Greg Engert accepts Birch & Barley and ChurchKey’s award for Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene at the RAMMYs last night.

And you thought the line to get into Birch & Barley/ChurchKey on 14th St. NW was long already. After last night’s annual D.C.-area restaurant awards, where the newest addition to the Neighborhood Restaurant Group family took home both the Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene and the Best New Restaurant prizes, the queue that forms down the block once the bar is full won’t be drying up any time soon.

Beer director Greg Engert accepted the bar scene award, saying how glad he is that people are starting to enjoy great beer in D.C. And he would know—he brought his own private stash of rare brews to the ceremony in a padded cooler.

The awards mean NRG’s first foray into D.C. proper has lived up to the hype in more ways than one. The bar scene award was chosen based on a public vote held on Washington City Paper’s website, and the New Restaurant award was selected by an anonymous panel of food writer judges from around the greater D.C. area. The group also pulled off another coup at last night’s awards ceremony—Vermilion in Alexandria beat out Central Michel Richard, among others, to win the 2010 award for Best Upscale Casual restaurant. Chef Tony Chittum, shy in the limelight, accepted the award by uttering a simple “thanks” into the mic before high-tailing it off the stage.

Falls Church restaurant 2941 also took home two awards, with pastry chef Anthony Chavez taking the prize for Pastry Chef of the Year and the restaurant winning the Fine Dining prize for 2010. But Scott Drewno, executive chef at The Source by Wolfgang Puck, wasn’t letting 2941 have all the fun; he beat out 2941 chef Bertrand Chemel as well as 1789’s Daniel Giusti, Proof’s Haidar Karoum and Rasika’s Vikram Sunderam for the 2010 Chef of the Year Award.

Other notable awards handed out last night: Proof took home the award for best wine program (wine director Sebastian Zutant gave his acceptance speech with plastic cup of wine in tow) and PS7’s won for Beverage/Mixology—with beverage director Gina Chersevani thanking Chef Peter Smith for teaching her how to make “coconut foam,” along with all the other random ingredients she dreams up. Public voters also selected Cork as 2010’s favorite Neighborhood Gathering Place and Co Co. Sala as an overall favorite.