| TOP 100 EVENTS 06.22.09 11:30 AM |
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Washington's Top Food & Restaurant Industry Events 2009
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 | Chefs Cathal Armstrong and Todd Thrasher
Photo: Courtesy of Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show |
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1. Rammy Awards Gala
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington honored the area’s best eateries at the 28th edition of these awards on June 7. This year’s gala, held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel for the first time, was slightly smaller than 2008’s 1,600-person party.
2. Washington, D.C. International Wine and Food Festival
The 10th annual two-day show brought a record 6,800 people to the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in February. Known more for its bottles than its bites, the event showcased more than 150 international wineries. It returns in February 2010.
3. Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show
This new entry on our list debuted in 2006, but kicked it up a notch in 2008 with big-name foodies including Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, and Giada De Laurentiis. The show, which features more than 200 exhibitors, returns to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on November 7 to 8.
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Washington's Top 100 Events, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, Washington D.C. International Wine and Food Festival, Share Our Strength |
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| NEWS 06.09.09 8:00 AM |
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Weidmaier Wins Rammy for Chef of the Year
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The city’s restaurant community packed the Omni Shoreham ballroom Sunday night for the 27th annual Rammy awards gala, sponsored by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. Big winners included 2009 Chef of the Year Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, and Brabo, as well as Restaurant Eve, which received the nod in the fine dining category. Cork took home the coveted crystal obelisk for best new restaurant, Rasika for best upscale casual eatery, and the award for hottest restaurant bar scene went to CoCo. Sala. A complete list of winners is available here.
As she did last year, Kelly Morris of KSM Marketing produced the gala cocktail reception, dinner, and awards presentation.
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Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, Rammy awards |
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| EVENT REPORT 03.27.09 8:30 AM |
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Cherry Blossom Media Launch Promotes Restaurants With Blossom-Inspired Cuisine
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 | The Cherry Picks media launch event at Asia Nine
Photo: BizBash |
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Cherries may not be in season until June, but the red fruit still got all the glory at the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Cherry Picks media launch party yesterday afternoon at Asia Nine. From cherry-glazed foie gras to cherry-infused sake, the event offered up cherry-flavored bites from seven local restaurants—just a sampling of what some 40 eateries around Washington are putting forth for the festival, which runs from March 28 to April 12.
“This is the seventh year that we’ve coordinated this Cherry Picks promotion to really engage restaurants in the festival,” said Destination D.C. director of communications Rebecca Pawlowski. “In the years past the festival has brought 1 million visitors to the city, so it’s a great time for the restaurants to get exposure.”
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National Cherry Blossom Festival, Destination D.C., Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington |
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| NEWS 03.25.09 5:12 PM |
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At Rammy Finalists Conference, Top Chefs Dish on Private Dining in a Recession
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 | The 2009 Rammy finalists for Chef of the Year
Photo: BizBash |
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An anxious and boisterous crowd of more than 400 members of Washington’s restaurant community and press filled the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton Washington last night for the announcement of the finalists for the 2009 Rammy industry awards, produced by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. This year’s Rammy gala is scheduled for June 7 at the Omni Shoreham.
Finalists for Chef of the Year include Jamie Leeds of Hank’s Oyster Bar and CommonWealth, Todd Gray of Equinox, Massimo Fabri of Posto and Ristorante Tosca, Vikram Sunderam of Rasika, and Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, and Brabo. In the category of Power Spot, BLT Steak, Central Michel Richard, Charlie Palmer Steak, the Source, and Teatro Goldoni each received a nod. New Restaurant finalists are Adour, Art and Soul, CommonWealth, PassionFish, and Cork. A full listing of the nominees is here.
With so many noted chefs in the room, we asked a few for cost-conscious tips for groups booking private dining rooms. Chef of the Year finalist Todd Gray said, “If the space lends itself, instead of a traditional three-course seated dinner, do a stand-up appetizer, seated entrée, and a dessert buffet. The price structure will be better, and for the guests it’s more fun."
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Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, Rammy awards |
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| EVENT REPORT 07.01.08 10:15 AM |
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Fog Horn Hushes Rowdy Rammy Crowd
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 | The main stage at the Rammy restaurant awards gala
Photo: The Photographers Gallery |
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Sunday night was more lively than usual at the Marriott Wardman Park, where some 1,600 D.C. chefs, restaurant staffers, food critics, and food lovers gathered for the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington's 26th annual Rammy awards gala. The evening doled out honors in categories like Neighborhood Gathering Place (Hank's Oyster Bar), Hottest Bar Scene (Central Michel Richard), and Best Chef (Eric Ziebold of CityZen).
The event had a sparkly quality to it. Following the invitation's "Black Tie & Bling" dress code, several guests (including Belga Café’s Bart Vandaele) arrived donning museum-worthy necklaces, while the glittering square chandelier lamps at the pre-show reception and the crystal strand curtain on the stage also adhered to the evening's decor scheme. "Every year we have a different theme," said KSM Marketing's Kelly Morris, who produced the show. "Last year was black-tie and boa, and bling was our next creative venture."
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Rammy awards, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington |
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| GUEST QUESTIONS 06.30.08 5:14 PM |
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Rammy Revelers on Their Favorite Haunts, Industry Gossip, and a Cooler Venue
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 | The Rammy Restaurant Awards at the Marriott Wardman Park
Photo: The Photographers Gallery |
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The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington held its 26th annual Rammy award show at the Marriott Wardman Park last night. The black-tie event brought most of the city's chefs and foodies—1,600, to be exact—under one roof. After the ceremony (and a few cocktails), we asked guests about the new restaurants they love, D.C. chefs, and their favorite nominees.
"I love [this event]. I never actually knew something like this happened in D.C. I didn't know the city had such a good foodie culture, and it's pretty amazing to see.”
—Spike Mendelsohn, contestant on Top Chef and owner of soon-to-open Good Stuff Eatery
"Oh, boy. I have to say my favorite that's opened recently is Proof. Another restaurant that I really like is Rasika. [This year's event] actually seems a little more organized and a little more elegant [than in years past].
—Jamie Leeds, co-owner, Hank’s Oyster Bar (winner of 2008's Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year) and soon-to-open CommonWealth
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Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, Rammy awards, Top Chef |
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| GUEST QUESTIONS 03.26.08 6:25 PM |
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Rammy Nomination Party Low on Decor, High on Industry Bonding
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 | The official Rammy cocktail winner: the Lo-Le Cherry
Photo: Photographer's Gallery |
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The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s Rammy award gala is slated for June 29, but last night chefs and foodies came together for the no-frills nomination party at the Ritz-Carlton Washington. Most of the 250 guests were still reeling from the previous night’s Taste of the Nation event but seemed to enjoy the causal vibe.
“Each year the crowd grows exponentially,” said the evening's planner, Kelly Morris of KSM Marketing. Last year was the first at the Ritz, after the event outgrew its previous restaurant venues. This year, for the first time, several mixologists competed to create the official gala cocktail, using Christiania vodka. The winner: the Rammy Lo-Le Cherry (lo-le translates to basil in Chinese), a concoction of sour cherries, basil, ginger, and lemons from Tallula bartender Gina Chersevani.
The event started early, at 5 p.m., to accommodate working chefs and their tight schedules before dinner service. By 6, the room was already beginning to empty, with food stations closing. The early arrivals got a chance to taste samplings from the six New Restaurant of the Year nominees: Brasserie Beck, Central Michel Richard, Hook, Proof, The Source, and Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert. But before they ran out the door, we asked guests about their favorite bites of the evening, the D.C. restaurant circle, and their expectations for foodie events.
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Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, Rammy awards |
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