Here Are Your 2013 James Beard Award Semifinalists

Looks like awards season is here again; the James Beard Foundation has released their semifinalists for the 2013 James Beard Awards, and the list is hardly surprising.

Leading off the list, the Best New Restaurant category gives nods to BierBeisl in Beverly Hills, Calif., Empellón Cocina in New York City, Mi Casa by José Andrés in Puerto Rico, The Ordinary in Charleston, S.C., State Bird Provisions in San Francisco, not to mention Underbelly in Houston.

The Aviary gets a nod for Outstanding Bar Program (which went to New York's PDT last year), as do Pegu Club and Bar Agricole, plus Daniel Humm's Bar at The NoMad Hotel (Humm won Oustanding Chef last year, so the odds may be in his favor).

Meanwhile, the Rising Star Chef of the Year (which went to Christina Tosi last year) has some big names on the list, most notably Danny Bowien, who made a splash with Mission Chinese Food in New York this year. Bowien's competitors include Jimmy Bannos Jr. of Chicago's The Purple Pig, Thomas McNaughton of Flour + Water in San Francisco, David Posey of Chicago's Blackbird, Michael Toscano of Perla in New York City, and plenty more.

Check out the hefty list of semifinalists here and start placing your bets. The nominees will be announced March 18, 2013.