Adventures in Toys: Best place to buy toys (independent) • Agave: Best margarita • Ahee: Best custom jeweler • Al Sobotka: Best Zamboni driver • Alex Emilio: Best hair salon (tie) • Ambassador Bridge: Best cash machine we still can’t believe one man owns • Andiamo: Best Italian restaurant • Ann Arbor Art Fair: Best art fair • Annam: Best Vietnamese restaurant • Arthur Murray Dance Studio: Best place to learn to dance • Autometric Collision: Best place for car repair • Autorama: Best place to see hot rods and big hair • Avalon: Best bakery • Awrey’s: Best products to get a sugar rush
Baker’s Keyboard Lounge: Best jazz club • Beans & Cornbread: Best soul-food restaurant • Benihana: Best Japanese restaurant • Berkley Front: Best beer selection • Bernie Smilovitz: Best local sportscaster • Best Buy: Best new CD store and best place to buy electronics • Better Made potato chips: Best snack we can call our own • Beverly Hills Grill: Best Sunday brunch and best breakfast restaurant (tie) • Bill Bonds: Best local TV hairdo (male) • Birmingham Drugs: Best independent pharmacy • Blockbuster: Best movie rental selection • Blossoms: Best florist • Blue Martini: Best bar, best martini and best alcoholic drinks (creative) • Bob Guiney: Best bet to replace Bill Bonds on Gardner-White commercials • Boneyard: Best barbecue ribs • Boogie Fever: Best dance club • Book Beat: Best new book selection (independent) • Borders: Best new book selection (chain) and best magazine selection • Buddy’s: Best pizza • Butzel Long: Best company to work for
Café Cortina: Best romantic restaurant • Campus Martius: Best meeting place downtown • City of Detroit Parking Department enforcement officers: Best people not to meet downtown • Capital Grille: Best steakhouse and best place for a business lunch • Carl’s Golfland: Best outdoor driving range • Carmen Harlan: Best local TV anchor, best TV hairdo (female) and best-looking TV personality (female) • Caruso Caruso: Best place to buy jeans (independent) • Center for Yoga: Best yoga studio (tie) • Champps: Best place for karaoke • Cherry Creek: Best public golf course • Chuck Gaidica: Best local weather forecaster and best-looking TV personality (male) • The Clique: Best breakfast place to eavesdrop on Detroit power brokers • Coach Insignia: Best view from a restaurant • Compuware Corp.: Best workplace ambience • Crate & Barrel: Best home décor store • Cranbrook: Best place for public art
DTE Energy Music Theater: Best concert venue • Dally in the Alley: Best place to mix art and alcohol • Damman Hardware: Best independent hardware store • Dan Gilbert: Best young local mogul (Rock Financial) • David Hall: Best bet to battle Bob Guiney for Bill Bonds’ job • Deporre Veterinary Hospital: Best veterinarian service • Detroit City Council: Best place to get a ringside seat • Detroit Free Press: Best local newspaper • Detroit Institute of Arts: Best museum • Detroit Mayor: Best or most coveted job • Detroit Synergy: Best group for young overachievers to get involved • Dick O’Dows: Best nightspot in Birmingham to wear jeans • Dick Purtan: Best local radio deejay (WOMC) • Dick’s Sporting Goods: Best place to buy sports equipment • Dollar Tree: Best place to spend $1 • Drew & Mike: Best talk-radio duo (WRIF) • DuMouchelles: Best antique store
Eastern Market: Best place to buy everything fresh • Eddie’s Alterations: Best tailor • Elwood: Best place to eat and drink before the game • Elmore Leonard: Best author • Eminem: Best rap star • Eight Mile: Best road to name-drop in other cities when trying to sound cool • English Gardens: Best nursery
Fash Bash: Best place to see style on parade • Faygo: Best Detroit drink • Feather Bowling: Best drinking game (Cadieux Café) • Fifth Avenue: Best pool hall • Firehouse: Best auto show party • Fisher Building: Best architecturally significant building • Floods Bar & Grill: Best bar to rub elbows with Detroit power brokers • Ford Motor Co.: Best corporate logo • Forte Belanger: Best caterer • Frank’s Shoe Service: Best place for shoe repair • Franklin Athletic Club: Best indoor tennis court • Frank Taylor: Best Detroit restaurant visionary
Gap: Best place to buy jeans (chain) • Gap Kids: Best place to buy kids’ clothes • Garden Bowl: Best bowling alley • Geoffrey Fieger: Best publicity hound • Gov. Jennifer Granholm: Best choice for a political dinner companion • Greektown: Best casino • Greens: Best place to buy art supplies • Gusoline Alley: Best jukebox
Hallmark: Best place to buy a greeting card • Harp’s Lingerie: Best lingerie store (independent) • Henry Baskin: Best divorce lawyer • Henry the Hatter: Best place to buy a hat • Hoedown: Best party that, despite its 22-year run, we’re always surprised is happening in downtown Detroit
Inn Season Café: Best vegetarian restaurant
Jackie Paige: Best traffic reporter (Fox 2) • Java Hutt: Best independent coffeehouse • Jax: Best car wash • Jefferson and Woodward: Best street corner (downtown) • Jerry Hodak: Best example of calm in the storm (WXYZ) • Jim Lark: Best maitre d’ (The Lark) • Joe Dumars: Best local president • Joe Dumars Fieldhouse: Best place for pickup basketball • John K. King: Best used bookstore • John Mason: Best sports announcer you should try to imitate only while at The Palace •
Kensington Metropark: Best west-side workout escape • Kid Rock: Best choice for celebrity dinner companion (tie) • Kyle Ketchum: Best chef (The Lark)
La Shish: Best authentic international cuisine and best Middle Eastern restaurant • Lafayette Coney Island: Best coney island and best place for late-night dining • Landmark Main Art Theatre: Best place to see an art film • Lane Bryant: Best plus-size clothing store • The Lark: Best restaurant for general excellence (tie), best restaurant ambience, best wine list, best service (attentive) and best French restaurant • Leo’s Coney Island: Best place for fast service • Life Time Fitness: Best place to work out • Little Tree: Best sushi restaurant • Live Strong bracelets: Best trend we pretend to understand
M220 (Merrill): Best pickup bar • Mac & Ray’s: Best place to dock your boat • Mackinac Conference: Best place for political gossip • Madeline Triffon: Best sommelier • Magic Bag: Best stage for local music acts • Marshall Field’s: Best gift registry and best gift-wrapping service • Mary Jo Sanders: Best local boxer • Merchant’s Fine Wine: Best wine store and best fine spirits shop • Metro Cars: Best limo service • Michael’s: Best place to shop for local crafts • Mitch Albom: Best local newspaper columnist, best local talk-radio host and best local sportswriter • Mitchell’s: Best seafood restaurant
NAIAS Charity Preview: Best charity event • Namaste Yoga: Best yoga studio (tie) • Neiman Marcus: Best place for cutting-edge fashion (tie) • Noir Leather: Best window display • Nordstrom: Best women’s clothing store, best men’s clothing store, best shoe selection and best personalized service • North American International Auto Show: Best highly anticipated event
Oasis: Best indoor driving range • Old Woodward and Maple: Best street corner (suburbs) • Opa!: Best restaurant shout-out • Opening day: Best reason to play hooky • Original Pancake House: Best breakfast restaurant (tie)
P.F. Chang’s: Best Chinese restaurant & best carry-out • Paczkis: Best reason to stand in line at a local bakery • Papa Joe’s: Best gourmet market • Paris: Best vintage clothing store • Park West Gallery: Best art gallery and best place to buy original art • Paul W. Smith: Best sexiest male radio voice (WJR) • Pegasus: Best Greek restaurant • Petsmart: Best pet-grooming service • Pewabic Pottery: Best local home décor • Pine Lake: Best place to water-ski (West Bloomfield) • Priya: Best Indian restaurant • Pronto!: Best male gay bar • Pure Detroit: Best place to buy all things Detroit
Quality Cleaners: Best dry cleaner
Race for the Cure: Best charity event to attend in sweats • Rachael Hunter: Best sexiest female radio voice (the station formerly known as 93.1 WDRQ) • Rainbow Room: Best lesbian bar • Ray’s: Best ice cream • Record Time: Best used vinyl/CD store • Red Coat Tavern: Best burger • Renaissance Center: Best elevator • Rosa Parks: Best hero • Royal Oak: Best neighborhood for bar-hopping and best place for a condo or loft • Royal Oak Brewery: Best microbrewery • Royal Oak lofts: Best residential developments • Rugby Grille: Best restaurant to see a star
Saks Fifth Avenue: Best one-of-a-kind dresses (tie) • Saks Fifth Avenue Club: Best personal shopper • Sala Thai: Best Thai restaurant • Salon XL: Best hair salon (tie) • Sanders hot fudge: Best local food product • Scott Lewis: Best reporter you hope to never meet at your front door • Second Season: Best resale/consignment store • SEE: Best optical shop • Seldom Blues: Best blend of smooth music and fine food • Small Plates: Best appetizers and best place to have dinner before a show • Somerset Collection: Best place to play hooky year-round • Spirit of Detroit: Best place to see a sports jersey • Stagecrafters: Best community theater • Starbucks: Best coffeehouse chain • Steve’s Deli: Best deli • Steve Yzerman: Best choice for celebrity dinner companion (tie) • Stony Creek Metropark: Best east-side workout escape • Super Bowl XL: Best catalyst for regional cooperation • Superior: Best fish market • Sweet Georgia Brown’s: Best place to eat lunch while eavesdropping on Detroit power brokers
Tamara’s Spa & Wellness: Best place for a massage, best manicure and best day spa • Tapper’s: Best jeweler • TasteFest: Best excuse to eat even more than you did on Thanksgiving Day • Technofest or Movement or whatever it’s called this year: Best place to shake your head and tap your toes • Tender: Best one-of-a-kind dresses (tie) and best place for cutting-edge fashions (tie) • Thanksgiving Day Parade: Best holiday tradition to do with the kids • Tiffany & Co.: Best place to buy a wedding ring • Town Pump: Best bar to see a star after the show • Toys R Us: Best place to buy toys (chain) • Tribute: Best restaurant for general excellence (tie) • Turkey Trot: Best excuse to eat more on Thanksgiving Day
Uggs: Best trend we actually do understand, for now • Uptown Palladium 12: Best place to see a first-run movie
Vernors: Best drink we still think is our own • Victoria’s Secret: Best lingerie store (chain)
WDET: Best radio station and best local source for international news • WDFN: Best sports radio station • WDIV: Best local TV news • WWJ: Best local radio news and best local traffic report • W.F. BiBimBab: Best Korean restaurant • Warren City Council: Best reality TV stars who don’t seem embarrassed — but should be • White Stripes: Best established local band • Woodward Dream Cruise: Best place to feel like a kid again • The Whitney: Best place for nightcaps after the show and best dessert presentation • Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons: Best funeral home
Xochilmilco: Best Mexican restaurant
YMCA: Best new place to sweat downtown
Zoup!: Best soup • Zug Island: Best name for a local landmark
|
|
|
