Glamour Reigns At Gold Medallions

Looking good, Ingrid Croce gets a six-minute video salute and a lifetime achievement award at the local restaurant awards dinner

The 14th Annual Golden Medallion Awards were presented last month in the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Harbor Island. The Golden Medallion Awards are given by the California Restaurant Association to members (key word there) for special recognition in particular categories. For instance, "Best Fast Food" nominees were Pick Up Stix, Rubio's and In N Out Burger. The winner? In-N-Out.     The winners were selected by secret ballots which had been submitted directly to certified public accountants Considine and Considine. The tabulated results were delivered by the accountants to the awards program. (I actually saw them deliver the envelope, just like the Oscars.)     A new category, "Chef of the Year," was added this year and went to Doug Organ from Restaurant Laurel, The WineSellar and Brasserie. Organ was looking dapper in a suit and tie (not in his whites).     A standing ovation and a special achievement award were given to Ingrid Croce. MTVish monitors on both sides of the stage ran a six-minute bio/tribute to our local star. Croce accepted her award in a gorgeous strapped number. Not only is Croce a successful wife, mother, musician, businesswoman, chef and author...she looks fabulous! It was especially nice when she thanked "the most important person in the room, my husband Jim Rock." Jim received huge applause and a lot of hooting (I hooted for him).     Other awards given: Purveyor of the Year, Young's Market; Best American Cuisine, George's at the Cove; Best Seafood, Blue Point Coastal Cuisine (David Cohn looked very good in his tuxedo, I might add); Best French Continental, Thee Bungalow; Best Asian Cuisine, Café Japengo; Best Italian, Trattoria Acqua; Best Mexican, Old Town Mexican Café; Best Brunch, Hotel Del Coronado; Best Casual Dining, Sammy's Woodfired Pizza; Best New Restaurant, Morton's of Chicago; Best Sports Bar, Trophy's Sports Grill; Best Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris; Best Micro Brewery, Karl Strauss Breweries; Best Hotel Dining, Azzura Point at Loews Coronado Bay Resort; Best Bar, The Brigantine; Best Ethnic Cuisine, Kemo Sabe. Best Breakfast... oh whoops — that wasn’t a category. ***     The San Diego National Wine Competition and the 15th annual Wine and Roses Charity Tasting are set for June 13 at the Hyatt Aventine in La Jolla. Proceeds benefit Camp Oliver (a children's camp in Descanso) and the charities of the Social services Auxiliary. The event begins at 3 p.m. with a debut tasting and the general tasting from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Debut tasting tickets are $55 and the general tasting tickets are $35. Tickets to the general tasting will be sold at the door for $40. For more info, call 583-WINE. ***     Have you noticed a new addition to Fashion Valley Mall's Café Terrace? Paradise Bakery and Café opened in late May. This very popular light-fare concept founded over 20 years ago will be number 50 for the husband and wife team of owners Katharyne and Stephen Taylor. ***     Here are more details on the Downtown TGI Friday's we reported on in April ... Mainstreet California Inc. will build a 23,000-square-foot restaurant building on a 12,500-square-foot lot in the Gaslamp Quarter, adjacent to the new Pacific Theaters Gaslamp. TGI's will be located on the ground floor, while a New Orleans-style seafood restaurant called Redfish Louisiana Roadhouse will occupy the second floor. Schuss•Clark is the architect for the new eateries, and Zigman Shields is the general contractor. Both restaurants will be accessible from either Fifth or Sixth avenue, and are scheduled to open in December. ***     Worldwide Meeting Locators, a division of San Diego Hotel Reservations, has appointed Kevin P. Melley as director of group sales. Prior to joining San Diego Reservations, Melley was Sales Manager for the Hyatt Islandia. ***     Dick's Last Resort's marketing department came up with another funny one: their children's menu. One side reads, "For Good Kids" and offers real kiddie favorites like corn dogs, cheeseburgers and fish sticks. Turn the menu over and it reads "For Back-Talkin', Screamin', Whinin', Pain-in-the-Rear Kids." It offers such favorites as liver and onions with extra vegetables. ***     Randy Mikulas, pastry chef at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, won two first place awards at the Third Annual Chocolate Indulgence Festival. He won "Best Cake" and "Best Artistry" in the professional chef division. ***     Top o' the Cove is having its Le Big Smoke Dinner, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. Food courses will be paired with not only fine wines but cigars as well. Reservations for this $100 per person black tie event are required. Call Top o' the Cove to make reservations. ***     Congratulations and happy birthday to Cindy and Martin Blair and their Kansas City Barbeque. K.C.BBQ is celebrating its 15th anniversary. To the rest of you out there, let me tell you, restaurant years are like dog years — these people are gods. Good work. ***     The Bitter End, San Diego’s only three-level bar and nightclub, has a new general manager and a new marketing manager. Stepping in as g.m. is Kevin O'Keefe who was formerly a managing partner at Majerle's Sports Grill in Phoenix, a downtown sports bar owned by professional basketball player Dan Majerle. Lisa Lunzmann is the new marketing pro. She was formerly the communications specialist at the San Diego Convention Center Corp. ***     Azzura Point and Bar has undergone quite a renovation. As a result of Loews' Coronado Bay Resort's $3 million refurbishment, lighter hardwood floors and Mediterranean-inspired hues of persimmon and green complement chef James Boyce's new Spring Menu. My favorite on the new menu: Peekytoe Crab Tortellini with sage, brown butter, shallots and tomatoes. Mmmmm. ***     The talented team of Deborah Helm, Fay Nakanishi, Thomas Fitzpatrick and Philip Mossy Jr. will open The Mission in North Park. The late summer opening at 2801 University Ave. will be the fourth restaurant collectively for the group. The Mission in North Park will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. ***     Finally, the Cheesecake Factory is building its newest store at Fashion Valley. The purveyor of desserts is taking a 10,000-plus-square-foot pad where the old bus stop building is located. This is No. 24 in the chain, and the publicly traded company must be doing something right. Sales last year hit $228.8 million, up 31 percent. Terryl Gavre spends her entire day thinking about what she is going to have for dinner. Her favorite food is mayonnaise. She is chef/owner of Café 222 Downtown.

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