The Bazaar, Danny Meyer Honored in Esquire's Best New Restaurant List

Friday saw the leakage of John Mariani's always-controversial choice for chef of the year (DC's Barton Seaver), and with a tip of the cap to Vegas man John Curtas, the complete list of Esquire's Best New Restaurants 2009 has been unearthed as well. The Bazaar—Jose Andres' Beverly Hills shiny extravaganza—takes a deserved top prize as Restaurant of the Year.

And somehow even Danny Meyer managed to get honored; he and fellow New Yorker Alfred Portale, longtime chef of Gotham Bar & Grill, are the inaugural inductees into the Esquire Hall of Fame (Sidenote: what are the odds that John Mariani nominates himself next year? 3 to 1? Vegas?). Of the 20 best new restaurants across the country, a solid four hail from New York (Corton, Marea, Locanda Verde, SHO), while Miami and Atlanta both boast a pair. The complete list follows:

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR:

The Bazaar, Los Angeles

CHEF OF THE YEAR:

Barton Seaver of Blue Ridge, Washington, D.C.

THE INAUGURAL ESQUIRE RESTAURANT HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES:

Alfred Portale, Chef, Gotham Bar & Grill

Danny Meyer, Restaurateur

THE BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF 2009 (sorted geographically):

Atlanta, GA: Pacci Ristorante, Paces 88

Austin, TX: Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar

Bedford, NY: The Bedford Post Inn

Cleveland, OH: L’Albatros Brasserie & Bar

Las Vegas, NV: Society Café Encore

Los Angeles, CA: Rivera

Miami, FL: Area 31, Sra. Martinez

Naples, FL: Sea Salt

New York, NY: Corton, Locanda Verde, Marea, SHO Shaun Hergatt

Paradise Valley, AZ: Prado

Richmond, VA: Lemaire

San Francisco, CA: Nopalito

Washington, DC: Blue Ridge

Yountville, CA: Bottega

ANOTHER FIFTEEN PLACES NOT TO MISS

Ajax Tavern, Aspen

Apiary, New York

Aureole, New York

The Bristol, Chicago

8100 Mountainside Bar and Grill, Avon, CO

Il Casale, Belmont, MA

Minetta Tavern, New York

Passionfish, Reston, VA

Province, Chicago

The Publican, Chicago

Rambla, New Orleans

RH, Los Angeles

Sepia, Chicago

Vermilion, New York

West Side Tavern, Los Angeles

FOUR BREAKOUT CHEFS TO WATCH:

David Katz, Meme, Philadelphia, PA

Chris Lusk, Cafe Adelaide, New Orleans, LA

Victoria Ann Moore, The Lazy Goat, Greenville, SC

Raymond Mohan, Onda, New York, NY

· Esquire's Best New Restaurants 2009 [Eating LV]
· Mariani Names DC's Barton Seaver Chef of the Year [~EN~]