Best new restaurant? Chef of the year? Cherry-picking the best of the best of Orange County’s food scene and settling on a solitary chef of the year, one overall restaurant of the year, one preeminent pastry chef, the single most impressive newcomer, plus one legendary icon, and a beverage program that stood out among all the others is a daunting task. Agonizing choices had to be made. The possibilities were numerous, but the awards are few.
After a year’s worth of dining – nearly 400 meals and counting – it all comes down to this, my first end-of-year restaurant awards for the Orange County Register. And the winners are…
I promise to post the winners here shortly, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. For the moment, however, this story is still behind the paywall at the OC Register. This story (and the entire archive) is available with a subscription or even a single Day Pass, which costs less than a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, see if you can guess some of the winners based on the photos above.
CHEF OF THE YEAR
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
PASTRY CHEF OF THE YEAR
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
BEST WINE & SPIRITS
O.C. ICON AWARD