The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s 41st annual RAMMY Awards ceremony was held Sunday night at the Washington Convention Center, honoring restaurants and chefs in more than a dozen categories.
This year’s New Restaurant of the Year is Causa/Amazonia, a two level Peruvian restaurant in Blagden Alley, Northwest D.C. that opened in May 2022. Peruvian-born chef and co-owner Carlos Delgado’s Mount Vernon Square spot is a fine dining restaurant on the first floor with multi-course tasting menu and a more causal second level bar and restaurant.
This year’s recipient of Chef of the Year is Kevin Tien, of Moon Rabbit, the Vietnamese restaurant at The Wharf’s InterContinental Hotel, which abruptly closed in May.
The RAMMY Award winner for Restauranteur of the Year is Rose Previte, whose restaurants include Compass Rose, Maydan, Kirby Club and No White Plates.
Here is the full list of Sunday night’s RAMMY Awards winners (*denotes a publicly voted category):
- Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year: Saval Foodservice
- New Restaurant of the Year: Causa/Amazonia
- Cocktail Program of the Year: Service Bar
- Beer Program of the Year: Shelter
- Wine Program of the Year: Reveler’s Hour
- Rising Culinary Star of the Year: Marcelle Afram, Shababi Palestinian Rotisserie Chicken
- *Favorite Gathering Place: Tiki on 18th/The Game Sports Pub
- *Best Brunch: Urban Roast
- *Best Bar: Exiles
- *Favorite Fast Bites: RASA
- *Hottest Sandwich Spot: Compliments Only
- Employee of the Year: Nabil Moussa, Le Diplomate
- Manager of the Year: Brittany Dye, Circa Foggy Bottom
- Service Program of the Year: Lutèce
- Casual Restaurant of the Year: Pennyroyal Station
- Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: L’Ardente
- Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year: Teresa Velazquez, Baked and Wired, A Baked Joint
- Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Xiquet by Danny Lledó
- Chef of the Year: Kevin Tien, Moon Rabbit
- Restaurateur of the Year: Rose Previte, No White Plates: Compass Rose, Maydan, Kirby Club
The Restaurant Association also presented its Honorary Milestone Awards to restaurants marking a significant number of years in business, including Filomena Ristorante (40 years), The Grill from Ipanema (30 years), Old Europe (75 years), Cafe Milano (30 years), Jaleo (30 years), National Democratic Club (70 years), Artie’s (45 years), Four Sisters (30 years) and Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse (75 years).
The John G. Laytham Exceptional Leadership and Impact Award was given to Michael Curtin, Jr., chief executive officer of DC Central Kitchen, and the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award was given to Ris Lacoste, chef and owner of RIS restaurant.
There were some changes to this year’s awards categories. Pastry Chef of the Year was expanded to Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year, and Best Bar was introduced as a publicly voted category.
