The James Beard Foundation has combined the remaining “West” states with the Pacific Northwest states, creating one category called “Northwest and Pacific.” Read Eater’s take on all the changes here. The food world’s prestigious James Beard Awards will treat California as its own category this year, rather than lumping it in with other, smaller states out west in the big Best Chef: West category. And fear not: The hotel’s signature star will keep on spinning. Fans of its popular Sunday drag show can still catch the action every week in a ballroom at the hotel, just off the mezzanine. The Starlight Room was known for its great views and somewhat dated posh decor. A website describes the new bar as “Elizabethan glam meets studio 54, 21 stories above Union Square,” so make of that what you will. Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, once named for the SF nightlife impresario, is currently undergoing renovations, and will return as something called Lizzie’s Starlight. The longstanding hotel bar atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, a favorite among tourists and an occasional amusement for locals, has closed.
