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It is time now—drumroll, trumpets, gongs—to announce the winners of the 2014 Eater Awards. In over a dozen categories in 24 cities, the winners comprise a diverse group of the finest and most interesting chefs, operators, and characters in the continent that have defined this year in dining. We applaud them. You are hereby instructed to applaud them.
To recap, Eater's local editors in 24 cities nominated candidates for five major local categories: Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Bartender of the Year, So Hot Right Now Restaurant, and Stone Cold Stunner. Eater readers then voted to narrow the field to a final three in each category. From that final three, the Eater editorial team chose one to move forward, and the Eater.com braintrust got together to decide the national winners. Without further ado, here's who came out on top in Boston.
Eater Awards 2014
Restaurant of the Year
Nominees: Alden & Harlow, La Brasa, Mei Mei, Merrill & Co., Row 34
Finalists: Mei Mei, Alden & Harlow, La Brasa
Winner: Mei Mei
Chef of the Year
Nominees: Gordon Hamersley, Jeremy Sewall, Joshua Smith, Michael Scelfo, Stacy Cogswell
Finalists: Joshua Smith, Michael Scelfo, Gordon Hamersley/Jeremy Sewall (tie)
Winner: Joshua Smith of Moody's Delicatessen & Provisions in Waltham
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Photo: New England Charcuterie
So Hot Right Now
Nominees: Bar Boulud, Brass Union, Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, Shojo, Wink & Nod
Finalists: Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, Shojo, Bar Boulud
Winner: Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar
Bartender of the Year
Nominees: Matthew Schrage, Naomi Levy, Patrick Gaggiano, Ran Duan, Tenzin Conechok Samdo
Finalists: Ran Duan, Tenzin Conechok Samdo, Matthew Schrage/Naomi Levy (tie)
Winner: Ran Duan of The Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden in Woburn
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Competing at the 2014 Bombay Sapphire & USBG Most Imaginative Bartender competition. [Photo via a press release about the competition]
Stone Cold Stunner
Nominees: Bastille Kitchen, La Brasa, Liquid Art House, M.C. Spiedo, Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar
Finalists: La Brasa, Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, Bastille Kitchen
Winner: La Brasa (Blue Barn, RODE Architects, and BHaley Designs were involved in the project.)
Bonus Category: Saddest Departure
Winner: Samuel Monsour of The Future of Junk Food (and formerly jm Curley), who has departed for Los Angeles.
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Monsour at a Future of Junk Food event at La Brasa. [Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]