The Time Out Eat Out Awards were announced last night in a ceremony that we barely escaped. Though perhaps without the cachet of the James Beard Awards, the TONY Eat Outs do confer the privilege of displaying a little TONY advertisement congratulatory plate in the window of the winning establishment, a fact that might explain why there are so many winners in so many reverse-engineered categories. But prizes are prizes and winners are winners. Below are some of the awards we felt were most meaningful.

By temperament and trade, we're more inclined to weigh heavily the critics' choices so we'll start there.

Critic's Awards
Best jack-of-all-trades Iacopo Falai

Best modern-day soda fountain Stand

Best changing of the guard Daniel Humm at Eleven Madison Park

Sixth Annual Award for Best-Tasting Dare Pork margarita at Porchetta [Subquestion: Do they have them in prison?]

Best place to stalk the chef Degustation

Most hypeworthy Momofuku Ss m Bar

Best small fry Petite Crevette

First Annual Blatant-Sucking-Up-So-We-Can-Score-a-Table Award The Waverly Inn [Let us know if it works!]

Reader's Awards
Best splurge Per Se
Other nominees: Daniel, Kobe Club, Le Cirque, Masa

New chef of the year Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern
Other nominees: David Chang (Momofuku Ss m Bar), Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park), Seamus Mullen (Boqueria), Jason Neroni (Porchetta)

New bar of the year ReBar
Other nominees: Beatrice Inn, Death & Co., Marshall Stack, Union Hall

Best new alt coffeeshop Joe, the Art of Coffee
Other nominees: Aroma, Mudtruck, Ninth Street Espresso, Think Coffee

Best new steakhouse Craftsteak
Other nominees: Harry's, Porterhouse NY, Quality Meats, STK

Best restaurant you can't get into: Babbo
Other nominees: The Little Owl, Nobu, Rao's, The Waverly Inn

New restaurant of the year A Voce
Other nominees: Goblin Market, Gordon Ramsay at the London, L'Atelier de Jo l Robuchon, The Waverly Inn

TONY Critic's Picks
TONY Reader's Picks

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