Vote for Your Favorite Restaurant Design with AIA|LA

Author:Lindsey Shook

We love restaurant design as much as we love food, which makes it hard for us to pick a favorite from this year’s Restaurant Design Awards nominees. Luckily the AIA Los Angeles is giving us until 12 p.m. on Monday, June 18 to decide.

In addition to selecting winners of the 8th Annual AIA|LA Restaurant Design Awards, the AIA is depending on you to determine the winners of the People’s Choice Award.

Last week jurors Evan Kleiman (host of KCRW’s Good Food, restaurateur and author), Mark Rios (architect and principal of Rios Clementi Hale Studios), and Michael Voltaggio (Top Chef winner, chef, and restaurateur) joined forces to narrow down submissions from restaurant owners, architects and designers alike to sixteen projects across three categories: Restaurant, Café/Bar, and Lounge/Nightclub. Handpicked by a trio of serious food and design authorities, this line-up will definitely serve as our go-to list when we run out of ideas on where to dine.

So what made the jury sweet on these sixteen eateries? Kleiman noted the bold, quirky choices helped create personalities in the spaces. Michael Voltaggio appreciated the nominees that “got creative with the money they had,” as well as those that “got creative with the money they didn’t have.” Meanwhile, Rios said this crop of restaurants might be an indicator of an economy on the upswing. We hope he’s onto something. The second and final round of evaluations will be based on function, ambience and visual impact.

The project with the most votes in each category will be deemed the winner of the 2012 People’s Choice Award and announced alongside the Jury winners during the AIA|LA Design Conference in conjunction with the Dwell on Design Conference on June 22 at the LA Convention Center. Nominees include LA hotspots like A-Frame, Hyde Lounge, and Le Zinque, so we suggest you make a few reservations and begin taking notes.

See all of the nominees and vote here.

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