Chef/owner Sean Pharr outside Mint Mark.
Sean Pharr, chef and co-owner of the 2-year-old Mint Mark on Madison’s Near East Side, was nominated Wednesday for a James Beard Award in the category of “Best Chef: Midwest.”
“I’m completely beside myself right now,” said Pharr, taking a break from sweeping crumbs off his kitchen floor from his kids’ breakfast Wednesday morning. “These things are just not on my radar. It’s just about the restaurant and moving forward (in a) 1,300-square-foot space. These kinds of things don’t even cross my mind. This is incredible.”
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Pharr owns Mink Mark 1929 Winnebago St., with Chad Vogel of the Robin Room and Gwen and Kyle Johnson of Johnson Public House. It seats between 40 and 50 people in the former Mermaid Cafe space.
Mint Mark’s logo, prominently displayed on the front windows, is a clever play on a monetary mint as well as mint leaves.
Originally from New London, Pharr began his career at Harvest on the Capitol Square. He worked in a number of well-known Chicago restaurants, including as executive chef at The Bristol and chef de cuisine at NoMI.
MintMark’s menu is made up of shareable, seasonal plates. The restaurant’s roasted, deep-fried cauliflower has become a favorite, as has its pierogi with lentils, and its cookie with rye, brown sugar and chocolate chips, served in a hot cast-iron skillet with melted brown-sugar-bourbon ice cream.
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Mint Mark has “a small team of people that just really care and try really hard and just buy into it,” said chef Sean Pharr.
Pharr deferred credit for the award, instead praising his staff. “It’s everybody that I work with every day. We have this team of people that commit, believe, and have created Mint Mark as their own. It’s a small team of people that just really care and try really hard and just buy into it. If not for them, it wouldn’t be there. So I think it’s 100 percent just the staff.”
Pharr was the only Madison chef nominated this year for the award. The “Best Chef: Midwest” category includes the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Twenty chefs were nominated in that category.
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Two other Wisconsin chef semifinalists in the Midwest category, both from Milwaukee restaurants: Karen Bell from Bavette La Boucherie, and Dane Baldwin from The Diplomat.
Nominees for all award categories will be revealed on March 25 in Philadelphia.
The 2020 James Beard Awards marks its 30th anniversary this year, honoring chefs, restaurants, journalists, and authors in the food and beverage industry.
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10 best-reviewed restaurants in 2019, and some runners-up
Bistro 101
Bistro 101, 101 E. Main St., Mount Horeb, 608-437-9463. There’s good reason Bistro 101 in Mount Horeb is one of the best restaurants in Dane County. It’s run by Mark Valaskey, the onetime co-owner of the former Morels in Middleton. It offers a fantastic, creative restaurant experience, but at special occasion prices. Read the full review: Bistro 101 stands out for special occasions
Cadre
Cadre, 2540 University Ave., 608-819-8555. Few local chefs could pull off a restaurant as accomplished as this, but, as majority owner, Evan Dannells (formerly of Merchant, Lucille and Pasture and Plenty) now has the freedom to do his own thing. Cadre, the high-level French-Wisco restaurant that’s resulted, is a major achievement. Read the full review: Cadre, from chef Evan Dannells, is a major achievement
Meze
Meze Mediterranean Cuisine, 503 W. Main St., Sun Prairie, 608-318-0010. It’s a good omen that the Turkish restaurant is in the former space of the original and successful Salvatore’s Tomato Pies. Ozgur “Figo” Akcay, who owns Meze with his wife, Seda Akcay, perfectly executes a wonderful menu of richly rewarding Mediterranean and Italian dishes. Read the full review: Meze elevates Mediterranean food in Sun Prairie
Red Lion
Red Lion Singapore Grill & Japanese Cuisine, 515 Cottage Grove Road, 608-467-3018. Don’t expect many Singaporean dishes, but what you do order will be fantastic. If it’s one of the specials, don’t miss the phenomenal Singapore curry chicken. Owner/chef Jeffrey Cui also does great things with sushi, as evidenced by the standard spicy tuna roll and extravagant Red Lion roll. Read the full review: Red Lion’s name may lead you astray, but the food won’t
Mr. Kimchi
Mr. Kimchi, 225 King St., 608-665-3020. Mr. Kimchi has brought the restaurant location originally designed in 2005 for the glamorous Cocoliquot close to its former glory. The excellent Korean-fusion spot is pricey, but full of many happy surprises. Don’t overlook the tteokbokki, spicy stir-fried rice cakes. The chewy little dumplings are worth a visit on their own. Read the full review: Mr. Kimchi brings Korean pizzazz to King Street
Buck and Honey’s
Buck & Honey’s, 800 W. Broadway, Monona, 608-478-2618. This honey of a restaurant has the kind of wide-ranging menu and inviting atmosphere that should appeal to most diners. A sister to the original Sun Prairie restaurant, it steps up its game with an eye-catching back bar. The birch trees lit up behind glass is modeled on something owner Tom Anderson said he saw years ago in Las Vegas. Read the full review: Buck & Honey’s is going over big in Monona
Yume
Yume Sushi, 449 State St., 608-255-5020. Brian and Erica Ni closed their family’s popular Takara Japanese restaurant and sushi bar on State Street in 2016 after 15 years because the rent got too high. Now they’re back, a block away, with Yume, where the food, service and atmosphere are every bit as good. Yume is in a second-floor location where the popular Japanese restaurant Wasabi was for almost 25 years. Read the full review: Yume brings Takara taste back to State Street
Samara Kalk Derby | Wisconsin State Journal
The Globe
The Globe, 309 N. Henry St., 608-640-4435. Can’t decide what you’re in the mood for? Visit The Globe. Ashim Malla’s tiny Henry Street restaurant, off State Street, near the Plaza Tavern, covers a wide swath of international cuisines, with representative dishes from at least 10 countries. The Globe makes the world feel smaller. Read the full review: Take an inexpensive trip around The Globe, you won’t be sorry
Kingdom Restaurant
Kingdom Restaurant, 1865 Northport Dr., 608-286-1238. Mahamadou Tunkara has bounced around a lot, cooking his African stews, and making his gyros and American fast-food favorites in many corners of the city. This year, he brought Kingdom to the Northside Town Center and is winning fans there. His menu is huge and so are the portions of his distinctive West African dishes. Read the full review: Kingdom Restaurant’s time has come on the North Side
Portillo’s
Portillo’s, 4505 East Towne Boulevard, 608-819-2720. Sometimes you just need something fast, and this Oak Brook, Illinois-based chain comes through with hot dogs, Italian beef and the chopped salad, my favorite. Its got an appealing mix of lettuce, short tubes of pasta, chunks of chicken, bacon bits, tomatoes, gorgonzola, scallions and red cabbage. Portillo’s house dressing adds to its appeal. Read the full review: Portillo’s dogs, beef, ribs and shakes are worth the wait
Honorable mentions
Honorable mentions: Pho King Good, Flix Brewhouse, Surya at Garver, Alimentari, The Audrey, Sequoia, Union Corners Brewery, Nomad World Pub, Tipsy Cow in Sun Prairie, El Charro Mexican Grill in Waunakee, Full Mile in Sun Prairie, bartaco, humble, HungryBadger Cafe.Above: Veggie fritters from HungryBadger Cafe.
Read more restaurant news at go.madison.com/restaurantnews.
Source: Thanks https://madison.com/wsj/entertainment/dining/restaurants/mint-mark-chef-owner-nominated-for-james-beard-award/article_71c90fd4-ddff-58af-a729-4b37e9b5affb.html
