There are already “favorites of the year”. The Ocean restaurant, from the Vila Vita Parc hotel, in the Algarve, and Vasco Coelho Santos, in charge of Euskalduna, in Porto, obtained first place in the Top 10 Favorite Restaurants and Top 10 Favorite Chefs categories, respectively, in the XIV edition of the Mesa Marcada awards, a gala that distinguishes the best projects and figures in the universe of national gastronomy. The two distinctions belonged to João Rodrigues and Feitoria for six consecutive years, at the Altis Belém Hotel & Spa, a gastronomic project for which he was responsible. This chef is now ranked fourth on the list of top chefs, with Projeto Materia.
The new winners of the first places in the two main categories – which also mark the decentralization of the Lisbon awards, the organization points out – are holders of Michelin stars: Ocean, by chef Hans Neuner, has already achieved two stars; Euskalduna (which was also distinguished at this gala in second place in the Top 10 Restaurants 2022 category) received its first star at the last ceremony, in November 2022.
Michelin Guide. From José Avillez to Vasco Coelho Santos, there are 5 new stars in Portugal
The gala took place this Monday, January 30 at the Gare Marítima de Alcântara, marking the return to the face-to-face format of the Mesa Marcada Awards. It is an initiative of the website of the same name, a platform focused on Portuguese gastronomy, founded by Miguel Pires and Duarte Calvão.
In the Top 10 Restaurants 2022 category, Prado, by chef António Galapito, followed in third place, and Belcanto, by José Avillez, also in second place in the 10 Chefs 2022 category. The Ó Balcão project, in Santarém, rose five positions in the restaurant ranking, and was ranked 6th. Chef Marlene Vieira is also on the list, in seventh place, with the Marlene project, rising six positions and also winning the Novo do Ano Restaurant Sogrape Special Award.
Chef Marlene Vieira: “There are large gastronomic groups that do not allow women to leave early to breastfeed”
André Cruz, former sous-chef of chef João Rodrigues, now in charge of Feitoria, was distinguished with the Makro Chef Revelation of the Year Special Awardmoving up 194 positions to 19th place.
Also noteworthy is Seiva’s rise of 103 positions (from 117 to 14), in Leça da Palmeira, which culminated in obtaining the Estrella Damm Highlight of the Year Special Award. Velho Eurico, by Zé Paulo Rocha, which had already been nominated and won in other editions, once again won the 2022 São Jorge DOP Mesa Diária Special Cheese Award (best restaurant for everyday food).for which the spaces Pica Pau, by chef Luís Gaspar, and Tati, an enoteca with natural wines by Romina Bertolini and Ramon Ibañez, were also nominated.
Vasco Coelho Santos: “They invited me to do MasterChef and I turned it down. I prefer to be known for my cooking.”
The new award, Special Makro Chef Revelation of the Year Award, was given to the Chefs on Fire festival, by Gonçalo Castel Branco. And Rui Sanches, from the Plateform group, received the Makro Chef Revelation of the Year Special Award. Belcanto room service, led by Luís Reis, won the NX Special Award
Storage service of the year.
The Marked Table Awards currently comprise 15 categories: Top 10 Favorite Restaurants*; Top 10 Favorite Chefs and special prizes: Daily Table; Cutipol race; Maria José Macedo Producer/Supplier of the Year; Sustainability Studioneves; Estrella Damm Featured of the Year*; Sogrape Restaurant New Year; Makro Boss Revelation of the Year; Pastry Chef of the Year; S. Pellegrino/Acqua Panna Sommelier of the Year; Room Service of the Year; Gastronomic Store of the Year; Classic Restaurant of the Year; Restaurant Entrepreneur of the Year; and the novelty of this edition, the Special Gastronomic Event Award. Edition after edition, new categories have emerged in order to publicize other names, as well as professions and activities from a broader spectrum of the gastronomic universe.
As usual, the “Special Cutipol Carrera 2022” and “Special María José Macedo Producer/Supplier of the Year 2022” awards were announced: the first, distinguished chef Paulo Morais, recently awarded a Michelin star with the Kanazawa project, which he has directed since 2017; the second awarded with Salmarima salt producer who, according to the Mesa Marcada project, “has done an exemplary job in the area.”
Kanazawa. There is more Portugal in the temple of Japanese food
Paulo Morais and Salmarim were the most voted by the panel of 25 chefs — Alexandre Silva, André Tecla Cordeiro, António Bóia, António Galapito, Carlos Afonso, Carlos de Albuquerque Teixeira, Filipe Carvalho, Hans Neuner, Henrique Sá Pessoa, Joachim Koerper, Joaquim Saraaga Leal, João Oliveira, João Ricardo Alves, João Rodrigues, José Avillez, Lara Espírito Santo, Lucas Azevedo, Marlene Vieira, Miguel Castro e Silva, Pedro Lemos, Pedro Pena Bastos, Rodrigo Castelo, Vasco Coelho Santos, Vítor Sobral and Zé Paulo Rocha, who, on behalf of himself or the restaurant, made it to the Top 10 or won one of the special Mesa Marcada awards in the last five years.
“I cooked for Bush, Obama and some other bastards”
The chose with the participation of 235 judges, among which are chefs and other professionals linked to restaurants and hotels, as well as journalists, critics, bloggers and renowned gourmets. It was, Mesa Marcada points out, one of the largest polls in history.
The Mesa Marcada Awards were born in 2009 with the “10 Favorite Restaurants and 10 Chefs of the Year”.
Consult the complete list of winners of the XIV edition of the Mesa Marcada Awards, with the rises and falls of positions, compared to the previous year.
The 10 Best Restaurants of 2022
- Ocean, Porches (+2)
- Basque Country, Porto (+3)
- Prado, Lisbon (-1)
- Belcanto, Lisbon (=)
- Soul, Lisbon (+4)
- The Yeatman, Vila Nova de Gaia (+4)
- Ó Balcão, Santarém (+5)
- Fifty seconds, Lisbon (=)
- Healing, Lisbon (+2)
- Essential, Lisbon (-3)
Top 10 Chefs of 2022
- Vasco Coelho Santos, Basque Country
- Jose Avillez, Belcanto
- Hans NeunerOcean
- João Rodrigues, Matter Project
- Antonio Galapito, Prado
- Henrique Sa Pessoa, Alma
- marlene scallop, marlene,
- Alejandro Silva, Crazy
- Ricardo Costa, Te Yeatman
- Filipe Carvalho, Fifty Seconds
Special Prizes Marked on the Table
- Cutipol Special Lifetime Achievement Award: Paulo Morais
- Maria José Macedo Award – Producer / Supplier of the Year : Salmarim – Jorge Raiado
- Studioneves Sustainability Special Award – Urban Environment: SEM (Lisbon)
- Special Studioneves Sustainability Award – Rural Environment: Esporão (R. Monsaraz)
- Special Award São Jorge Cheese DOP Daily Table: O Velho Eurico (Lisbon)
- Bom Sucesso Gastronomic Store of the Year Special Award: Independent Food
- Nutrifresco Special Award Event of the Year: Chefs On Fire
- Estrella Damm Highlight of the Year Special Award: Seiva (Liça da Palmeira)
- Special Makro Chef Revelation of the Year Award: André Cruz (Feitoria)
- Sogrape New Restaurant of the Year Special Award: Marlene, (Lisbon)
- Miele Classic Restaurant of the Year Special Award: Mugasa (Fogueira-Sangalhos)
- Roastelier by Nescafé Pastry Chef of the Year Special Award: Márcio Baltazar (Ocean)
- S.Pellegrino/Acqua Panna Sommelier of the Year Special Award: Filipe Wang (Kabuki Lisboa)
- NX Store Special Award for Room Service of the Year: Belcanto
- NX Hotelaria Catering Entrepreneur of the Year Special Award: Rui Sanches – Plateform
Source: Observadora
