pulcinella hayes

Pulcinella! chef Matty Hayes, center, inspects a bottle of wine in the dining room as a Friday night dinner begins. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)

 Chris Granger

Wine Spectator has added 9 h restaurants to its list of the top programs in the world, increasing the bevy of options wine enthusiasts have to find a nice glass across the state.

In total, were honored in the wine and lifestyle magazine’s annual Restaurant Awards, a list that has honored the world's best establishments for wine since 1981.

All of the new selections received the Award of Excellence or the Best of Award of Excellence. Most additions were from New Orleans.

The following New Orleans restaurants were new to the list this year: Criollo Restaurant, Desi Vega’s Steakhouse, The Italian Barrel French Quarter, Lilette, Muriel’s Jackson Square, Pulcinella! and Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar.

Proverbial Wine Bistro in Baton Rouge and The Prime Rib in Bossier City were also added this year.

Over 3,800 restaurants received awards across the separate categories. Only 99 received the Grand Award, the magazine's highest honor. Three New Orleans institutions earned that top prize — Brennan's Restaurant, Commander's Palace and Emeril's.

Wine lists are evaluated on a variety of factors for the annual award. Recipients should have interesting selections, complement the food and appeal to a wide range of customers.

The following h restaurants were honored:

New Orleans area

35 New Orleans area restaurants were awarded.

  • Ralph's On The Park, Award of Excellence

  • Gabrielle Restaurant, Award of Excellence

  • Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar, Award of Excellence

  • Chemin à la Mer, Award of Excellence

  • Clancy's, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Desi Vega’s Steakhouse, Award of Excellence

  • The Italian Barrel French Quarter, Award of Excellence

  • Lilette, Award of Excellence

  • Muriel’s Jackson Square, Award of Excellence

  • Pulcinella!, Award of Excellence

  • Gautreau's, Best of Award of Excellence

  • MaMou Restaurant, Award of Excellence

  • GW Fins, Award of Excellence

  • Jack Rose, Award of Excellence

  • Mr. B's Bistro, Award of Excellence

  • The Pelican Club, Award of Excellence

  • King Brasserie, Award of Excellence

  • Meril, Award of Excellence

  • Briquette, Award of Excellence

  • The Country Club, Award of Excellence

  • Criollo Restaurant, Award of Excellence

  • Ristorante Del Porto, Covington, Award of Excellence

  • Galatoire's, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Galatoire's 33 Bar and Steak, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Restaurant R'evolution, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Doris Metropolitan, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Dakota, Covington, Best of Award of Excellence

  • August, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Tableau, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Tujague's Restaurant, Best of Award of Excellence

  • The Grill Room, Best of Award of Excellence

  • Commander's Palace, Grand Award

  • Brennan's Restaurant, Grand Award

  • Emeril's, Grand Award

Baton Rouge

Five restaurants in Baton Rouge received awards.

  • Sullivan's Steakhouse, Award of Excellence

  • Tallulah Crafted Food and Wine Bar, Award of Excellence

  • Proverbial Wine Bistro, Award of Excellence

  • Bin 77 Bistro & Sidebar, Award of Excellence

  • Mansurs on the Boulevard, Best of Award of Excellence

Two Lafayette restaurants, Marcello's Wine Market & Cafe and Charley G's, were bestowed Award of Excellence designations.

Superior's Steakhouse in Shreveport (Best of Award of Excellence) and 2John's Steak and Seafood in Bossier City (Best of Award of Excellence) took home awards for another year, along with Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse (Best of Award of Excellence) and Bodega Restaurant & Wine Bar (Award of Excellence) in Lake Charles.