The 2012 James Beard Award nominations are in, and New York City -- per the usual -- is well represented: with two Best New Restaurant and Outstanding Restaurant nominations, respectively.

While some may be surprised to see Balthazar included on the list, the nominations -- for the most part -- lined up with expectations.

Here's a complete list of the Restaurant Award nominees. Check out the James Beard website for the journalism, cookbook, and television nominations.

Best Chef: NYC:
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern
April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig
Wylie Dufresne, wd-50
Mark Ladner, Del Posto
Michael White, Marea

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic:
Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA
Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, D.C.
Peter Pastan, Obelisk, Washington, D.C.
Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken, NJ
Vikram Sunderam, Rasika, Washington, D.C.

Best Chef: Great Lakes:
Michael Carlson, Schwa, Chicago
Stephanie Izard, Girl & the Goat, Chicago (*Izard won Season Four of Top Chef)
Anne Kearney, Rue Dumaine, Dayton, OH
Bruce Sherman, North Pond, Chicago
Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia, Chicago

Best Chef: Northeast:
Jamie Bissonnette, Coppa, Boston
Tim Cushman, O Ya, Boston
Gerry Hayden, The North Fork Table & Inn, Southold, NY
Matt and Kate Jennings, La Laiterie, Providence, RI
Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood, Waterbury, CT

Best Chef: Pacific:
Michael Chiarello
Chris Cosentino
Christopher Kostow
Matt Molina
Daniel Patterson

Best Chef: Northwest:
Matt Dillon, Sitka & Spruce, Seattle
Jason Franey, Canlis, Seattle
Christopher Israel, Gruner, Portland, OR
Naomi Pomeroy, Beast, Portland, OR
Cathy Whims, Nostrana, Portland, OR

Best Chef: Midwest:
Justin Aprahamian, Sanford, Milwaukee
Gerard Craft, Niche, St. Louis
Colby Garrelts, Bluestem, Kansas City, MO
Tory Miller, L'Etoile, Madison, WI
Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul, MN

Best Chef: South:
Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocery, New Orleans
John Harris, Lilette, New Orleans
Chris Hastings, Hot and Hot Fish Club, Birmingham, AL
Tory McPhail, Commander's Palace, New Orleans
Alon Shaya, Domenica, New Orleans

Best Chef: Southeast:
Hugh Acheson, Five and Ten, Athens, GA
Craig Deihl, Cypress, Charleston, SC
Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta
Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville
Joseph Lenn, The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN

Best Chef: Southwest:
Bruce Auden, Biga on the Banks, San Antonio
Kevin Binkley, Binkley's Restaurant, Cave Creek, AZ
Bruno Davaillon, Mansion Restaurant at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas
Jennifer Jasinski, Rioja, Denver
Hugo Ortega, Hugo's, Houston
Paul Qui, Uchiko, Austin, TX

Best New Restaurant:
AQ, San Francisco
Fiola, Washington, D.C.
Isa, Brooklyn, NYC
Next, Chicago
Tertulia, NYC

Outstanding Service:
Cyrusm Heraldsburg, Calif.
La Grenouille, NYC
Michael Mina, San Francisco
Spiaggia, Chicago
Topolobampo, Chicago

Outstanding Restaurateur:
Bruce Bromberg and Eric Bromberg, Blue Ribbon Restaurants, NYC
Tom Douglas, Tom Douglas Restaurants, Seattle
Piero Selvaggio, Valentino Restaurant Group, Santa Monica, CA
Caroline Styne, Lucques/A.O.C./Tavern, Los Angeles
Phil Suarez, Suarez Restaurant Group, NYC (*Suarez's ABC Kitchen won Best New Restaurant award last year)

Outstanding Restaurant:
Balthazar, NYC
Blue Hill, NYC
Boulevard, San Francisco
Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, Al.
Vetri, Philadelphia

Outstanding Chef:
David Chang, Momofuku Ssam Bar, NYC
Gary Danko, Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco
Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, NYC
Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago
Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans
Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles

Outstanding Bar Program
The Aviary, Chicago
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
Pegu Club, NYC
PDT, NYC
The Violet Hour, Chicago

Outstanding Wine Program
A16, San Francisco
The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
Emeril's, New Orleans
No. 9 Park, Boston

Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spririts Professional
Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Winery, Sebastopol, CA
Paul Grieco, Terroir, NYC
Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery, NYC
Neal Rosenthal, Mad Rose Group, Pine Plains, NY

[via HuffPo, The Daily Meal]

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