Here are all the NYC chefs and restaurants named James Beard semifinalists

There's a new list of the restaurants and chefs to check out in the New York City area, thanks to what's commonly referred to as the Oscars of the food world.

The James Beard Foundation announced its semifinalists last week for its annual food awards that will be given out later this year. Chefs and restaurateurs across New York and New Jersey made the shortlist again this year, all vying for big awards if they can be named finalists in April, before the final winners are announced in June.

This year's awards carry some extra weight for NYC, which, according to Eater, did not take home any national awards last year. That's the first time New York failed to win a national category since 1991.

Regardless of who takes home the top prizes this year, there are clearly plenty of restaurants worth dining at this year. Here's the list of semifinalists currently in contention for this year's awards:

Outstanding Restaurateur

• Bryan Chunton and Pei Wei, Zaab Zaab and Zaab Zaab Talay, New York, NY
• Ravi DeRossi, Overthrow Hospitality (Cadence, Etérea, Avant Garden, and others), New York, NY

Outstanding Chef

• Emma Bengtsson, Aquavit, New York, NY
• Dan Kluger, Loring Place, New York, NY

Outstanding Restaurant

• Superiority Burger, New York, NY

Emerging Chef

• Fariyal Abdullahi, Hav & Mar, New York, NY

Best New Restaurant

• Foul Witch, New York, NY
• Foxface Natural, New York, NY
• Lita, Aberdeen Township, NJ  
• Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi, New York, NY  

Outstanding Bakery

• Make My Cake, New York, NY
• Mel the Bakery, Hudson, NY

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

• Eunji Lee, Lysée, New York, NY
• Camari Mick, The Musket Room, New York, NY

Outstanding Hospitality

• Melba’s, New York, NY  

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

• COTE, New York, NY

Outstanding Bar

• All Night Skate, Brooklyn, NY  
• Double Chicken Please, New York, NY 

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) 

• Nur-E Gulshan Rahman, Korai Kitchen, Jersey City, NJ

Best Chef: New York State 

• Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY
• Mary Attea, Musket Room, New York, NY
• Ayo Balogun, Dept of Culture, Brooklyn, NY
• Clare de Boer, Stissing House, Pine Plains, NY
• Doris Choi, Good Night, Woodstock, NY
• Calvin Eng, Bonnie's, Brooklyn, NY
• Aretah Ettarh, Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY
• Charles Gabriel, Charles Pan-Fried Chicken, New York, NY
• Efrén Hernández, Casa Susanna, Leeds, NY
• Luis Herrera, Ensenada, Brooklyn, NY
• JJ Johnson, FieldTrip, New York, NY
• Telly Justice, HAGS, New York, NY
• Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY
• Shaina Loew-Banayan, Cafe Mutton, Hudson, NY
• Chris Mauricio, Harana Market, Accord, NY
• Charlie Mitchell, Cloverhill, Brooklyn, NY
• Scarr Pimentel, Scarr’s Pizza, New York, NY
• Jeremy Salamon, Agi's Counter, Brooklyn, NY
• Hillary Sterling, Ci Siamo, New York, NY
• Ed Szymanski, Lord's, New York, NY