A few weeks ago, I compiled my May food events post and was sure to include Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best Restaurants Party. Well, not only did Pittsburgh Magazine see my post whilst out jaunting around the Burgh blogosphere, but they invited me to come to the party on Monday, May 24 AND they’ve given me two tickets to give away to a lucky reader! That’s a $220 value – my biggest giveaway yet!
On top of that, Editor-in-Chief Julie Talerico and Food Editor Kate Chynoweth were kind enough to answer a few questions about how the annual June Best Restaurants issue comes together, and what you can expect.
The Best Restaurant Party includes winners in three different areas of judging: the 25 best restaurants in Pittsburgh, as chosen by Pittsburgh Magazine’s anonymous Restaurant Review Panel; the Legends, which include such stalwart institutions as Common Plea (my very first job in Pittsburgh!), the Grand Concourse and Le Mont; and of course, the Reader’s Poll winners, in categories from “Best Italian (non-chain)” and “Best BYOB” (a subject I should really cover here).
In addition to the 25 Best, the magazine also awards prizes for Chef of the Year, Rising Star Chef, Best New Restaurant, and Delicious Design. The winning restaurants are chosen based on overall dining experience, including service, food and sustainability.
PM started including the Legends category five years ago. According to Julie and Kate, they wanted to devote the slots of the 25 Best to new young chefs and restaurants, or otherwise the Best 25 list might be the same year after year. The Legends category allows the magazine to acknowledge the forerunners of today’s restaurant scene while still keeping the annual list fresh. Check out last year’s Legends.
Looking forward, I’ll be watching to see how the growing fascination with local, sustainably-produced food starts to more deeply affect the restaurant world and its attendant rankings. Sustainability, particularly in terms of sourcing food that’s local and organic, is certainly part of the consideration in choosing this year’s 25 Best. The absence of chain restaurants from the list, for example, is one nod the magazine gives to the trend.
At the party, you’ll find samples from about 50 of the winners from across all categories. ranging from Franktuary to Eleven. 50 samples is about 3 full meals, but you won’t want to miss a single bite, so come hungry. Tickets are $95 in advance or $110 at the door – but the party usually sells out, so don’t dilly-dally.
(Also to note: the Best Restaurants Party is the kickoff of the new Local Restaurants Week. More details over here.)
To win tickets here, the deal is simple: leave a comment about the best food party you’ve ever been to. I know for me, the “Watch a Vegan Eat Bacon” party was definitely one of the best. The winner will be chosen from all the comments at random, and will receive two tickets to Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best Restaurants Party, held next Monday, May 24, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Giveaway rules:
Leave a comment on the blog (not Twitter, not my personal Facebook page) about the best food party you’ve ever been to.
Make sure to use your real email address, because otherwise I won’t be able to reach you if you win. (Email addresses are never, ever published on the site, so you are always safe from spammers.)
Only one entry per commenter.
If you aren’t able to go to the party, you’re still free to comment because I want the party ideas. Just say in your comment that you don’t want to be in the contest so I can pick a different winner. It would be a shame for these tickets to go to waste!
Le Fine Print
No purchase necessary. Winner will be selected at random by Burghilicious using Random.org. All entries received after the giveaway comment deadline will not be considered. Duplicate entries will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the entry requirements will not be considered. Winner will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the email. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Giveaway has been sponsored by Pittsburgh Magazine.