The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington has named finalists for its 2020 RAMMY Awards, winners of which will be announced this summer.
It has also named the winners of its annual Honorary Milestone Award, given each year to restaurants that have been around for decades.
Milestone award recipients this year are:
- Mrs. K’s Toll House, an antiques-filled restaurant in Silver Spring, Maryland, which opened in 1930, marking 90 years in business this year
- Vace Italian Delicatessen, with locations in Cleveland Park and Bethesda, marking 44 years in business this year
- Rocklands Barbecue and Grilling Company, which opened its first of four area locations 30 years ago.
The RAMW has also given its Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award to Randy Norton, of Great American Restaurants, which has more than two dozen restaurants in Northern Virginia, including Sweetwater Tavern, Best Buns, Coastal Flats and Carlyle.
The RAMW still plans to hold its big awards gala, announcing category winners July 26 at the D.C. convention center, though it said it is considering an unspecified date later in the year if the coronavirus pandemic makes that date not possible.
Here are some of the finalists:
Casual Restaurant of the Year
- Bantam King
- CHIKO — Capitol Hill
- Duke’s Counter
- Little Pearl
- Stable
Favorite Fast Bites of the Year
- Call Your Mother Deli — Park View
- Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly
- RASA
- Shouk
- Sloppy Mama’s BBQ
Favorite Gathering Place of the Year
- Brookland’s Finest
- Lapis
- Quarry House Tavern
- Stomping Ground
- The Salt Line
Casual Brunch of the Year
- All-Purpose Shaw
- Casolare Ristorante + Bar
- Liberty Barbecue
- Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
- The Tavern at Ivy City Smokehouse
Upscale Brunch of the Year
- Bindaas – Cleveland Park
- Estadio
- Seasons at the Four Seasons DC
- St. Anselm
- Trummer’s
Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year
- Centrolina
- Chloe
- Maydan
- Poca Madre
- Unconventional Diner
Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
- Gravitas
- Pineapple and Pearls
- Rasika West End
- The Conservatory at Goodstone Inn
- Three Blacksmiths
New Restaurant of the Year
- Anju
- Cane
- Emilie’s
- Punjab Grill
- Rooster & Owl
Cocktail Program of the Year
- China Chilcano
- Colada Shop — D.C.
- Officina
- Royal
- Service Bar
Wine Program of the Year
- Clarity
- Field & Main
- Primrose
- St. Anselm
- The Wine Kitchen – Frederick
Beer Program of the Year
- B Side
- Caboose Brewing Co. – Vienna
- Franklin Hall
- Roofers Union
- Sweetwater Tavern – Centreville
Chef of the Year
- Matt Baker, Gravitas
- David Deshaies, Unconventional Diner
- Haidar Koroum, Chloe
- Ryan Ratino, Bresca
- Kevin Tien, Emilie’s
Pastry chef of the Year
- Caitlin Dysart, Centrolina
- Olivia Green, Rooster & Owl
- Katherine Thompson, Thompson Italian
- Meagan Tighe, Trummer’s
- Paola Velez, Kith/Kin
Rising Culinary Star of the Year
- Marcelle Afram, Maydan
- Faiz Ally, Poca Madre
- Angel Barreto, Anju
- Jocelyn Law-Yone, Thamee
- Yuan Tang, Rooster & Owl
Employee of the Year
- Yesenia Neri Diaz, Espita Mezcaleria
- Isael Granados, Roofers Union
- Yasmin Orozco, Taco Bamba Taqueria – Springfield
- Kyare Turner, Right Proper Brewing Co.
- Jose Ventura, Rasika
Manager of the Year
- Jamal Flowers, Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Co. – Alexandria
- Charlie Idol, Mission Navy Yard
- Rizza Leguro, Founding Farmers Tysons
- Jeremy Mancuso, Old Ebbitt Grill
- Bethany Wagener, Alta Strada – Mosaic
Service program of the Year
- Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
- Ristorante Piccolo
- Rose’s Luxury
- St. Anselm
- The Red Hen
Restaurateur of the Year
- Victor Albisu — Poca Madre, Taco Bamba Taqueria
- Bo Blair — Georgetown Events (The Bullpen, Due South, Jetties, Millie’s, Surfside)
- Mark Fedorchak, Stephen Fedorchak and Brian Normile — The Liberty Tavern Group
- Yama Jewayni, Katsuya Fukushima and Daisuke Utagawa — Daikaya Group
- Aaron Silverman — Rose’s Luxury, Pineapple and Pearls, Little Pearl
Regional Food and Beverage Producer of the Year
- Arcadia Farm
- Atlas Brew Works
- Ayrshire Farm
- Bluejacket
- Logan Sausage Co.
Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year
- Coastal Sunbelt Produce
- Congressional Seafood Co.
- Ecolab
- Saval Foodservice
- TriMark Adams-Burch
