Ripple, Blue Duck Tavern Get Multiple Rammy Nods

It was a big year for brunch and beer when it came to this year's nominations for Rammy Award nominees. The awards are the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington's way of recognizing excellence in the industry.

Results of the nominations were revealed at an event at The Hamilton last night, hosted by radio personalities Tommy McFly and Kelly Collis of 94.7 Fresh FM. It was a year of new categories, including two awards for brunch, a "fast bites" category aimed at recognizing casual restaurants and food trucks, separate awards for beer and cocktails, a regional food and beverage producer award (which was a mix of alcohol and food product nominees) and an award for outstanding service.

Ripple, Hank's Oyster Bar and Blue Duck Tavern received nominations in three categories. In general, several restaurants were nominated in multiple categories, including Fiola, Marcel's, Minibar, The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, Et Voila, Maple Ave, Proof, Pearl Dive, Toki Underground, Del Campo, Doi Moi, The Red Hen, Mintwood Place, Estadio, 2941, Restaurant Eve and Red Apron Butchery. The winners will be revealed June 22 at a gala event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Like any group of awards, the Rammys have several quirks to them. For one thing, restaurants must be members of RAMW to be nominated, so often if there seems to be an obvious contender missing from a category (say, Rose's Luxury for Best New Restaurant), it may be that the restaurant doesn't belong to the association. In addition, some categories require restaurants to be open for a certain number of years, and past winners aren't eligible for several years after receiving an award. For the coveted New Restaurant of the Year distinction, restaurants must have opened between December 1, 2012 and November 30, 2013. RAMW also changed the judging process for the awards slightly this year, though it's still done by an anonymous panel. Here are the nominees:

Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
Fiola
Marcel's
Minibar
The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm
Trummer's on Main


Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year
Et Voila!
Maple Ave Restaurant
Oyamel
Proof
Ripple

Everyday Casual Restaurant of the Year:
Graffiato
Hank's Oyster Bar - Dupont
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
Pizzeria Orso
Toki Underground

New Restaurant of the Year
Del Campo
Doi Moi
Le Diplomate
The Red Hen
Table

Chef of the Year
Victor Albisu - Del Campo
Cathal Armstrong - Eat Good Food Group
Haidar Karoum - Doi Moi, Estadio, Proof
Tarver King - The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm
Cedric Maupillier - Mintwood Place


Rising Culinary Star of the Year
Eric Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground
Michael Friedman, The Red Hen
Tim Ma, Maple Ave Restaurant/Water & Wall
Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Ripple
Johnny Spero, Minibar


Pastry Chef of the Year
Caitlin Dysart, 2941 Restaurant
Naomi Gallego, Blue Duck Tavern
Jason Gehring – MENU / MBK, Table
Santosh Tiptur, Co Co. Sala
Tom Wellings, Fiola

Wine Program of the Year
2941 Restaurant
The Curious Grape
Estadio
Restaurant Eve
Ripple

Cocktail Program of the Year
Black Jack
Bourbon Steak
The Gibson
Hanks Oyster Bar – Capitol Hill
Jack Rose Dining Saloon

Beer Program of the Year
Birch and Barley / ChurchKey
Brasserie Beck
Granville Moore's
Lyon Hall
Mad Fox Brewing Company

Service Program of the Year
BLT Steak
Blue Duck Tavern
The Bombay Club
Marcel's
Rasika

Restaurateur of the Year
José Andrés and Rob Wilder - ThinkFoodGroup
Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong - Eat Good Food Group
Michael Babin - Neighborhood Restaurant Group
Gus DiMillo, David Wizenberg, Jeff Tunks - Passion Food Hospitality
Mark Kuller - Doi Moi, Estadio, Proof

Regional Food and Beverage Producer of the Year
Catoctin Creek Distilling Company
DC Brau Brewing Company
Port City Brewing Company
Rappahannock Oyster Co.
Red Apron Butcher

Favorite Gathering Place of the Year
Bar Pilar
Bistrot Du Coin
Cashion's Eat Place
Hank's Oyster Bar - Dupont
Tune Inn

Upscale Brunch
Art and Soul
Blue Duck Tavern
Mintwood Place
The Source by Wolfgang Puck
Vermilion

Everyday Casual Brunch
DGS Delicatessen
Et Voila!
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
Pizzeria Orso
Ted's Bulletin - Barracks Row

Favorite Fast Bites
Amsterdam Falafelshop
Bayou Bakery
Buzz Bakery
Red Apron Butcher
Woodward TakeOut Food

Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year
EagleBank
Profish Ltd.
Republic National Distributing Company
SYSCO Food Service of Baltimore

Employee of the Year
Stelios Alexandris – 1789 Restaurant
Eric "Soup" Campbell - The Hamilton
Molly Horn - Farmers Fisher Bakers
Pablo Lemus - Bourbon Steak
Sandra Sanchez - Acadiana

Manager of the Year
Jorge Figueredo - Jaleo DC
Kendra Graves - Farmers Fisher Bakers
Robert Hall - Newton's Table
Boo Young Kim - District Commons
Tyes Zolman - Pearl Dive Oyster Palace & Black Jack
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The Rammy Nomination Party [Photo: Missy Frederick/Eater.com]