Getting Fancy For The James Beard Awards

Today is one of the most exciting days of the year in the food world, the James Beard Foundation Awards, live from New York City. Other highlights: Meatopia, Cochon 555 and other more meat-up-front events. But the JBFAs are definitely up there. In honor of our nomination for best new website (kidding — no such thing), here are Food Republic's most decadent lunches.

Amidst all the excitement, I find myself wrestling with a pretty serious internal conflict. I could really use some advice, as I tweeted this morning: "empty stomach to accommodate canapés or full stomach so I don't black out before the show starts?"