James Beard Award nominee announcement will be Monday

A compilation of food and restaurant news.

The James Beard Foundation should be convening in Chicago on Monday, May 4, to hand out its annual restaurant awards, considered the Oscars of the food world.

Alas, the coronavirus dashed those plans. It also forced a delay in the nominations, which had been scheduled to be announced March 25 in Philadelphia.

At 4 p.m. Monday, the foundation will use a Twitter livestream to announce the nominees. The actual awards’ date, time, location, and format have not yet been announced.

Philadelphia has nine semifinalists, including Kalaya for best new restaurant; Tova du Plessis for outstanding baker; Marc Vetri for outstanding chef; Le Caveau for outstanding wine program; Jean Broillet IV of Tired Hands Brewing Co. for outstanding wine, beer ,or spirits professional; Jesse Ito for rising star chef of the year; and Nicholas Elmi, Richard Landau, and Cristina Martinez up for best chef Mid-Atlantic.

Jeff Guaracino, who heads Visit Philadelphia, and Clare Reichenbach, who heads the Beard Foundation, will host. Among scheduled participants will be Mayor Jim Kenney, semifinalist Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon of Kalaya, and Inquirer food editor Jamila Robinson, the incoming chair of the Beard’s journalism committee, which organizes the media awards.

Sit-down restaurants are gradually making their way back, though only for takeout and delivery.

Greg Vernick’s Vernick Food & Drink just started dinner (one dinner for two plus a la carte items and wines) Tuesday to Saturday. (Ordering for Tuesday’s dinner opens at noon Monday, etc.). A la carte items can be ordered daily beginning at 9 a.m. for same-day pickup only). Pickup times are 3 to 7 p.m. either curbside or at the stairs of Vernick Wine (2029 Walnut St.). Details are at Instagram.

Also, bar manager JB Bernstein created a playlist of songs on rotation at the restaurant; it’s on Spotify. The hope is that it provides accompaniment to the meals, or anytime.

Michael Schulson has revived his Italian spot Giuseppe & Sons (1523 Sansom St.), and the side-by-side Asian-themers Double Knot and Sampan (120-124 S. 13th St.), from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Pickup and free delivery within five blocks are offered, and Caviar is an option. Schulson also is selling $5 “staff meal” specials to restaurant workers: Margherita pizza at Giuseppe; chicken yakisoba at Double Knot, and kimchee fried rice at Sampan.

Old City sushi spot Tomo (228 Arch St.) returns for delivery and pickup Wednesday to Sunday, effective April 23.

Here’s a list of restaurants offering pickup and/or delivery in the Philadelphia area.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board this week is reopening its Special Order program, which offers items not stocked by the state.

Retail licensees that also have a Wine Expanded Permit will be allowed to participate. They are the only retail licensees that can sell wine to go since on-premises consumption is prohibited until further notice.

Ordering may begin Wednesday, April 22, and pickups at the LCB warehouses in Broomall, Norristown, Feasterville, West Chester, and South Philadelphia will begin Friday, April 24.

I know. I know. Buy local.

But in my quarantined state, I just had to try Talia di Napoli pizza, which I heard about through my friend Maria Yagoda of Food & Wine.

Baked in Naples, Italy, and flash-frozen, Talia pies are shipped off to North Jersey, where warehouse workers pop them into boxes with dry ice and send them through the United States. (Talia’s calls them “sleeping pizzas” because the freezing process supposedly puts them into suspended animation; after for weeks in lockdown, I call that boredom.)

Neapolitan pizza has a really short life. Order one at Spuntino or Pizzeria Vetri or Stella and eat it there; it’s heavenly. Put it into a box for even a modest ride and it’s not the same.

Talia’s gives you a fighting chance. I only sampled the margherita, as that is my go-to. After 9 mins in a 420-degree oven, the pizzas come out perfect: a terrific, floury crust with just a little Neapolitan flop in the center; decent, not-too-sweet sauce; and more cheese than I usually see in American Neapolitans. Good value for $12.99 each including shipping.

Many restaurants switched to carryout and delivery as soon as the government closed dining rooms in mid-March.

One by one, restaurants that opted to close are coming back, with modifications, of course.

To the list, add DaMo Pasta Lab at 12th and Sansom Streets in Washington Square West, known in our former world for cooked-to-order dishes. Danilo D’Eugenio and Monica Fenocchio are now selling sauce to go with their fresh, uncooked pasta, sold by the pound. Click on the fresh tonnarelli, for example, which retails at $7.50. You can choose from an assortment of sauces — enough for the pound — including ragu, pesto, cacio e pepe, Genovese, and teramana. Delivery and pickup.

This week, Starr Restaurant Organization reopened Buddakan (325 Chestnut St.) with a limited menu from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday including edamame dumplings, spicy rock shrimp bao buns, crispy calamari salad, and lobster fried rice, plus wine, beer, and sake. Via Caviar or DoorDash for delivery, and for takeout by calling the restaurant.

Also, Barclay Prime steakhouse at 237 S. 18th St. comes online April 17 with a pared-down menu offered 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday that includes shrimp cocktail, an 8-ounce filet mignon, a 14-ounce New York strip, and branzino, plus wines. It’s pickup only. Speaking of steaks: Capital Grille at Broad and Chestnut Streets is now selling uncooked cuts for pickup.

Order anything memorable for pickup or delivery lately? Let me know.

» READ MORE: How to find a restaurant open for takeout and delivery in the Philadelphia area

Local food distributors that ordinarily supply restaurants are now selling directly to consumers in the Philadelphia area.

Add a national player to the list of options: Connecticut-based The Chefs’ Warehouse, whose local representative BK Foods of Swedesboro is handling the orders.

The Chefs’ Warehouse promises to send a 10% cut of proceeds to its “front-line furloughed employees and other impacted members of the foodservice industry.”

Most products are scaled to home use, though they may be sold by the case. Delivery is free for orders over $250; it’s $35 for all orders below $250.