| EVENT REPORT 07.01.08 10:15 AM |
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| Rammy Ruckus |
| This year the Washington area's big restaurant awards ceremony got a sparkling decor treatment and found new ways to curb the rowdy crowd. |
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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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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Strings of crystals wrapped the candelabra centerpieces at the Rammy restaurant awards show.
Photo: The Photographers Gallery |
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 | The dinner and its 1,600 guests took over every inch of the grand ballroom, with the stage at the center.
Photo: The Photographers Gallery |
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 | An ice sculpture of the Rammy logo (an obelisk) sat in the center of the square bar during the pre-dinner reception.
Photo: The Photographers Gallery |
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 | The awards show stage from Hargrove featured long strands of crystals, which framed the presenters.
Photo: The Photographers Gallery |
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 | Sue Palka of Fox 5 and James Adams of NBC 4 acted as M.C.s again this year, and worked to curb the loud crowd by occasionally using fog horns.
Photo: The Photographers Gallery |
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Not surprisingly, food was a focal point. The evening's subsidiary theme, "Setting the Global Table," allowed the menu to introduce a variety of cuisines, including the reception's Chilean ceviche, paired with pisco sours, peanut-crusted chicken skewers, and a raw bar piled high with shrimp. The dinner menu paid homage to Iceland (and the five groups from the country that were sponsors, such as Icelandair) with applewood-smoked Icelandic charr with fennel and ravioli with pear and Icelandic dimon cheese.
During the two-and-a-half-hour show, the chatter in the massive room became an occasional problem. "We've always had sound issues. We have a hard time keeping control of this crowd," Morris said. (The respite came during a memorial tribute to PR and Rammy guru Joan Hisaoka, who passed away last month.)
To thwart the issue, Morris worked with PSAV to bring in more powerful audio equipment. M.C.s Sue Palka of Fox 5 and James Adams of NBC 4 also came up with a quick fix: Every time the crowd overpowered a presenter, the duo blew a fog horn to garner silence.
Once the 13 awards were given out, the back of the ballroom turned into a dance space with Onyx (from Washington Talent, Photo & Video) playing old- school hits like the Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight. Guests also found their way to various after-parties, such as SurReal Vodka's late-night reception at the Russia House.
—Danielle O'Steen
RELATED TOPICS
Rammy awards, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington
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