James Beard Awards nominees 2009

Best New Restaurant

In what's looking like a powerhouse showdown, a trio of acclaimed, three-star NYC newcomers swept the bulk of this year's nominations. It's arguably one of the most exciting races to watch.

Two chefs staged rousing comebacks: Scott Conant gave us Scarpetta, whose homey and hearty Italian fare finally cured fans suffering from a deficiency of his famous spaghetti pomodoro. And M.I.A. chef Paul Liebrandt may have developed a reputation as a loose cannon, but his winning collaboration with Drew Nieporent at Corton reminded us of his gift for elegant, austere cooking. "Evolution-wise, the food is definitely much more focused than in [my] past restaurants…and much more to the clarity of the dish," he told us last fall, when Corton opened.

Can anyone stop David Chang? The uber chef may not have won people over with his cryptic online reservation system at Momofuku Ko, but his tiny temple of prix-fixe nivrana continues to inspire fanatic devotion from those willing to frantically click their "refresh" buttons for a taste of Ko's sous-vide pork ribs.

The final two slots: Jose Andres' The Bazaar, in Beverly Hills, and Chicago's L2O, from Laurent Gras and Richard Melman.