Beard Awards Announced, Coney Island Pizzeria Gets Props

The 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced last night at their annual Lincoln Center soiree, which was attended by chefs both famous and unknown, fawning media, and that class of recession-proof swells for whom fin de siècle is just an amuse-bouche. What's a James Beard, and why do you care? James Beard was a pioneering 20th century gourmet gastronome, and maybe you don't. But last night's awards—which honored chefs, food writers, and restaurateurs across America—are worth mentioning if only because Totonno’s pizzeria in Coney Island (pictured) was one of five restaurants to win the America’s Classics designation. You'll recall that it was closed after a serious fire last month, and the place has struggled to reopen, so the exposure that comes with the Beard Awards can't hurt. The rest of the NYC winners are basically a who's who of "him again?", with Jean Georges, Drew Nieporent (Nobu, Corton), and David Chang's Momofuku Ko all getting some desperately-needed attention.