The 2014 Eater Awards for Boston

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

Grid View

• Mei Mei Photos by Meg Jones Wall
• Mei Mei Photos by Meg Jones Wall
• Mei Mei Photos by Meg Jones Wall
• Mei Mei Photos by Meg Jones Wall
• Mei Mei Photos by Meg Jones Wall

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

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

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.

Monsour at a Future of Junk Food event at La Brasa. [Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]