City & State Rankings - James Beard Awards (food, place, America)

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by bearsmiths

Definitely agree. Michelin gave more stars to DC and SF which is crazy. I think Chicago is #2 right behind New York.


Oriole is an amazing restaurant. Definitely 3 star worthy.

Actually, Chicago punches well below its weight on this list too. New York City is the only large city with large borders leading to ample retail square footage availability for potential award winners that competes well on an apples to apples metric using their data.

The U.S. Cities with the Most Award-Winning Chefs and Restaurants Since 2000

Major City Proper's Using Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land

1. San Fran (57) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (46.9 sq. miles) = 1.21
2. New York City (238) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (300.46 sq. miles) = 0.79
3. DC (28) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (61.4 sq. miles) = 0.46
4. Boston (21) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (48.34 sq. miles) = 0.43
5. Chicago (67) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (227.73 sq. miles) = 0.29
6. Seattle (20) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (83.99 sq. miles) = 0.24
7. Minneapolis (11) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (54 sq. miles) = 0.20
8. New Orleans (28) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (169.42 sq. miles) = 0.16
9. Miami (5) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (36 sq. miles) = 0.14
10. Philly (13) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (134.28 sq. miles) = 0.10
11. Las Vegas (8) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (141.78 sq. miles) = 0.06 (tie)
11. Portland (8) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (133.42 sq. miles) = 0.06 (tie)
11. Milwaukee (6) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (96.18 sq. miles) = 0.06 (tie)
14. Atlanta (7) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (135.32 sq. miles) = 0.05
15. LA (17) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (469.49 sq. miles) = 0.04 (tie)
15. Denver (6) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (153.075 sq. miles) = 0.04 (tie)
17. Austin (5) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (319.94 sq. miles) = 0.01 (tie)
17. Nashville (5) Restaurant Winner Density By Total City Proper Land (504.03 sq. miles) = 0.01 (tie)

[nadnerb]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Not necessarily fine dining, but predominantly upscale for sure.

Generally, you can recognize everything on the menu, unlike Michelin.

This makes sense. I do wish there were an equivalent award primarily focusing on restaurants that are a step down from James Beard in scale, like places where the best entree is under $25. This is more accessible to the average person and it also gives a more complete picture of a city's "food scene".

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by nadnerb

This makes sense. I do wish there were an equivalent award primarily focusing on restaurants that are a step down from James Beard in scale, like places where the best entree is under $25. This is more accessible to the average person and it also gives a more complete picture of a city's "food scene".

They do have different categories. For instance the 'American Classic' category seems to be a little closer to what you are saying.

https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/anno...ricas-classics

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by nadnerb

Aren't the James Beard awards geared more toward upscale & fine dining? I was surprised not to see Portland in the top 10, but it makes sense since fine dining isn't a massive thing there and its food renown is more based off of its street food scene.

Just for a point of reference:

I don't know how common this is, but one of Philadelphia's James Beard Award-winning restaurants is John's Roast Pork, a little shack at Snyder and Weccacoe avenues, right off the Delaware riverfront in South Philly. (It won an "America's Classic" award in 2006.)

Its claims to fame are its roast pork Italian sandwich and its cheesesteak, which many (including the mag I write for, one year) consider the best in the city. Ditto the roast pork Italian (roast pork au jus, broccoli rabe and sharp Provolone), which some foodies here argue should take the place of the cheesesteak as the city's signature sandwich.

But yes, of the 16 restaurants, restaurateurs and chefs to win James Beard awards (two of the 18 award winners are food journalists), John's Roast Pork is the only one that doesn't fall into the upscale segment of the restaurant biz.

Philadelphia Winners | James Beard Foundation

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by nadnerb

Aren't the James Beard awards geared more toward upscale & fine dining? I was surprised not to see Portland in the top 10, but it makes sense since fine dining isn't a massive thing there and its food renown is more based off of its street food scene.

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

They do have different categories. For instance the 'American Classic' category seems to be a little closer to what you are saying.

https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/anno...ricas-classics

And there are now eight James Beard Award-winning restaurants in New Jersey.

Corinne's Place in Camden was one of the winners in this category this year.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by bearsmiths

Chicago is world renowned for being a food mecca this is nothing new.

First I’ve heard of it.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Arguably the best food city in North America behind NYC.

Have you not had good experiences?

My expense report dining in Chicago, I was dragged to steakhouses and Italian. The steakhouse experiences were similar to a high end steakhouse anywhere in the country. I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy. The Italian I experienced in Chicago was good middle of the road American-Italian. I obviously missed something but I wasn’t ever picking restaurants. I’ve had really creative meals in San Francisco and New Orleans. I personally would put them as #2 and #3. San Francisco is now so ridiculously wealthy that it supports that kind of dining and I’m partial to Asia-Fusion which is particularly good in San Francisco.

I remember having a half day in Chicago and decided I wanted Dim Sum with carts for lunch. Huge city. I was certain it must exist. I couldn’t find any. I went to the highest rated place I could find and it was mediocre and off the menu.

[bearsmiths]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

First I’ve heard of it.

Chicago might have the best restaurant neighborhood in the country with Fulton Market. Don't know how this is your first time hearing this.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

My expense report dining in Chicago, I was dragged to steakhouses and Italian. The steakhouse experiences were similar to a high end steakhouse anywhere in the country. I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy. The Italian I experienced in Chicago was good middle of the road American-Italian. I obviously missed something but I wasn’t ever picking restaurants. I’ve had really creative meals in San Francisco and New Orleans. I personally would put them as #2 and #3. San Francisco is now so ridiculously wealthy that it supports that kind of dining and I’m partial to Asia-Fusion which is particularly good in San Francisco.

I remember having a half day in Chicago and decided I wanted Dim Sum with carts for lunch. Huge city. I was certain it must exist. I couldn’t find any. I went to the highest rated place I could find and it was mediocre and off the menu.

Did your sojourns take you to this restaurant in Lincoln Park?

It's Chicago's only three-star Michelin restaurant (and one of only 14 three-star restaurants nationwide; there are 21 others in the city with Michelin stars), and it's gotten nationwide recognition for its inventive American cuisine.

I will probably never eat there, but I've heard of it from my perch in Philadelphia. No restaurant here holds a candle to it, not even the new Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant atop the Four Seasons hotel on top of the Comcast Tecnnology Center. (I hope to be able to eat there someday.)

[IronWright]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

My expense report dining in Chicago, I was dragged to steakhouses and Italian. The steakhouse experiences were similar to a high end steakhouse anywhere in the country. I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy. The Italian I experienced in Chicago was good middle of the road American-Italian. I obviously missed something but I wasn’t ever picking restaurants. I’ve had really creative meals in San Francisco and New Orleans. I personally would put them as #2 and #3. San Francisco is now so ridiculously wealthy that it supports that kind of dining and I’m partial to Asia-Fusion which is particularly good in San Francisco.

I remember having a half day in Chicago and decided I wanted Dim Sum with carts for lunch. Huge city. I was certain it must exist. I couldn’t find any. I went to the highest rated place I could find and it was mediocre and off the menu.

I'm sure I could go to San Francisco and find some mediocre meals. This anecdote doesn't erase Chicago's contributions to U.S. cuisine or the fact it offers the 2nd most national cuisines in the U.S. and 4th most in the world. Fulton Market probably has the highest concentration of Michelin starred-restaurants of any neighborhood in the U.S. Charlie Trotter was one of the most influential figures in American fine-dining. Then there are all the street/common foods Chicago invented or innovated. How you aren't aware of its status as one of the great food cities of the world is beyond comprehension.