Metromix tries to get a bead on the Beards this morning, reaching out to an anonymous critic, publicist, and chef to ask their opinions on who might win which award and why. The answers were illuminating: The critic opined that Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali ought to get the Outstanding Restaurateur award over their trans-Hudson rivals like Wolfgang Puck: “I do not mean any disrespect to Wolfgang Puck, but they don’t operate restaurants in New York City for a reason, and it is because they just can’t take the heat.” On the subject of the Outstanding Chef award, the Best Actor of the Beards, all three seem to think that David Chang will probably win, but none seem happy about it: The critic wants wd-50’s Wylie Dufresne to win, the publicist says it would be “a shame,” and the chef is really hot on the subject: “The only one I think is bullshit on that whole list is David Chang. It is not because I think David Chang is bullshit. I just think it is to soon for a guy like that to be listed with those guys. I think 10 years from now David Chang should be nominated, for sure. Not now.” Whether the Beard voters feel the same way is another question; we’ll find out next Sunday.
Betting on Beard [Metromix]
Related: Bourdain & Co. Give Their Picks for Beard Chef NYC
