Some 350 of Houston’s culinary stars gathered in the ballroom of The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa last evening (Sunday, October 6) for My Table magazine’s 17th Annual Houston Culinary Awards.
The gala evening was hosted by Teresa Byrne-Dodge, publisher/editor of My Table magazine, and emceed by St. John Flynn of Houston Public Media. Houston’s top chefs, restaurateurs, bartenders, bloggers, bakers, wine pros, food truck owners and passionate foodies gathered to honor winners of the 2013 Houston Culinary Awards, which included a special tribute to Saint Arnold Brewing Company founder Brock Wagner, recipient of the 15th Legends of Houston Restaurants Award.
A portion of the evening’s proceeds benefited Foodways Texas.
Finalists and winners of the 2013 Houston Culinary Awards are shown below, with the winners bolded in red. Past winners are also shown. (To view photos from the 2013 or 2012 culinary awards dinner and party, find a list of event sponsors or see the menu that our celebrity chef team prepared, visit houstonculinaryawards.com.) Want to see last night’s photos? We’ve got them posted here on our Facebook page.
1. RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR
- Laurenzo Family (Laurenzo’s, El Tiempo)
- Marco Wiles (Da Marco, Dolce Vita, Poscól)
- Michael Cordúa (Americas, Artista, etc.)
- Shepard Ross (BAC, Glass Wall)
- Terrance Gallivan & Seth Siegel-Gardner (The Pass & Provisions)
- Tony Vallone (Tony’s, Ciao Bello)
- Tracy Vaught (Backstreet Cafe, Hugo’s, etc.)
2. CHEF OF THE YEAR
- Anita Jaisinghani (Indika, Pondicheri)
- Brandi Key (Coppa)
- Kevin Bryant (Eleven XI)
- Kiran Verma (Kiran’s)
- Manabu Horiuchi (Kata Robata)
- Ryan Hildebrand (Triniti)
- Ryan Pera (Revival Market)
3. UP-AND-COMING CHEF OF THE YEAR (age 35 or younger)
- Erin Smith (The Clumsy Butcher group)
- Grant Gordon (Tony’s)
- Justin Yu (Oxheart)
- Kaz Edwards (Uchi)
- Lyle Bento (Underbelly)
- Mario Valdez (Rainbow Lodge)
- Seth Siegel-Gardner & Terrence Gallivan (The Pass & Provisions)
4. OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE
- Brasserie 19
- Coppa Ristorante
- Max’s Wine Dive
- Oxheart
- Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
- Philippe Restaurant
- Vic & Anthony’s
5. PASTRY CHEF OF THE YEAR (includes breadmakers)
- Dominique Bocquier (Au Petit Paris)
- Heath Wendell (Slow Dough)
- Jody Stevens (Jodycakes)
- Karen Man (Oxheart)
- Rebecca Masson (Fluff Bake Bar)
- Susan Molzan (Petite Sweets)
- Vanessa O’Donnell (Ooh La La, Katy)
6. OUTSTANDING BAR SERVICE
- Down House
- El Gran Malo
- Goro & Gun
- Grand Prize
- Hugo’s
- Mockingbird Bistro
- The Original OKRA Charity Saloon
7. SERVICE PERSON OF THE YEAR (includes dining room managers)
- Jon Paul (The Steakhouse, Galveston)
- Mary Donna Moceri (Grotto)
- Matthew Hunt (Uchi)
- Michael Fulmer (Triniti)
- Shepard Ross (Brooklyn Athletic Club)
- Tim Neely (Rainbow Lodge)
- Tina Nguyen (Sullivan’s Steakhouse)
8. HOUSTON CLASSIC (a restaurant in business for 10 or more years)
- Backstreet Cafe
- Fung’s Kitchen
- Hugo’s
- Ouisie’s Table
- Pico’s Mex-Mex
- Tony’s
- Vic & Anthony’s
9. BEST INTERIOR DESIGN
- Brasserie 19
- Brenner’s on the Bayou
- Oxheart
- Philippe Restaurant
- The Pass & Provisions
- Triniti
- Uchi
10. BEST NEW RESTAURANT (must have opened since June 1, 2012)
- Brooklyn Athletic Club
- Eatsie Boys Cafe
- Eleven XI
- Etoile Cuisine et Bar
- MF Sushi
- Sparrow Bar + Cookshop
- The Pass & Provisions
PART 2: HOUSTON FOODIE STAR AWARDS
1. FAVORITE BAKERY
- Angela’s Oven
- El Bolillo
- French Gourmet Bakery & Cafe
- Kraftsmen Baking
- Petite Sweets
- Ruggles Cafe Bakery
- Rustika Cafe & Bakery
2. FAVORITE BARBECUE
- Brooks’ Place BBQ
- Corkscrew BBQ
- Gatlin’s BBQ
- Killen’s BBQ
- Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Que
- The Brisket House
- Virgie’s Bar-B-Que
3. FAVORITE BREAKFAST
- Barnaby’s
- Blacksmith
- Down House
- Fountain View Cafe
- Kenny & Ziggy’s
- Ouisie’s Table
- Revival Market
4. FAVORITE BURGER
- Burger Guys
- Christian’s Tailgate
- Lankford Grocery
- Little Big’s
- Little Bitty Burger Barn
- Mockingbird Bistro
- Underbelly
5. FAVORITE COFFEEHOUSE
- Blacksmith
- Boomtown Coffee
- Catalina Coffee
- Double Trouble Caffeine & Cocktails
- Inversion Coffee House
- Revival Market
- Southside Espresso
6. FAVORITE HOUSTON FOOD BLOG
- Arbitrary Criticism (Catherine Martin)
- Blue Jean Gourmet (Nishta Mehra)
- CultureMap
- Eater Houston
- H Town Chow Down (Albert Nurick)
- Houston Foodie (J.C. Reid)
- Urban Swank (Felice Sloan & Shanna Jones)
7. FAVORITE MOM & POP ETHNIC
- Aladdin (Mideastern)
- El Rey (Mexican)
- Flor de Cuba (Cuban)
- Himalayan Restaurant (Pakistani)
- Huynh (Vietnamese)
- Istanbul (Turkish)
- Pollo Bravo (Peruvian)
8. FAVORITE FOOD TRUCK/CART
- Brooks Place BBQ
- H-Town StrEATS
- Koagie Hots
- Mélange Crêperie
- Phamily Bites
- Pi Pizza
- St. John’s Fire
9. FAVORITE LATE NIGHT SPOT (serves food after 11 pm)
- Dot’s Coffee Shop
- FuFu Cafe
- Little Big’s
- Mai’s
- Pho Binh by Night
- Tacos a Go-Go
- The Hay Merchant
10. FAVORITE BARTENDER
- Alba Huerta (The Clumsy Butcher group)
- Alexander Gregg (Goro & Gun)
- Bill Boyd (Grand Prize)
- James Watkins (Cordúa group)
- Jeremy Olivier (Down House)
- Joe Hausner (Eleven XI)
- Sheridan Fay (El Gran Malo)
11. FAVORITE OUTDOOR DINING
- Batanga
- Brennan’s of Houston
- Brooklyn Athletic Club
- El Gran Malo
- Eleven XI
- Haven
- The Grove
12. FAVORITE SUPERMARKET
- 99 Ranch Market
- Canino’s Produce Market
- Hubbell & Hudson
- Phoenicia Specialty Foods
- Revival Market
- Sprouts Farmers Market
- Super H Mart
13. FAVORITE BAR OR PUB
- 13 Celsius
- Captain Foxheart’s Bad News Bar
- El Gran Malo
- Grand Prize Bar
- Liberty Station
- Mongoose Versus Cobra
- The Original OKRA Charity Saloon
14. FAVORITE SWEETS/ICE CREAM
- Araya Artisan Chocolate
- Cloud 10 Creamery
- Crave Cupcakes
- Fat Cat Creamery
- Fluff Bake Bar
- Michael’s Cookie Jar
- Petite Sweets
15. FAVORITE WINE SELLER
- Cha (closed)
- 13 Celsius
- French Country Wines
- Houston Wine Merchant
- Richard’s Liquors & Fine Wines
- Sonoma Retail Wine Bar & Boutique
- Vine Wine Room
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