Starbucks Launching McCartney's Newest

IN THE NEWS: If you can't stand Paul McCartney music, you don't want to go into one of the many Salt Lake City-area Starbucks on June 5. That's the day the Seattle coffee giant will launch McCartney's first album recorded on Starbucks' Hear Music label, called "Memory Almost Full," the Pugent Sound Business Journal reports. The album will be played in all Starbucks stores, all day, all over the world, Starbucks officials said. "Customers from Taipei to Topeka have the opportunity to experience this extraordinary album all within a span of 24 hours," said Ken Lombard, who is president of Starbucks Entertainment and runs Hear Music, in a statement. In March, Starbucks Corp. announced that former Beatle McCartney would be the first musician signed for Los Angeles-based Hear Music. ... The Tribune's Kathy Stephenson looks at area barbecue restaurants, including Greg Chamberlain's eatery Kaiser's Barbeque and General Store (962 S. 300 West). ... The Trib notes the expanded hours at Big City Pizza (237 S. 400 West) and the recent closing of Big City Soup (234 S. Main St.) to make way for redevelopment. sltrib.com ... City Weekly's Ted Scheffler reviews Finn's Cafe (1624 S. 1100 East). slweekly.com ... Deseret News' Stacey Kratz gives three stars to 3 Little Pigs BBQ (10600 S. 1300 East, Sandy), while Doug Smeath also notes the closing of Big City Soup as well as Chilean Deli, which was shuttered May 26. deseretnews.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

America's Best Restaurant Cities

"Today ... most major cities in the U.S. have the kind of gastronomic diversity and regionality that is rich in every department, and even if you’ve visited recently, you can be sure that next time you go, there’ll be more new and enticing restaurants than you could possibly visit," writes Donald Burnam in a recent ForbesTraveler.com piece, "America's Best Restaurant Cities." "It’s getting hard not to have a great meal anywhere in the U.S.." Burnam continues.

Forbes' Top 10 Restaurant Cities:
1. New York City
2. Chicago
3. San Francisco
4. Los Angeles
5. New Orleans
6. Houston
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Atlanta
9. Boston
10. Las Vegas

Rankings were based on: Overall number of restaurants above the fast food level; Number of fine dining restaurants with national and international standing; Solid representation of regional American food; A wide segment of second-tier restaurants that would include seafood, steakhouses, and independently chef-owned restaurants; Breadth and depth of ethnic restaurants, especially if the city has neighborhood such as a Chinatown; A significant number of neigborhood restaurants where the locals tend to eat out regularly; A well-traveled clientele that regards eating out in that city one of the real pleasures of going there.

IN THE NEWS: The Paris Bistro (1500 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City) gets three stars from Anne Wilson in the Tribune, while the Best Bites column considers the Pink Flamingo Roll at Mikado Downtown, 67 W. 100 South, Salt Lake City. The paper also notes: Thai Wild Ginger recently opened at 1407 W. 9000 South, West Jordan: and The Robin's Nest, a popular soup and sandwich shop in East Millcreek, has moved to a new home at 311 S. Main in downtown Salt Lake City. sltrib.com ... Mizumi (8391 S. 700 East, Sandy) gets three stars from Stacey Kratz in the Deseret Morning News. deseretnews.com ... Ted Scheffler reviews Mazza Middle Eastern Cuisine (912 E. 900 South) in City Weekly.

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

James Beard Awards Announced

Chicago's Frontera Grill won Outstanding Restaurant of the Year and Michel Richard of Michel Richard Citronelle in Washington, D.C. was named Outstanding Chef at the 2007 James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony. Hosted by CBS Early Show anchor Hannah Storm, the Beard Awards were held May 7 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York's Lincoln Center. More than 60 awards were presented by the country's pre-eminent nonprofit culinary organization, in its 20th anniversary celebration, and more than 1,600 industry leaders attended the ceremony. Other top awards went to: New York's L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, named Best New Restaurant; Thomas Keller (The French Laundry, Yountville, Ca.) received the award for Outstanding Restaurateur; and David Chang (Momofuku Noodle Bar, New York) received the Rising Star Chef of the Year award. Celebrity and culinary superstar attendees included Stephanie March, Ted Allen, Katie Lee Joel, Martha Stewart, Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Thomas Keller, Jose Andres, Tom Colicchio, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Padma Lakshmi, and Marcus Samuelsson. The Foundation's Media Awards took place at a separate event at the Hudson Theatre at Millennium Broadway Hotel on May 6. All Award winners received a bronze medallion etched with the image of the late James Beard, the esteemed chef, cookbook author, and food journalist. There are no cash awards. Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards recognizes outstanding achievement within the fine food and beverage industry in North America. For full awards results, please visit http://www.jamesbeard.org.

Beard Award highlights are:

AMERICA'S CLASSICS: Primanti Brothers, Demetrios Patrinos, Pittsburgh, Pa.; The Pickwick, Christopher Wisocki, Duluth, Minn.; Doe's Eat Place, The Signa Family, Greenville, Miss.; Aunt Carrie's, Elsie Foy, Narragansett, R.I.; I

Brookville Hotel, Mark and Connie Martin, Abilene, Kan.; Weaver D's, Dexter Weaver, Athens, Ga.

BEST CHEF, GREAT LAKES: Grant Achatz, Alinea, Chicago

BEST CHEF, MID-ATLANTIC: R.J. Cooper, III, Vidalia, Washington, DC

BEST CHEF, MIDWEST: Celina Tio, The American Restaurant, Kansas City, Mo.

BEST CHEF, NEW YORK CITY: David Waltuck, Chanterelle, New York, NY

BEST CHEF, NORTHEAST: Frank McClelland, L'Espalier, Boston

BEST CHEF, NORTHWEST: John Sundstrom, Lark, Seattle

BEST CHEF, PACIFIC: Traci Des Jardins, Jardinière, San Francisco

BEST CHEF, SOUTH: Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans

BEST CHEF, SOUTHEAST: Scott Peacock, Watershed, Decatur, Ga.

BEST CHEF, SOUTHWEST: Nobuo Fukuda, Sea Saw, Scottsdale, Ariz.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Chef-Owner: Joël Robuchon, New York, NY

OUTSTANDING CHEF: Michel Richard, Michel Richard Citronelle, Washington, DC

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF: Michael Laskonis, Le Bernardin, New York, NY

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT: Frontera Grill, chef-owner: Rick and Deann Bayless, Chicago

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR: Thomas Keller, The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.

OUTSTANDING SERVICE: Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand, and Richard Melman, Tru, Chicago

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL: Paul Draper, Ridge Vineyards, Cupertino, Calif.

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE: Mark Slater, Michel Richard Citronelle, Washington, DC

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR: David Chang, Momofuku Noodle Bar, New York, NY

IN THE NEWS: USA Today's May 4 story on the ethical eating movement -- which is driven by customers who seek out food that is produced locally, organically and in a manner that has minimal effect on animals and the environment -- includes mention of these restaurants: Red Avocado, Iowa City, Iowa; T'afia, Houston; Sage's Cafe, Salt Lake City; Early Girl Eatery, Asheville, N.C. ; Chez Panisse, Berkeley, Calif.; Restaurant Nora, Washington, D.C. ... From The Trib's dining notes, "Since 1999, Big City has been the name for gourmet soups in Salt Lake City. Recently, the owners have expanded into the gourmet pizza realm, opening Big City Pizza at 237 S. 400 West, next to the popular soup shop ... Boston's Restaurant and Sports Bar has opened its first Utah franchise in Layton at 694 W. Antelope Drive. The casual sit-down restaurant specializes in gourmet pizzas and pasta." ... The Best Bites column considers the Norwegian waffles at Finn's Cafe, 1624 S. 1100 East ... The Deseret News' Stacey Kratz gives three stars to Toasters, 151 W. 200 South ... The Weekly's Ted Scheffler reviews Braza Grill Brazilian Steakhouse (5927 S. State St. in Murray and 1246 Legend Hill Drive in Clearfield) and Grille From Ipanema, 3763 Center Park Drive, Jordan Landing, West Jordan)..

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com