Award-winning flavor

Lolita Harper

Accents Restaurant, in the Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach,

emphasized its stellar reputation by garnering two of the most

prestigious awards given by the region’s restaurant writers for the

third year in a row.

Accents, led by Chef de Cuisine Tony Zervas, received the coveted

Golden Sceptre in the Contemporary category -- recognizing “the

highest standard in both cuisine and service” -- and the Golden

Bacchus for the “finest wine list and service.” Both awards were

given by the Southern California Restaurant Writers and are

considered high honors in dining circles.

“It’s sort of like an Academy Award, if you may, validating the

quality of the food, service and validating the professionalism of

both the kitchen and the restaurant staff,” said Barbara Eidson,

director of public relations at Sutton Place.

If the award is similar to the Oscars, then Accents could be

called the Denzel Washington of the culinary world with its repeat

wins.

“I can’t wait to get it next year,” Zervas said. “I want more --

something else to strive for -- because we’ve got this one figured

out.”

The ambience of sitting in a patio-like setting, under softly

lighted umbrellas, surrounded by luscious greenery, is a popular

aspect of Accents, but the prestigious awards would not have been

possible without the culinary creations of Zervas and his 20-person

team.

“It’s been pretty easy, I guess,” he said. “We have a great team

from top to bottom.”

Zervas’s resume reads like a laundry list of culinary

qualifications, as the Baltimore native worked his way through the

Baltimore International Culinary College to his hometown’s highly

acclaimed “Jeanniers” restaurant.

Zervas served apprenticeships with French and Thai chefs and also

trained abroad in Ireland and Zurich. He joined the Sutton Place team

in August 2001, after tenures at Twin Palms in Newport Beach and

Rockenwager in Santa Monica.

Zervas can now add these two awards to his resume.

“They are really great because they put me in a group of

well-respected peers that I have been trying to get to for a long

time.”