Philly Represents on Wine Spectator’s 2006 Restaurant Awards List

Every year Wine Spectator recognizes restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers.

This year, in its August issue, Wine Spectator awarded The Melting Pot (both the Filbert St. and the Germantown Ave. locations), The Oceanaire Seafood Room and Old Original Book Binder’s with the Award of Excellence, an award recognizing lists that have a well-chosen selection of at least 100 wines by quality producers and a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Curiously, though, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, which is listed as being located at 700 Walnut, has not yet opened.

Past Philly winners of this award include: Barclay Prime, Bistro Romano, The Capital Grille, Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse, Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, Meritage Philadelphia, Morimoto, Morton’s, Moshulu, The Palm, Paridiso, Penne Restaurant and Wine Bar, Roy’s Philadelphia, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Smith & Wollensky, Striped Bass, and Twenty21.

No Philly restaurants received the second-tier award this year—the Best of Award of Excellence, which recognizes lists of 500 or more wines that show either vintage depth or excellent breadth spread over several winegrowing regions. However, past Philly winners of the Best of Award of Excellence are: The Fountain Restaurant, La Famiglia Restaurant, La Bec-Fin and Ristorante Panorama.