MANHATTAN — The hottest chefs and best restaurants in the city and nation are on the menu at the highly anticipated James Beard Foundation awards ceremony Monday night at Lincoln Center.
The event's host, celebrity chef, television personality and author, Alton Brown, tweeted images of himself just before the event and fans, chefs and restaurants wished each other luck across Twitter.
"Looking forward to tonight's @BeardFoundation Awards! LB is honored to be nominated for Outstanding Restaurant Design!" tweeted the the Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, owned by Eric Ripert.
Competitors for the best chef in New York include Michael Anthony, of Gramercy Tavern; April Bloomfield, of the Spotted Pig; Wylie Dufresne of wd-50; Mark Ladner of Del Posto and Michael White of Marea.
Two of the five Best Restaurant nominees for 2012, which is a nationwide title, are based in New York.
The casual Spanish fare of Tertulia NYC, in the West Village, is up against Isa, which is known for simple and smoky fare, on the south side of Williamsburg.
