Applause as the main course

The past quarter century has seen a revolution in quality and quantity of dining experiences in the Greater Washington area, a fact that 1,600 silver- and boa-clad attendees were more than ready to cheer. There were so many cheers, in fact, that as the evening progressed, it was nearly impossible to hear what award presenters — local notables handing winners their crystal obelisk trophies — were saying under the spotlights.

The silver-themed event kicked off with a welcome from RAMW President Lynne Breaux and ambassadors representing three notable food and drink cultures raising their glasses together in a toast: Alexandros Mallias of Greece, Mariano Fernandez of Chile and Albert Jonsson of Iceland. Think how far even casual dining has come when Chilean wines, Icelandic desserts and Greek wine and cheese could be served at the same meal. The entree was Australian lamb from Australian Meat and Livestock, one of the co-sponsors along with Greek Kerasma, Sustainable Iceland, ProChile and others.

Courses were served while gaily bedecked mistress of ceremonies Sue Palka of Fox 5 News and James Adams of NBC-4 News moved the show along. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, the District’s chief booster, was only too pleased to remind everyone that “42,000 people work in Washington’s restaurant business, and 40 percent of sales tax revenue comes from the hospitality industry.”

The 13 award categories began with Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year (won by Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar on Capitol Hill) and ended with Chef of the Year (won byCathal Armstrong of Alexandria’s Restaurant Eve). Robert Egger, founder and president of D.C. Central Kitchen, which delivers food daily to the hungry and runs a culinary arts program to train unemployed men and women for jobs, got a rousing reception as he accepted a special Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award.

The event traditionally attracts foodies and restaurant groupies of all stripes, but among the missing this year was sous chef Arnel Esposa from the Palette Restaurant in the Madison Hotel. Called to serve with the 58th Infantry unit of the Maryland National Guard, he was spending the night at Fort Dix, N.J., on his way to Iraq.

— Ann Geracimos