The San Diego County chapter of the California Restaurant Association unveiled the winners of its annual industry awards last week, naming long-time San Diego restaurateur Ed Moore as recipient of the “Special Achievement” award.
The association’s awards banquet, scheduled for April 13, was expected to be the largest ever held by the group, said Patricia Walsh, chapter manager for the restaurant association. More than 1,000 attendees had signed up for the event. This year’s theme was “Gold Medallion 2000.”
Moore, the proprietor and chef of Thee Bungalow in Ocean Beach, has owned the Continental-style restaurant since 1987.
Deborah Scott, executive chef of Kemo Sabe in Hillcrest, was named Chef of the Year.
Scott developed the concept for Kemo Sabe in 1995, with local restaurateurs David and Lesley Cohn.
The restaurant has won the association’s award for best ethnic cuisine for five years in a row, including this year.
Another venture of the Cohns, the recently launched Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park, won the designation of Best New Restaurant.
According to a representative for the association, winners were chosen by chapter members who based their decisions on “cuisine, creativity and overall accomplishments.”
Other winners included: Young’s Market Co. as purveyor of the year; the Marine Room in La Jolla for people’s choice; George’s at the Cove, also in La Jolla, for best American cuisine; P.F. Chang’s for best Asian cuisine; and The Bitter End in the Gaslamp Quarter for best bar.
D.Z. Akin’s in La Mesa won for best breakfast and Loews Coronado Bay Resort won for best brunch.
Also, other winners were: La Jolla-based Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza restaurants for best casual dining; In-N-Out Burger for best fast food; Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe for best French/Continental cuisine; Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad for best hotel dining; Trattoria Acqua in La Jolla for best Italian dining; and Fidel’s Little Mexico for best Mexican cuisine.
Karl Strauss Breweries won for best microbrewery, the Fish Market won for best seafood cuisine, Trophy’s Sports Grill won for best sports bar and Ruth’s Chris Steak House won for best steakhouse.
