Wine Enthusiast Magazine's 2006 Restaurant Awards

Presenting the very best in fine dining for 2006.

Published on Feb 1, 2007

Judging something as subjective, and often protean, as culinary greatness is never an easy task, especially in this day when so many restaurateurs, sommeliers and even diners are branching off into exciting, eclectic and disparate directions with their food and wine choices. What constitutes an excellent menu? How does one find what can be considered the very best in a wine list?

In Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Restaurant Awards' third year, our panel agreed: greatness is a composite of excellence in many areas, but the unifying factor? Vision. An exemplary wine program is about depth, breadth and quality, but also about soul. It's about offering the top tier of wines from the greatest wine regions of the world, making accessible the most prized vintages, and pairing dishes creatively with wines of all price points. But it's also about taking chances, exercising poetic license, boldly introducing consumers to gems of all prices they may never have known, and doing so in a friendly, informed manner.

All of our applicants exhibited wine programs that were a cut above the norm, displaying creativity, knowledge and care in their offerings. But our top winners took that love one step further by not only nailing the list, but expertly guiding consumers through it. Following are profiles of the Award of Ultimate Distinction winners, and a complete listing of all honorees nationwide.

Congratulations to all! Click here for our fully searchable database of America's Best Wine-Driven Restaurants of 2006.

All of the following restaurants received the Award of Ultimate Distinction. Click on the restaurant's name for the full review.

Award of Ultimate Distinction Winners

Alto	Excelsior	Smith & Wollensky Chicago
Aureole Las Vegas	Grill 23 & Bar	Smith & Wollensky Columbus, OH
Bern's Steak House	The Herbfarm	Sona
Cascadia Restaurant	The Kitchen	Swingos on the Lake
Charlie Trotter's	The Lark	La Toque
Columbia Restaurant	Mr Stox	Trattoria Nostrani
Commander's Palace	Napa Rose	Vic and Anthony's Steakhouse
Courtright's Restaurant	NoMi	Vivere in the Italian Village
Crabtree's Kittle House	Pluckemin Inn	Wild Ginger Asian Restaurant and Satay Bar
Elizabeth's Café	Smith & Wollensky Boston

Click here for our fully searchable database of America's Best Wine-Driven Restaurants of 2006.

Award of Unique Distinction Winners

1550 Hyde Cafe and Wine Bar	Diva At The Met	Pierpont's At Union Station
1789 Restaurant	Divino Wine & Cheese Bistro	Pinot Brasserie
22 Bowen's Wine Bar & Grille	The Drae Restaurant & Lounge	Port Land Grille
30 Degree Blue	The Elbow Room	Press
Adele's	Eno	Pulcinella Ristorante And Ciao Bar
American Seasons	Enotria Cafe & Wine Bar	Quality Meats
Ana Mandara	Equus Restaurant	The Quiet Woman
Angelo's 677 Prime	Fair Hill Inn	Ranch Steakhouse
Angus Barn, The	Fiamma Osteria	Ray's Boathouse
Atlanta Grill	Fiamma Trattoria	Restaurant 213
Atria Restaurant & Bar	The Firehouse Restaurant	The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards
Avalon	First Crush Restaurant	Restaurant O
Bacchus	Fleur De Sel	Ristorante Panorama
Barbetta	Greens Restaurant	Rose Pistola
Barking Frog	Harvest	Sale e Pepe Restaurant
Barolo Grill	Havana	Salish Lodge and Spa
The Bay House	Hawthorne Lane	Salpicon
Bella Italia	Highlands Dining Room at the Mountain Top Inn & Resort	Seasons
Billy's At The Beach	Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas	Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar
Birchfield Manor Country Inn	The Homestead Restaurant	Sidebern's
Bistro Bethem	Hush Restaurant	The Signature Room
Bistro Henry	Il Terrazzo Ristorante	Smith & Wollensky
Bleu Provence	Jay's Bistro	Smith & Wollensky
BLT Fish	Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse	Smith & Wollensky
BLT Prime	Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House	Smith & Wollensky
BLT Steak	Julia's Kitchen	Smith & Wollensky
Blue Fin	Kelly Liken	Smith & Wollensky
The Blue Star	La Sirena Restaurant	Smith & Wollensky
Blue Water Grill	Larkspur Restaurant	Soby's New South Cuisine
Bon Caldo Ristorante And Bar	Le Lan	Stage Left
Bosc-Kitchen and Wine Bar	Le Titi De Paris	Swan Terrace
Bottega Del Vino	The Left Bank	Tamarine
Brook's Steakhouse	Les Nomades	The Tavern
Butch's Restaurant	Longhi's Wailea	Thalassa Restaurant
Cafe Boulud	Lucky Palace	The Grill at The Ritz Carlton, Palm Beach
Cafe Di Scala	The Majestic Steakhouse	Todd Jurich's Bistro
Cafe Esin	Maloney & Porcelli	Tomasso Trattoria
Cafe Kandahar	McCrady's	Tournedos Steakhouse
California Grill	Meritage Philadelphia	The Triple Door
Castle Hill Inn & Resort	Michael's at the Inn	Trotters
Cetrella	The Milton Inn	Truffles
Chef's Table	Mockingbird Bistro	Tundra Restaurant
The Chef's Table At The Elbow Room	Monarch Restaurant And Wine Bar	Twenty-Eight Atlantic at the Wequassett Inn
Chez Francois	Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar, The	Uncle Yu's - Lafayette
Chicago Chop House	Nice Matin	Uncle Yu's - San Ramon
Churrascaria Plataforma	Niche Restaurant	Uncle Yu's at the Vineyard
Churrascaria Riodizio Tribeca	Nobhill @ MGM Grand Casino	V.Mertz
Cinco	The Norton's Restaurant	Ventana Room At Loes Canyon Resort
The Cliff House Restaurant	The Oakroom	Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse
Cole's Chop House	The Old Ebbitt Grill	Vidalia Restaurant
Copper Beech Inn	One Sixtyblue	Vines Wine Bar And Tapas
Crow's Nest Restaurant, The	Onotria Wine Country Cuisine	Vue Restaurant
Davidburke & Donatella	Papa Joe's	White Orchid at Peppermill Hotel and Casino
Della Notte Ristorante	Parson's Table, The	The Wine Cellar
The Dining Room at Woodlands	Picholine	Winfield's Bistro

Click here for our fully searchable database of America's Best Wine-Driven Restaurants of 2006.

Award of Distinction Winners

1515 Restaurant	Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar:	Park Avenue Cafe
21 Main	Woodmere, OH	Park Place on Main
21 Oceanfront Restaurant	Nashville, TN	The Park Steakhouse
33 Restaurant & Lounge	Memphis, TN	Parkside Rotisserie & Bar
360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower	Tampa, FL	Patsel's
801 Steak & Chop House	Austin, TX	Pazzaluna
82 Queen Inc	Las Vegas, NV	Pazzo Italian Cafe
Adair's	Tulsa, OK	Philander's of Oak Park
Adelmo's Ristorante	Baltimore, MD	Pigalle
Agrario	Akron, OH	Pisces Rising
Aida Bistro & Wine Bar	Lincolnshire, IL	Pomp At The Resort At
AJ Maxwell's Steakhouse	Englewood, CO	Paws Up
Aleo Restaurant	Houston, TX	Poppy's Seafood Factory
Allegro Ristorante	North Scottsdale, AZ	The Post House
Anderson's Cajun's Wharf	Knoxville, TN	Prego
Andiamo!	Sarasota, FL	The Prime Rib
Annie Gunn's	Hendersonville, NC	The Prospect Restaurant
Ascots Restaurant	Monroe Township, NJ	The Rancher's Club of New Mexico
Ashiana	San Antonio, TX	Redfish Blufish
Asia De Cuba San Francisco	Appleton, WI	Restaurant 301 at the Hotel Carter
Asia SF	Oshkosh, WI	Rickshaw Far East Bistro & Bambu Lounge
Asiatique Restaurant	New York, NY	Rio Grill
Assaggio Ristorante	New York, NY	Riodizio Churrascaria
The Asylum	Galena, IL	Riverstone Restaurant & Tavern
Austin's Steakhouse	Flight	Rock Center Cafe
Bacaro	Forsgate Country Club	Roppongi
Backstreet Cafe	Francesca's At Sunset	Roy's Hawaiian Fusion:
The Barona Oaks Steakhouse	Fratellos Riverfront Restaurant	Bonita Springs, FL
Bijou Cafe	Fratellos Waterfront Restaurant	Philadelphia, PA
Bistro 1888	French Roast, New York, NY	Rancho Mirage, CA
Bistro 1896	French Roast, New York, NY	Plano, TX
Bistro 6301	Fried Green Tomatoes	Austin, TX
Bistro At Crowne Pointe	Gallery On Oak Creek, The	San Francisco, CA
Bistro Zin	Gamble Mill Restaurant, The	Newport Beach, CA
Bloom	Gerard's	Woodland Hills, CA
Bloom	The Girl And The Fig	Naples, CA
Bong Su Restaurant & Lounge	Green Room At Hotel Du Pont	Tampa, FL
Bouchon Santa Barbara	The Grille	Ruth's Chris Steak House:
Brandy Library Loung LLC	Guinness & Porcellis	Wailea, HI
Brett's Waterway Café	Harry's Cafe & Steak	Atlanta, GA
Brigitte's Restaurant	Harry's Continental Kitchens	Scottsdale, AZ
Buca's Tuscan Roadhouse	Harry's Savoy Gril	Austin, TX
By Word of Mouth Restaurant and Catering	Harry's Seafood Grill	Atlanta GA
Cafe d'Alsace	The Heartline Cafe	Bellevue, WA
Cafe Lurcat	Hereford House	Portland, OR
Cafe Lurcat/Bar Lurcat	The Herr Tavern & Publick House	Atlanta, GA
Cafe Margaux	Hugo's	Del Mar, CA
Cafe On The Green	Huntington's Grille	Seattle, WA
Capsoluto Freres	Il Fornaio	Salty's On Alki Beach
Carlton, The	Indigo Restaurant	Salty's On The Columbia
Carmelo's Ristorante, Houston	Inn At Manitou	Sam's On The Waterfront
Carmelo's Ristorante, Austin	Ivy Restaurant	Savage River Lodge
Cartwright's Sonoran Ranch House	Jackson & Wheeler	Savannah's Restaurant
Casa Havana	Jeffrey's of the Westfield	Scotch 'N Sirloin, Dewitt, NY
Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar	Jesse's Restaurant	Scotch 'N Sirloin, Rochester, NY
Cazwellas	JFR Barn	The Sea Grill
Celadon	Jiko - The Cooking Place	Seablue
Celebrations Restaurant & Bar	Jimmy's	Seasons Of Durango
Charley's Steak House	Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab	Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern
Chillingsworth	Joseph's Table	Serafina
Chimney Park Bistro	Kinzie Chop House	Shadowbrook Restaurant
Chops City Grill, Naples	Kitchen Bar	Shaw's Restaurant & Inn
Chops City Grill, Bonita Springs	Koberl At Blue	Ships Inn
Ciao Pizzeria And Wine Bar	La Bergerie	Sidney's Grille
Ciola's Italian-American Restaurant	La Campania	Silver Thatch Inn Restaurant
Cite Grill	The Lafayette Inn	Smash Wine Bar and Bistro
CK's Steakhouse	Lake Street Cafe	Spencer's for Steaks & Chops
Clyde's Of Georgetown	Lasalle Grill	Splash Seafood Bar & Grill
Clyde's Restaurant Of Tysons Corner	Lava Bistro And Bar	St. Louis Fish Market
Cortez Restaurant & Bar	Lawry's The Prime Rib	The Stained Glass
Cosimo's On Union	Le Monde	Stardust Restaurant and Lounge
Counter	L'Express	The Steakhouse
Cowboy Club	L'Heritage Restaurant Francais	STK
Craigie Street Bistro	Lighthouse on the Hudson	Suilan By Susanna Foo
Create Bistro	Limericks Pub And Grille	Tango's Seafood and Steakhouse
Croc's 19th Street Bistro	The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro	Tarpy's Roadhouse
Crystal Bay Steak & Lobster House	Lon's at the Hemosa Inn	Tastings
The Crystal Dining Room	Luigi's Restaurant & Bar	Telluride
D.K. Steakhouse	Lulav	Ten Mercer
D.O.C. Wine Bar Inc	Maison	Texas De Brazil, Schamburg, IL
D'amico Cucina	Manor On Golden Pond	Texas De Brazil, Miami, FL
De Medici Restaurant	Market Street Inn	Texas De Brazil, Orlando, FL
Dining Room At Jenny Lake Lodge	The Marlin Grill	Tonto Bar And Grill
Disalvo's Restaurant	Marseille	Trattoria Delia
The Duck Restaurant	McGuire's Irish Pub	Trevisio Restaurant
Dudleys Restaurant	Mcguire's Irish Pub Of Destin	Trilogy Bistro
Dundee Bistro, The	Melting Pot Restaurant, Minneapois, MN	Triple Creek Ranch, Relais and Chateaux
DW's Restaurant	The Melting Pot, Appleton, WI	Trostel's Greenbirar Restaurant & Bar
Fishbones	The Melting Pot, Sacramento, CA	Undercurrent Restaurant
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar:	The Melting Pot, St. Louis, MO	Ursula's Wine Bar & Café
McLean, VA	Meridian 42	Va De Vi Bistro & Wine Bar
San Diego, CA	Mesa Street Grill	Velvet 25 Bistro
Woodland Hills, CA	Michael Jordan's Steakhouse - Mohegan Sun	The View Restaurant at the Mirror Lake Inn
Frontenac, MO	Michael's Restaurant	Villa Di Giovanni
Newport Beach, CA	Mignon's Steaks And Seafood	Vine
Rancho Mirage, CA	Mike Shannon's Steak & Seafood Restaurant	Vino
Richmond, VA	Montage	Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar
Edgewater, NJ	Montanos International Gourmet Restaurant	Vivace Ristorante
Tucson, AZ	Montrio Bistro	W A Frost & Company
West Des Moines, IA	Murphy's of Reno	Walt's Wharf
Fresno, CA	Museum Cafe	Yabba Island Grill
Omaha, NE	Napa Valley Grille	Ye Olde Tavern
El Segundo, CA	Nazzaro's	The Yellow Dog Cafe
Indianapolis, IN	Noble's Grille	Zampieri's Harbor Grille
Greensboro, NC	Noble's Restaurant	Zoe's Restaurant
Chandler , AZ	The Oceanaire Seafood Room	Zucca Ristorante
Baton Rouge, LA	Octagon
Boston, MA	Orange Hill Restaurant
Coral Gables, FL	Paesano's
The Woodlands, TX	Palm Court at the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center
San Diego, CA	Palm Restaurant
Salt Lake City, UT	Palmeria SpA Ristorante
San Antonio, TX