James Beard Awards 2012 Semifinalists Announced: San Francisco Dominates List (PHOTOS)

Well, food fans, the 2012 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalists are in. And, perhaps not surprisingly, the Bay Area contribution is heavier than outlawed foie gras.

What might be more surprising is that, though the list is rife with familiar names (Gary Danko, Charles Phan, Chris Cosentino), it has also given a proper nod to worthy up-and-comers like Park Tavern and Mission Chinese Food.

As Inside Scoop reported, 2012 was also the first year of the Outstanding Bar Program (a long-overdue addition, if you ask us), and the semifinalists include Bar Agricole and Beretta.

Check out all of our local semifinalists in the slideshow below. And for a full list of semifinalists, check out the listing on jamesbeard.org:

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Comments

[jimboy71]

05:21 PM on 04/09/2012

Loving reading about these new ideas...and some old...for good measure.

[imsixftsix]

03:42 PM on 02/22/2012

Is it art...or is it food? I'd rather eat at Tommy's Joynt if I were in SF....

[NoWayMan]

02:57 PM on 02/22/2012

now I'm hungry.

[Milash]

12:11 PM on 02/22/2012

Foreign Cinema is great, you should try it.

[360Dunk]

10:34 AM on 02/22/2012

What, Doggy Diner didn't make the list? That's an outrage.

[Veronix1617]

09:18 AM on 02/22/2012

Congratulations to all the semifinalists. I love San Francisco!

[Proud Bay Man]

04:10 AM on 02/22/2012

Let's put a slice of egg on a weed, and sprinkle some balsamic and olive oil on it, then charge $60. What a joke these restaurants are with their overpriced bologna.

[Proud Bay Man]

11:34 PM on 02/21/2012

I love it. They not only take them for a spin, they wine and dine their wallet. What a joke. Let's put a slice of egg on a weed with some chocolate and balsamic reduction, and charge 60 bucks for it. What a winner!

[kwaut lizard]

10:14 PM on 02/21/2012

Kudos to all of the James Beard Winners but really, someone should buy the judges some plane tickets instead of a tank of gas. I am sure there is at least one decent restaurant that is outside of spitting distance of San Francisco.