A restaurant that artfully blends American and European cuisine, a cozy cocktail bar tucked away in suburban Kansas City, and a pioneering Topeka chef are all among the 2023 semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards.
Considered among the nation’s most prestigious accolades, the James Beard Awards recognize the nation’s finest dining experiences, casual gems, emerging talent and established masters, according to the foundation’s announcement release.
The 2023 Chef and Restaurant Semifinalists are recognized in 23 categories, including the new award for Outstanding Bakery.
Nominees will be announced March 29 and winners honored at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony, June 5 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The following are the Kansas semifinalists for the 2023 James Beard Awards:
Outstanding bar
Drastic measures in Shawnee, Kansas City metropolitan area.
No wine. No beer. Cocktails only. That’s the motto of Drastic Measures, an otherwise unassuming establishment from the outside that hides a cozy bar offering beautifully crafted cocktails.
Drastic Measures is located in suburban Kansas City at 5817 Nieman Road in Shawnee. No reservations, service is first come first served.
Kansas City restaurants, chefs nominated for 7 James Beard Awards, the “Oscars” of the industry
Exceptional hospitality
The Restaurant at 1900 in Mission Woods, located in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
According to its website, The Restaurant at 1900 offers modern American cuisine by award-winning chef Linda Duerr, which takes influences from her native New England, along with Italian and French fare. The menu changes seasonally.
The Restaurant at 1900 also features an elegant space with a modernist flair housed within a late 1960s architectural gem.
The address is 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods, KS 66205.
Best Chef: Midwest
The Midwest category includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Chef Adam VanDonge at The White Linen in Topeka.
The White Linen is an intimate, fine-dining restaurant in one of downtown Topeka’s oldest buildings, the Columbian Building.
In a 2018 profile in a Topeka business magazine, VanDonge said he hopes to one day earn a Michelin star or a James Beard Award, and now it looks like the dream may come true.
The White Linen is located at 112 Southwest 6th Ave. in Topeka.
The James Beard Awards policies and procedures can be viewed at jamesbeard.org/awards/policies and an overview of the voting process can also be viewed online.
