by Steven Doyle
The James Beard Award Semi-Finalists were just announced and Texas received just a little more love than usual, particularly in the Best Chef Southwest category where you will see a small handful of DFW names such as David Uygur, John Tesar, and Matt McCallister.
We also spotted former Dallas chef David Bull, now in Austin, on this list as well. Also one of our favorite Austin restaurants, Barley Swine chef Bryce Gilmore was honored. Â
Cafe on the Green was also a local standout in the Outstanding Wine Program category. Casa Rubia took a nod for Best New Restaurant.
Some special love was sent to Abacus for Outstanding Service, as was The Mansion on Turtle Creek.
We have a list of some of the more interesting categories below. The finalists are to be announced on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, and the winners will be honored at the James Beard Foundation Awards on Monday, May 5, 2014 in New York.
Best Chef: Southwest Charleen Badman, FnB, Scottsdale, AZ Kevin Binkley, Binkley’s, Cave Creek, AZ Bowman Brown, Forage, Salt Lake City David Bull, Congress, Austin James Campbell Caruso, La Boca, Santa Fe                    Rob Connoley, The Curious Kumquat, Silver City, NM Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin       Jennifer James, Jennifer James 101, Albuquerque, NM Matt McCallister, FT33, Dallas                    Frederick Muller, El Meze, Taos, NM Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s, Houston Jeff Osaka, Twelve, Denver Jonathan Perno, La Merienda at Los Poblanos Inn, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM MartÃn Rios, Restaurant MartÃn, Santa Fe Silvana Salcido, Barrio Café, Phoenix Alex Seidel, Fruition, Denver Chris Shepherd, Underbelly, Houston John Tesar, Spoon Bar & Kitchen, Dallas David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas Justin Yu, Oxheart, Houston  Outstanding Wine Program 5 & 10, Athens, GA A16, San Francisco Addison at the Grand Del Mar, San Diego Archie’s Waeside, Le Mars, IA Bar Boulud, NYC The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN Café on the Green at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving, TX CityZen at Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C. FIG, Charleston, SC The Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans The Little Nell, Aspen, CO Marcel’s, Washington, D.C. Momofuku Ssäm Bar, NYC Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas Press, St. Helena, CA Rouge Tomate, NYC Sepia, Chicago Spago, Beverly Hills, CA Troquet, Boston Yono’s Restaurant, Albany, NY  Outstanding Service Abacus, Dallas Bacchanalia, Atlanta Blue Hill, NY Brigtsen’s, New Orleans Cafe Juanita, Kirkland, WA  L’Espalier, Boston Komi, Washington, D.C.  L2O, Chicago  Lucques, West Hollywood, CA  Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas  Marcel’s, Washington, D.C.  McCrady’s, Charleston, SC  One Flew South, Atlanta  Persimmon, Bristol, RI  Providence, Los Angeles  Quince, San Francisco  Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis  The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA  Topolobampo, Chicago  Vetri, Philadelphia Â
