RAMMY Awards Gala Crowns Washington's Top Culinary Winners For 2013

Fiola's Fabio Trabocchi won the prized 'Chef of the Year' award at this year's RAMMY Gala.

Be sure to check out all 156 of our photographs from this event HERE!

The Guest List:

NORTHWEST -- Washington gourmands might have had to be a little more patient with the city's restaurants on Sunday evening, as many of the area's top chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists took the night off to attend the 2013 RAMMY Awards Gala.



Organized by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, the black tie affair celebrates the outstanding achievements and excellence of the past year in the District's restaurant industry.



Blue Duck Tavern, inside the Park Hyatt Washington hotel, was named Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year and Adams Morgan's Mintwood Place received the Best New Restaurant honor.



Fiola chef/owner Fabio Trabocchi took home the coveted Chef of the Year award, although it clearly wasn't his first time on the RAMMY stage with his upscale Trattoria landing the Best New Restaurant distinction itself last year.



In a city obsessed with power, P.J. Clarke's reigned supreme this year in taking home the Power Spot trophy. Cleary, the K Street mainstay's recent decision to reintroduce a membership requirement for its private lower level dining room, Sidecar, resonated well amongst Washington's decision-makers.



And Ashok Bajaj, owner of the Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, was named Restaurateur of the Year with no less than four of his venues nominated for RAMMY awards in 2013.



This year's Honorary Milestone RAMMY was awarded to Clyde's of Georgetown. Opened in 1963 by the late Stuart Davidson, 2013 marks the 50th year of business for the landmark restaurant, which served as the foundation for what has become one of D.C.'s most recognizable restaurant franchises.



More than 1,600 guests were in attendance at Sunday's RAMMY Awards Gala, which was held inside the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel (winner of this year's Joan Hisaoka Associate Member Award) and boasted a special 'Restaurants in Bloom' theme.



After the theatre-style awards ceremony, attendees were treated to a gourmet buffet dinner with food and beverage pavilions from Australia, Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Virginia all serving-up native specialties. A live band and generous dance floor ensured that any calories consumed were quickly burned-off, however.




The complete list of 2013 RAMMY Award winners is as follows:

• Fine Dining Restaurant: Blue Duck Tavern
  
  
• Upscale Casual Restaurant: Estadio
  
  
• New Restaurant: Mintwood Place
  
  
• Casual Restaurant: C.F. Folks Restaurant
  
  
• Chef: Fabio Trabocchi (Fiola)
  
  
• Restaurateur: Ashok Bajaj (Knightsbridge Restaurant Group)
  
  
• Pastry Chef: Beverly Bates (Vidalia)
  
  
• Rising Culinary Star: Scot Harlan (Green Pig Bistro)
  
  
• Restaurant Manager: Michael Nevarez (Vidalia/Bistro Bis/Woodward Table)
  
  
• Restaurant Employee: Luis Noriega (Zengo)
  
  
• Wine Program: Marcel's by Robert Wiedmaier
  
  
• Beverage/Mixology Program: Room 11
  
  
• Joan Hisaoka Associate Member: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
  
  
• Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award: Linda Lee
  
  
• Honorary Milestone: Clyde's of Georgetown
  
  
• Neighborhood Gathering Place: Nellie's Sports Bar
  
  
• Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene: Bar Pilar
  
  
• Power Spot: P.J. Clarke's
  
  

Be sure to check out all 156 of our photographs from this event HERE!