More than 16 DowntownDC restaurants and restaurateurs were announced Tuesday night as finalists for the 2014 RAMMY Awards hosted by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW).
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:”4534″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”360″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em; width: 100px; height: 100px; float: left;”,”width”:”360″}}]]The annual RAMMY Awards, of which the DowntownDC BID is a sponsor, honor the exceptional ability and accomplishments of the region’s amazing restaurants and foodservice community and the awards gala has become a must-see Washington, D.C. event drawing over 1,700 attendees.
DowntownDC restaurants and restaurant employees named as finalists include:
- Art and Soul Restaurant (415 New Jersey Avenue NW): Upscale Brunch
- Acadiana (901 New York Avenue NW): Employee of the Year Sandra Sanchez
- Brasserie Beck (1101 K Street NW): Beer Program of the Year
- Co Co. Sala (929 F Street NW): Pastry Chef of the Year Santosh Tiptur
- Del Campo Restaurant (777 I Street NW): New Restaurant of the Year; Chef of the Year Victor Albisu
- Fiola (601 Pennsylvania Ave NW): Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year; Pastry Chef of the Year Tom Wellings
- Graffiato (707 6th Street NW): Everyday Casual Restaurant of the Year
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The Hamilton (600 14th Street NW): Employee of the Year Eric “Soup” Campbell
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Jaleo (480 7th Street NW): Manager of the Year Jorge Figueredo
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Minibar (405 8th Street NW): Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year; Rising Culinary Star of the Year Johnny Spero
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Oyamel (401 7th Street NW): Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year
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Proof (775 G Street NW): Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year; Chef of the Year Haidar Karoum. Karoum is also the chef for Doi Moi and Estadio in the District.
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Rasika (633 D Street NW): Service Program of the Year
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The Source (565 Pennsylvania Avenue NW): Upscale Brunch
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Woodward Table-TakeOut Food (1426 H Street NW): Favorite Fast Bites
Additionally, the following celebrated DowntownDC restaurateurs were named finalists for Restaurateur of the Year:
- José Andrés and Rob Wilder- ThinkFoodGroup
- Gus DiMillo, David Wizenberg, Jeff Tunks-Passion Food Hospitality
- Mark Kuller- Doi Moi, Estadio, Proof
Winners will be announced June 22 at the 32nd Annual RAMMY Awards Gala held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place NW).
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges consisting of anonymous food critics, educators and professionals, but the public will be choosing winners in four categories: Favorite Gathering Place of the Year; Upscale Brunch; Everyday Casual Brunch and Favorite Fast Bites. Votes can be cast online for these categories March 27-April 27 at ramw.org and washingtoncitypaper.com.