Photo by Kathy Tran.
Two Oak Cliff restaurants can claim James Beard Award finalist status after the James Beard Foundation announced their slate of 2023 finalists Wednesday morning. Earlier this year, three neighborhood restaurants were named as award semifinalists.
The highly prestigious award has been likened to the Oscars of the culinary world, and the nominations only prove what we already knew — the Oak Cliff culinary scene can hang with the best of them.
Lucia, a well loved and highly awarded Italian restaurant, was named one of just five finalists in the Outstanding Restaurant category. In 2019, Chef David Uyghur received a semifinalist nod in the Best Chef category.
Restaurant Beatrice, a new but already renowned cajun and creole restaurant located on North Beckley Ave., was named a finalist in the Best New Restaurant category.
“The Beard nomination just proves that excellence can come from and be made by Oak Cliff, not just located here,” Restaurant Beatrice’s owner Michelle Carpenter told the Advocate earlier this month.
Three restaurants from Texas were named in the category, which is given to restaurants that opened during 2022, and “that already demonstrates excellence in cuisine, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.”
The James Beard Foundation will award winners in each category in in Chicago on June 5.
