James Beard Awards 2011 Hangover Observations

Grid View

• Jose Andres, Outstanding Chef
• Pigs!
• Grant Achatz at right.
• The media room put some to sleep
• Duff Goldman and Angela Pinkerton
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• mmm hmm
• yikes
• The men of Meatball Shop, Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Andy Ricker, from Portland's Pok Pok, with Marcus Samuelsson at right.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Jose Andres at left, with Danny Meyer and Tom Colicchio at right.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Eleven Madison Park's pastry chef Angela Pinkerton and Danny Meyer.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• ABC Kitchen's chefs Dan Kluger and Jean Georges Vongerichten with financial partner Phil Suarez
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• The ABC Kitchen team after accepting Best New Restaurant, including Jean Georges Vongerichten and Dan Kluger.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Food Network faves Duff Goldman and Anne Burrell.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Ever the funny man, the legendary Jacques Pepin at right.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America. Check out them overalls! In the center, Farmer Lee Jones of Chef's Garden, Culinary Vegetable Institute and Veggie U. Charles Phan, Chef/Owner The Slanted Door at left, Nick Valenti, CEO, Patina Restaurant Group,
• Charles Phan, Chef/Owner The Slanted Door
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Per Se's Thomas Keller at left.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Bobby Flay and Marcela Valladolid.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Best Chef Southwest co-winners Saipin Chutima and Tyson Cole. photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Best Chef Southeast Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill, NC
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Andy Ricker of Portland's Pok Pok
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Legendary lady-pastry chef Elizabeth Falkner with Pichet Ong.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Daniel Boulud. photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Rick Bayless
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Robert Treboux of NYC America's Classics winner Le Veau d'Or
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Gabrielle Hamilton
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Julian P. Rip Van Winkle, III, winner of the Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award, with Top Chef judge Gail Simmons.
  
  photo copyright Daniel Krieger Photography LLC
• Daniel Boulud steals a Beard award, jumps on the bar, sprays champagne.
• EMP
• Daniel Humm. pre-massive champagne spraying
• Daniel Boulud steals a Beard award, jumps on the bar, sprays champagne.
• Boulud Sud, breaking out the good stuff
• The Modern

Last night some very big deal restaurant personalities walked away with some major accolades from the James Beard Foundation. But while the awards themselves are the central point of event, pretty much everyone who gathered at Lincoln Center were waiting for one thing all night: the after parties.

1) When asked why he wore purple sneaks with his tux, rising star chef Gabriel Rucker (Le Pigeon, Portland, OR) said it was because he was so nervous while packing that he brought two black left shoes.

2) Given the restaurant world's ambivalence towards the flash sale brand, the Groupon sponsorship was an interesting choice. More interesting was the sheer amount of branding at the awards: green press room, green auditorium, green Groupon lounge, Green Groupon patio with Groupon cupcakes, and those adorable floor stickers (see photos). Tweeted Marco Canora: "Was anyone else freaked out by last nights big brotheresque GROUPON sponsorship of the #jbfa."

3) The actual, real pigs wearing tuxedos (see in slideshow). A petting zoo on the balcony.

4) We did see a nipple slip last night, but it was actually in the press room, not at the after parties.

5) Beard winner Andrea Reusing (Lantern, Chapel Hill) talking about her Atlanta food fest demo on headcheese (with wine pairings). Skedded for 10AM.

6) The major after-party circuit: Boulud Sud/Epicerie Boulud, Per Se, The Modern, Eleven Madison Park, The Torrisi/Momofuku party at the Jane Hotel.

7) Daniel Boulud, in a now expected ace move, held his post-party across the street at his new Boulud Sud and Epicerie Boulud and came on fast and strong. The raw bar was activated, and the kitchen was passing around pretty much the whole menu: wagyu beef, fried artichokes, full plates of pasta, sardines, hummus and ricotta spreads, falafel, a FLATBREAD STATION. The magnums were popped at 10:30 at the latest.

8) From @benleventhal "Per Se good news: Pepin, Achatz, Colicchio. Bad news: see photo."

9) As was the case last year, Eleven Madison Park turned into a frathouse clusterfuck real fast. Beer kegs, dancing on tables, spillage, floozies, D-Biggity spraying champange, Ruth Reichl wandering around with Jonathan Gold. Humm and Pinkerton on the bar spraying champagne. The usual.

10) Spotted 2 AM in the EMP kitchen: Sir Thomas Keller. It was a quick walkthrough, and notably, he did not stop to pick up a hot dog.

11) Around ten EMP staff singing along to Journey — some shirtless.

12) A completely pointless Guinness World Record was set at Kevin Zraly’s afterparty at the Marriott Marquis
in Times Square. 252 people simultaneously uncorked a bottle of wine. Zraly, clad in a baby blue baseball jacket psyched up the crowd while the Guinness official tallied the bodies. A dance party — wherein dozens of 50-somethings cut loose to Motown jams — ensued.

13) Josh Ozersky talking up Meatopia 2011: 45 chefs (vs last year's 25) including the Animal guys and Portland's Naomi Pomeroy. Considering expansion to Austin or Dallas.

14) The as-always humble Gabrielle Hamilton said she never thought she would win and that she thought her book would fail "in three different ways."

15) Last stop for many was the Jane Hotel — cash bar only — with Chang, Carbone, and Torrisi presiding. Italian sausage cart. Aziz Ansari, Jonathan Gold, and Ruth Reichl. Also, John Fraser danced.

More coverage across the Eater universe:

· Eleven Madison Park, Prune, ABC Win Big at Beard Awards [-ENY-]
· José Andrés Wins 2011 James Beard Outstanding Chef Award [-EDC-]
· Rich Melman Gets Chicago's Sole James Beard Award [-ECHI-]
· Rick Bayless Lashes Out at Rich Melman After Beard Awards [-ECHI-]
· Gabriel Rucker Wins Beard's Rising Star Chef of the Year 2011 [-EPDX-]
· Andy Ricker Brings the Best Chef: Northwest Award to PDX [-EPDX-]
· Tyson Cole Wins Best Chef: Southwest at the Beard Awards [-EATX-]
· Ouch. Seattle All But Shut Out of Tonight's James Beard Awards [-ESEA-]
· LA Gets Snubbed (Again) at the James Beard Awards 2011 [-ELA-]
· Revelry, Despite Rough Night for Seattle's Beard Delegation [-ESEA-]
· Portland Goes Four-for-Four at the James Beard Awards [-EPDX-]