 19th-22nd: Starting each day at noon, music fans can perch on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial and enjoy free performances and spectacular views of the Tidal Basin during Jazz at the Jefferson.

There are also myriad tours and activities centered around the cherry blossoms. Shutterbugs can take a workshop on travel photography around the memorials, art fans can attend a gallery lecture centered around Japanese bird-and-flower paitings, and amateur botanists can take a self-guided spin around the National Arboretum to see other flowering cherry trees. Exercise enthusiasts should opt for the two-hour Blossoms by Bike tour along the Potomac, and if sitting’s more your speed, climb aboard DC Cruises for a view of the blossoms from the water.

See the complete calendar of events and performances and get visitor information here.

photo by Rachel Walker

 

via National Cherry Blossom Festival

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