LEO - Best of Louisville

Some interesting and questionable things. Hotbytes on the list. Who would think Terry Meiners is a bigger local celebrity than Rick Pitino?

http://leoweekly.com/?q=node/7854

There's clearly some ballot stuffing that went on during the Best of Louisville voting. Not for the Louisville Hot Bytes site, but for some of the other categories, frankly I'm shocked - or maybe I'm just don't vote like the average Louisvillian.

But my mother always said, if you can't say something good about somebody (or in this case some of the awards) don't say anything at all.

Like most of these type of things, it's more a popularity contest than anything. It's still fun to look at but make sure to not take it all too seriously.

I am absolutely shocked that Varanese was not on there in any category!

[Robin Garr]

There's clearly some ballot stuffing that went on during the Best of Louisville voting. Not for the Louisville Hot Bytes site, but for some of the other categories, frankly I'm shocked - or maybe I'm just don't vote like the average Louisvillian.

But my mother always said, if you can't say something good about somebody (or in this case some of the awards) don't say anything at all.

Actually, the funny thing is that not only did I NOT promote ballot stuffing (I don't think I even mentioned the LEO Best balloting on the site or in this forum), we did well. Even though I didn't even vote for myself!

Maybe next year we should try stuffin' and see if we can beat them all!

Okay, for those who don't want to wade through the whole long list, here are the restaurant-bar-and-food related category winners (winners only, click through to the article to see who came in second and third (although I will mention regular forum participants and their businesses who came in 2nd and 3rd. Apologies in advance if I miss anyone, please feel free to correct the record! ):

BEST CHURCH PICNIC = St. Joseph's

BEST HEALTH FOOD STORE = Whole Foods

BEST LIQUOR STORE = Old Town (Party Mart came in third)

BEST CATERING = Masterson's

BEST PLASTIC SURGEON (BREASTS) = Dr. Bradley Calobrace. You're right, this doesn't have anything to do with food or restaurants (although it might arguably have something to do with alcohol), but - Dr. Calobrace, if you're reading this: You don't know me, but I am 45 and could probably use your expertise. So if you're giving away holiday gift baskets or something, please feel free to contact me. Thanks, Marsha.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT = Mojito. Amerigo (!) came in 2nd and Corbett's came in 3rd (Way to go, LOs!)

BEST RESTAURANT OVERALL (LOUISVILLE) = Ramsi's. Jack Fry's came in 2nd and there was a giant 5-way tie for third: Bristol, Proof, Mojito, Amerigo, Corbett's

BEST RESTAURANT OVERALL (S. INDIANA) = Rocky's. Rich O's came in 2nd and La Rosita came in 3rd.

BEST OUTDOOR DINING = Avalon. Good Lord, I've still never been there. Why haven't I been there? I'm going this fall, damnit.

BEST FINE DINING = Jack Fry's. Proof came in 3rd.

BEST PLACE FOR A ROMANTIC DINNER = Jack Fry's. Le Relais came in 2nd and Buck's came in 3rd.

BEST RESTAURANT ON THE RIVER = Captain's Quarters

BEST LATE-NIGHT BITE = White Castle. Ramsi's came in 2nd.

BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT = August Moon (Go, Looi!)

BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT = Kashmir. Shalimar came in 2nd and India Palace came in 3rd.

BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT = Sapporo. Maido came in 2nd.

BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT = Come Back Inn (Congrats, Gena and Mark). Porcini came in 3rd.

BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT = El Mundo (!) El Nopal came in 2nd and Los Aztecas came in 3rd. I don't know if they qualify as forum regulars, but including them seemed pertinent anyhow for some reason

BEST SALSA = El Mundo (!) Forum offline?

BEST MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT = The Grape Leaf. Shiraz came in 2nd and Safier came in 3rd!!

BEST VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT = Vietnam Kitchen!! Basa came in 2nd and Cafe Mimosa came in 3rd. Frickin' sweet.

BEST THAI RESTAURANT = Thai Siam. Simply Thai came in 2nd and Thai Taste came in 3rd.

BEST CAJUN/CREOLE RESTAURANT = J Gumbo's. Joe's OK Bayou came in 2nd. There was no third place winner posted.

BEST CHEF = Dean Corbett!! Anthony Lamas (Felicitaciones, Chef!) came in 2nd, and Anoosh Shariat came in 3rd.

BEST BUFFET = Golden Corral (hoo, boy). Sitar tied for third with Hometown Buffet.

BEST TAKEOUT = Great Wall. August Moon tied for 2nd with Cafe Mimosa and Double Dragon. Simply Thai came in 3rd.

BEST DELIVERY = Papa John's. Wick's came in 2nd and Tony Boombozz came in 3rd (hooray!)

BEST RIBS = Mark's Feed Store

BEST FISH SANDWICH = Stan's Fish Sandwich. The Fishery came in 2nd. Robin's guilty pleasure, Moby Dick, came in 3rd (now I want deep-fried mushrooms.)

BEST PRODUCE = Paul's Fruit Market. "Farmer's Markets" came in 2nd.

BEST BUTCHER = Kingsley Meats. Mike's Best came in 2nd and Fresh Market came in 3rd.

BEST BAKERY = Plehn's. Blue Dog came in 2nd and Heitzman's came in 3rd.

BEST BREAKFAST/BRUCH = Lynn's Paradise Cafe. Toast on Market Louisville came in 2nd and Wild Eggs came in 3rd.

BEST COFFEE SHOP = Heine Brothers. Highland Coffee came in 2nd.

BEST DELI = Stevens & Stevens. Jason's Deli came in 2nd and "Mom's Liquor and Deli" came in 3rd (Where's this?)

BEST DESSERT = Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen. Sweet Surrender (Yay, Jessica!) came in 2nd, and Desserts by Helen came in 3rd.

BEST ICE CREAM = Graeter's. Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen came in 2nd.

BEST SUSHI = Sapporo. Maido came in 2nd, and Fuji came in 3rd.

BEST BBQ = Mark's Feed Store. Frankfort Avenue Beer Deport came in 3rd.

BEST BURGER = W.W. Cousin's. Red Robin came in 2nd and The Bristol came in 3rd (really? That English-Muffin Burger? I mean, it's good and all. Maybe I'm too much of a purist...)

BEST PUB GRUB = Irish Rover! Flanagan's came in 2nd and O'Shea's came in 3rd.

BEST FALAFEL = Safier! Falafel House came in 2nd, and The Grape Leaf came in 3rd.

BEST PIZZA = Wick's. Tony Boombozz (Hooray, Tony!) came in 2nd, and Bearno's came in 3rd!

BEST VEGETARIAN OFFERING = Zen Garden. Ramsi's came in 2nd and 3rd Avenue Cafe came in, well, 3rd.

BEST WINGS = Buffalo Wild Wings. Orange shorts came in a close 2nd.

BEST BEER LIST = Rich O's! Congrats to Roger and the Staff at Rich O's. Flanagan's came in 2nd!

BEST WINE LIST = L&N Wine Bar (go, Len and Nancy!). Napa River Grill came in 2nd, and The Bristol came in 3rd.

BEST HAPPY HOUR = Cumberland Brews. Napa River Grill and BBC tied for 2nd. Amerigo came in 3rd.

BEST WAIT STAFF = Hooters . Amerigo and Cumberland Brews tied for 2nd. El Mundo came in 3rd.

BEST UNIFORMS FOR WAIT STAFF = Hooters. Yup. The Bristol came in 2nd. There was a stunner of a 4-way tie for 3rd between Corbett's, Jeff Ruby's, Proof and Ramsi's (Have they changed what they're wearing at Ramsi's, or am I remembering it wrong?)

BEST DINNER ROLL = O'Charley's.

BEST DECOR = Lynn's Paradise Cafe. Proof came in 2nd.

BEST MENU DESIGN = a 2-way tie between Jeff Ruby's and Proof. Back Door came in 2nd (I need to see this), and El Mundo came in 3rd.

BEST FRENCH FRIES = McDonald's.

FASTEST LUNCH = Jimmy John's. (I have never eaten there, but it's close to work - I resolve to try it. I think their "FREE SMELLS" neon sign puts me off, for some reason. Qdoba and McDonald's tied for 2nd. City Cafe came in 3rd.

BEST SPORTS BAR = Buffalo Wild Wings. Hooters came in 2nd, and Champions and Dundee Tavern tied for 3rd.

...there are a few other bar categories, but I think they're more in the entertainment category than the food-and-drink category.



All in all, independents did fairly well even if it was just a "popularity contest". After all... "popularity contest" is the definition of "Reader's Choice" poll!

Yeah the second I saw both WIck's and Bearno's in the top 3 of pizzas I disregarded the results.

Yeah the second I saw both WIck's and Bearno's in the top 3 of pizzas I disregarded the results.

Primo had the best pizza in the Ville but I have always been a big fan of Bearno's. What got me was the amount of chains winning some of these food categories.

What got me was the amount of chains winning some of these food categories.

Am I counting wrong? I counted chains winning only 9 out of the 55 categories I posted the winners of... or maybe we're both right and you just still think 9 is too many.

I thought it was a pretty good balance in regards to chains. I doubt many voters consider Primo a primary pizza source.

It appeared to me that any restaurant in the Highlands tended to do better despite objective reality. I suppose that's a by-product of the LEO audience.

Notables not mentioned: Seviche, Varneese, Impellizzeri

What got me was the amount of chains winning some of these food categories.

Am I counting wrong? I counted chains winning only 9 out of the 55 categories I posted the winners of... or maybe we're both right and you just still think 9 is too many.

9 is too many. It is 1/6th of the total. Think about that.

I thought it was a pretty good balance in regards to chains. I doubt many voters consider Primo a primary pizza source.

It appeared to me that any restaurant in the Highlands tended to do better despite objective reality. I suppose that's a by-product of the LEO audience.

Notables not mentioned: Seviche, Varneese, Impellizzeri

Nor North End Cafe. That is a travesty.

It is 1/6th of the total. Think about that.

Think about this... that means indies won 84% of available categories, and Lord knows chain restaurants outnumber independents who-knows-how-many-times-to-1 in Louisville. Sure, it's a popularity contest - but we'd have won with a popularity rating of 84%, even if you assumed we we're evenly matched 1-to-1 with chain outlets!

Notables not mentioned: Seviche

Hey, Seviche's chef/owner got mentioned:

BEST CHEF = Dean Corbett!! Anthony Lamas (Felicitaciones, Chef!) came in 2nd, and Anoosh Shariat came in 3rd.

I consider any Best of List that does not include my store to be bogus....

Ok, so on a serious note, it was nice to see so many of the independants listed as winners, or even placing for that matter. I think it shows that independants are getting better recognition in our area. The Best of List from LEO has come a long way from its earliest lists that was nothing but chain hell for pretty much any category. Congratulations to the winners!