Despite the stuffy weather, more than 1600 curious guests gathered at the 26th annual RAMMY Restaurant Awards Gala yesterday to honor the cream of this year's culinary crop. Those who braved the weather were treated to the best of D.C.'s fine dining, all exemplifying the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington's commitment towards using regional and locally sourced ingredients, while still showcasing the city as a global dining destination. But despite the glitz, glamor and grub, let's......

Central's chef de cuisine Cedric Maupillier (left) and head chef Michel Richard receive the James Beard Award for best new restaurant While reality fans and food enthusiasts have spent the past week anticipating tonight's Top Chef season finale, the James Beard Foundation - the Academy of the food world - spent Sunday night announcing their picks for top chefs and restaurants of 2007. Once again, the D.C.-area's nominees provided a strong showing this year......

For most D.C.-area food nerds, any mention of Eric Ziebold brings the sound of excited titters. As the executive chef of CityZen, Ziebold brings to our area the thoughtful, service-oriented cooking of the world-renowned French Laundry, where he was the restaurant's first-ever sous chef. He also spent time in the kitchens of Spago and Vidalia, and staged in France. In 2005, he was named one of the country's best new chefs by Food & Wine......

Much A-Dough About Nothing Over the last two weeks, Todd Kliman's chatters have gotten riled up over CityZen's Parker House rolls. A chatter wrote in about his/her experience at CityZen a few months ago with pleasant servers and delicious food. But then he/she complained that his/her party of seven requested a second serving of the Parker House rolls. Apparently the server hesitated and seemed uncomfortable, but said he would check with the kitchen. The chatter......

Food and Wine Names Komi's Monis Best New Chef Food and Wine has released their list of best new chefs for 2007, and Komi's chef Johnny Monis has made the cut. Focusing on "modest, low-key restaurants" and chefs who are "obsessed with ingredients," Food and Wine selected ten chefs from across the country who are steadily climbing the vertical food tower of greatness. Well, ten chefs other than Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee, who they......

Last fall, DCist assured you that you could sample Eric Ziebold’s cuisine at the CityZen lounge for less than $60. Though our penchant for drinks made it a stretch for us, we could certainly see how less thirsty diners could enjoy a pure eating experience without breaking the bank. Fast forward to spring 2006. Don Rockwell files a post gushing about CityZen’s three-course tasting menu at the bar for $45. Said Rocks: “These are EXACTLY......

The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington recently announced the 23rd Annual RAMMY Award Nominees (.pdf). Four award categories -- Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year, Hottest Bar Scene of the Year, Power Spot of the Year, and Favorite Restaurant of the Year -- will be selected by the public via ballots in the Post and on the RAMW website May 1. The other categories will be voted on by the judge's panel, which consists of "esteemed......

Food critics can come from any number of places. The Post's Tom Sietsema is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. Frequent Iron Chef America judge Jeffrey Steingarten was formerly a lawyer. Frank Bruni, now food critic for The New York Times, covered politics in D.C. for many years. So is it any surprise that one of the area's most idiosyncratic food reviewers is, by day, a professor of economics? Tyler Cowen,......

Add Masaharu Morimoto to the list of renowned chefs coming to the D.C. area. As part of Tysons Corner's Fall 2005 expansion, the Iron Chef will bring a new concept, an upscale Asian-Fusion restaurant called Pauli Moto's Asian Bistro, to the expansion wing of the mall. Other tenants will include the area's only Oakley store, a new Urban Outfitters and a Famous Famiglia. If you can't wait until the fall to sample Morimoto's cooking, you......