Santa Monica Restaurant Earns 2021 Wine Spectator Award

SANTA MONICA, CA — Coronavirus has brought unique and unprecedented challenges to restaurants in Santa Monica. Despite the hardships, one was still able to shine in the last year, earning a 2021 Restaurant Award from Wine Spectator magazine.

The annual Restaurant Awards honor excellence in restaurant wine lists, as well as those who have demonstrated passion and devoted extensive resources to creating outstanding wine programs. This year’s awards are featured in the Aug. 31 issue of Wine Spectator.

The list typically gives us a generous glimpse at the best spots in Santa Monica. This year, only one restaurant in our city earned a nod from Wine Spectator.

More than 2,900 restaurants in 50 states and 72 countries and territories earned awards this year. The awards are given across three categories: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence and Grand Award.

The Grand Award is Wine Spectator’s most prestigious honor, given to the world’s most elite wine programs. Read profiles of all 100 current Grand Award winners.

Typically, recipients of the Grand Award offer at least 1,000 or more wine selections, showcasing “immense depth and breadth of regions, producers, vintages and bottle formats.” All Grand Award winners must also pass a rigorous inspection of their restaurants, including the wine cellars.

Three new restaurants won the Grand Award this year: Brennan's in New Orleans, Le Bernardin in New York and SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, California.

Capo at 1810 Ocean Avenue was a Grand Award-winner in Santa Monica.

"Capo is the brainchild of Bruce Marder, the California restaurateur credited with developing Venice and Santa Monica into dining destinations in the 1970s," Wine Spectator says. The wine list is filled with eye-popping verticals across California, France and Italy, and the menu’s uncomplicated Italian approach lets local ingredients shine."

Check out the other restaurants in California that earned nods for excellence this year:

• Acquerello, San Francisco
• Addison, San Diego
• Capo, Santa Monica
• The French Laundry, Yountville
• La Toque, Napa
• Madera, Menlo Park
• Murray Circle Restaurant, Sausalito
• The Plumed Horse, Saratoga
• Restaurant 301 at the Hotel Carter, Eureka
• Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco
• Saison, San Francisco
• Sierra Mar, Big Sur
• SingleThread Farms, Healdsburg
• Spago Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills
• Spruce, San Francisco
• The Stonehouse, Santa Barbara
• Studio, Laguna Beach
• The Village Pub, Woodside
• Wally's, Beverly Hills

See all winners of this year’s Wine Spectator awards.

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