We were fortunate enough to be at the Time Out New York Eat Out Awards last night to watch the winners of both the Readers' Choice awards, chosen by readers who made over 14,000 submissions, and the Critics' Picks awards, selected by the TONY staff. The coveted plates hang on restaurant and bar walls throughout the city.
Four gold plate awards went to those who won some of the top honors -- A Voce, for best new restaurant of the year; Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern, for best new chef of the year; Quaint, for best new Queens restaurant; and The Good Fork, for best new Brooklyn restaurant. The Good Fork was a big winner last night, pulling in two awards -- they also won for best new neighborhood spot. Other reader's choice awards went to Babbo, for the best restaurant you can't get into, per se for best splurge, Red Bamboo Vegetarian Soul Lounge for best vegetarian, and S'mac for best new gimmick.
On to the Critics' Picks -- Goblin Market, for "best reason to look past a name"; Ditmas Park's Farm on Adderley, for "best reason to ride the Q train"; Anthos' Michael Psilakis, who took home the "break-a-plate and shout 'Opa!'" award; and The Waverly Inn, which won the "First Annual Blatant-Sucking-Up-So-We-Can-Score-a-Table Award" (good luck on that, TONY staff).
Illustrating just how tough and fast-paced New York's restaurant market can be, there was a showing of the "dearly departed" restaurants from the past year, a la the Oscars. Over 50 names scrolled past, including one of the night's nominees, Lonesome Dove.
TONY liveblogged the event, complete with cocktail chatter, Critics' Picks, Readers' Choice, and the aftermath. A full list of winners and nominees is contained in the posts.
