Awards News

12 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants score coveted James Beard Award nominations

Uchi Dallas chef de cuisine Junior Borges

Dallas chef Junior Borges earned a big nomination.

Courtesy photo

The James Beard Foundation has revealed the semifinalists for its 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards. A dozen Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants have been included in both national and regional categories.

Considered the Oscars of the food world, the awards recognize outstanding chefs and other culinary professionals in a wide range of categories ranging from Outstanding Chef to Best New Restaurant.

The awards also include media categories that will be announced at a later date.

DALLAS
Dallas nominees include:

Outstanding Chef: Junior Borges, Meridian
Outstanding Restaurant: Lucia
Best New Restaurant: Restaurant Beatrice
Best New Restaurant: Tatsu
Outstanding Bakery: La Casita Bakeshop
Outstanding Bakery: Kuluntu Bakery

Best Chef: Texas nominees include:

Reyna Duong, Sandwich Hag
Olivia López and Jonathan Percival, Molino Olōyō
Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, José
Regino Rojas, Revolver Taco Lounge

Fort Worth
Fort Worth nominees include:

Best New Restaurant: Don Artemio
Best Chef: Texas nominees Jalen Heard, Lane Milne, and Jonny White, Goldee's Barbecue

Elsewhere in Texas, Houston boasts 10 nominees, San Antonio has seven, and Austin has six.

Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, March 29. The Foundation will reveal its winners at an awards ceremony on Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

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list news

Only one Dallas eatery makes OpenTable's top 100 restaurants for 2024

Courtesy of Hudson House

Hudson House on Lover's Lane is the only Dallas restaurant named on OpenTable's Top 100 Restaurants list in 2024.

Restaurant reservation website OpenTable has just issued its new list of the top 100 restaurants in America for 2024, and only one eatery in Dallas made the list: Hudson House, the oyster-centric restaurant in Dallas' upscale Park Cities neighborhood.

The "2024's Top 100 Restaurants" is a compilation of the most sought-after and top-ranked restaurants in the U.S. based on 14 million verified reviews on OpenTable from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. Restaurants are not ranked, but arranged in alphabetical order by state.

Hudson House, which opened in 2017, prides itself on its East Coast comfort food, with seafood dishes, cheeseburgers, and martinis.

"Oysters are flown in daily and are best paired with their legendary 'World’s Coldest Martinis,'" says the restaurant's OpenTable profile.

The fast-expanding chain was co-founded by East Hampton Sandwich Company honchos Hunter Pond and Kyle Brooks. The Lovers Lane location is one of six operating in Dallas-Fort Worth, most recently one that opened in Preston Hollow in April. There is also a location in Houston and another in Beverly Hills.

Pond, who is also the founder and CEO of the restaurant's parent company Vandelay Hospitality, shared his praise for Hudson House in a statement.

"To represent Dallas-Fort Worth and be part of such an esteemed group of restaurants is a testament to our team’s passion and dedication," Pond said. "We’re grateful to our loyal guests who have made this recognition possible."

Hudson House was one of 10 total Texas restaurants to receive recognition in OpenTable's list. In numbers that seem to reflect the recent Michelin Guide awards, Austin ruled with the highest number of restaurants. On the OpenTable list, Austin scored with seven total establishments, while San Antonio and Houston each had one.

The full list of Texas restaurants named on OpenTable's Top 100 Restaurants for 2024, organized alphabetically, are:

Aba, Austin
Hudson House - Lover's Lane, Dallas
J Carver's Oyster Bar & Chophouse, Austin
Jeffrey's Restaurant, Austin
Red Ash Italia, Austin
Sammie's Italian, Austin
Steak 48, Houston
Signature, San Antonio
Uchi Austin
Uchiko Austin

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