Last night the winners of the James Beard Awards — the Oscars of fine dining — were announced at the Lyric Opera of Chicago building before a crowd of nearly 2,000 gourmands and industry insiders. And like every year (the awards began in 1990), there were big winners and losers, tremendous surprises and a whole lot of heartfelt, this-medal-really-belongs-to-someone-else, thank-you speeches.If you want to know where to eat across the USA, the Beard winners list would be a fine place to start, and possibly more reliable than the Michelin guide (full disclosure: I used to be on the James Beard Restaurant & Chef committee). Some highlights below:Stephen Starr, who runs more than 30 eateries in five states, not only won “best restaurateur” (after years of being on the ballot and losing), but his new eatery, Le Coucou in New York, also won best new restaurant, which basically guarantees that reservations will be impossible to score for another year or so.New Orleans finally got some of the love it has long deserved. Arnaud’s French 75 Bar won “Outstanding Bar Program” and Zachary Engel won “Rising Star Chef of the Year” for his work at Shaya.Some well-known restaurants — many that seem like they must have already won every honor possible — found new awards to win. At New York’s Daniel, Ghaya Oliveira took top “Top Pastry Chef” honors. Chicago’s Rick Bayless won “Outstanding Restaurant” for Topolobampo (hard to believe he didn’t win that one already), and Dan Barber got up on stage and made another smart speech after Blue Hill at Stone Barns (in Pocantico Hills, NY) won for “Outstanding Service.”The complete list of winners is below and includes the “America’s Classic” winners — for restaurants with timeless appeal, beloved in their regions for quality food that reflects the character of its community (and are usually not too expensive). For a complete list of semifinalists — basically this year’s losers — announced back in February, visit the James Beard site.Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.The crowd got to feast once the final awards had been announced.2017 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards WinnersBest New Restaurant: Le Coucou, NYCOutstanding Baker: Mark Furstenberg, Bread Furst, Washington, D.C.Outstanding Bar Program: Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, New OrleansOutstanding Chef: Michael Solomonov, Zahav, PhiladelphiaOutstanding Pastry Chef: Ghaya Oliveira, Daniel, NYCOutstanding Restaurant: Topolobampo, ChicagoOutstanding Restaurateur: Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants, Philadelphia (Le Coucou, Serpico, Upland, and others)Outstanding Service: Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NYOutstanding Wine Program: Canlis, SeattleOutstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional: Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DERising Star Chef of the Year: Zachary Engel, Shaya, New OrleansOutstanding Restaurant Design, 75 Seats and Under: Avroko for Single Thread, Healdsburg, CAOutstanding Restaurant Design, More Than 75 Seats: Meyer Davis for St. Cecilia, AtlantaBest Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH): Sarah Grueneberg, Monteverde, ChicagoBest Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA): Greg Vernick, Vernick Food & Drink, PhiladelphiaBest Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI): Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Cafe, St. LouisBest Chef: New York City: Marco Canora, HearthBest Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY State, RI, VT): Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, Eventide Oyster Co., Portland, MEBest Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY): Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox, Portland, ORBest Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, Puerto Rico): Rebecca Wilcomb, Herbsaint, New OrleansBest Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV): Steven Satterfield, Miller Union, AtlantaBest Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT): Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s, HoustonBest Chef: West (CA, HI, NV): Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco2017 James Beard Foundation America’s ClassicsLa Taqueria, San FranciscoSahadi’s, BrooklynSchultz’s Crab House, MarylandGioia’s Deli, St. LouisBertha’s Kitchen, North Charleston2017 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in AmericaSuzanne GoinEvan KleimanRoger BerkowitzMichel NischanRajat Parr2017 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the YearDenise Cerreta, One World Everybody Eats2017 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement AwardNora Pouillon, Restaurant Nora (Washington, DC)Do you agree or disagree with the selection of any of the winners?
