So here we are again--our second stab at trying to find out what the people of our fair city think of its services, stores, people and culture. And, brother, it is LONG. We received over twice as many ballots as last year. Though we tried to narrow down the categories, we ended up with about the same number (a lot). But the result is a fairly concise guide to Knoxville--the good, the bad, and the un-pretty. (Hey, beauty is in the eye of the holder, buddy-ro.) To the winners we say: congratulations. To the others we say: maybe more advertising would help.
Enjoy!
--The Metro Pulse Staff
Best Newsstand
BOOKSTAR
Knoxville's youngest book store is now its favorite, overcoming last year's winner Davis Kidd and the vast acreage that is Books-A-Million. While it certainly has a huge selection of new books, Bookstar is even more notable for offering the most interesting newsstand in town, carrying every type of magazine imaginable, from British car restoration to skate punk cultdom to one-shot 'zines. It's something the city has needed for many years.
Best Used Book Store
MCKAY USED BOOKS
Crushing the competition with its stock of over 150,000 used books, McKay was the overwhelming favorite. A Sunday afternoon browsing wonderland, McKay easily backs up its claim: "You just never know what you'll find." And with its used CDs, video games, music videos and laser discs, there's more to find than ever.
Best CD Store
THE DISC EXCHANGE
Is it any wonder? They stock practically every CD ever released in human history, not to mention boxed sets, posters, T-shirts, CD-ROMs, video tapes � EVERYTHING. What makes it even more special is that this isn't just another national conglomerate outpost--this is a local store that started as a hole in the wall and grew by leaps and bounds. Who knows? Maybe someday it will become a national conglomerate.
Best Vinyl Records Store
LOST & FOUND RECORDS
Following the demise of the eternally-in-our-hearts Raven Records, a new contender has stepped up to the plate. Keeping Knoxville's vinyl fetish alive, Lost & Found bursts at the seams with an ever-growing and changing stock of oldies but goodies and brand new gems with a few "look at what I found!" surprises. Lots of cool local releases, too.
Close Runners-Up: Raven Records (gone but not forgotten), Cat's
Best Musical Instruments Store
PICK 'N' GRIN
Truly, one of the few good reasons to brave Kingston Pike on a Saturday is to drop in at Pick 'N' Grin and see who-all's tuning up. It's the kind of place that reminds you that you live in the birthplace of bluegrass. Pick 'N' Grin is also one of the few places around town where you can buy vintage instruments, or have your own heirlooms repaired by experts. And the looking and listening are free.
Best Video Rental Store
GEMSTONE
A liberal selection of new releases plus foreign, classic, and cult favorites, a civilized environment, and an unending loop of cool REM videos on the monitors makes Gemstone the crown jewel of Knoxville's video-rental stores. An ever-changing display of whimsically themed 99-cent specials--like little-known movies by famous directors--doesn't hurt, either.
Close Runners-Up: Blockbuster, with the semi-underground dark horse Evil Eye coming in third.
Best Liquor Store
BOB'S PACKAGE STORE
The liquor and wine supermarket on North Winston Road took the honor in close combat. Its amazing selection must have had something to do with it, and capitalizing on the "discount" concept couldn't have hurt. It bests all comers in specials and sales, and its everyday prices are tough to contend with consistently.
Very Close Runners-Up: Ashe's Wines and Spirits, McScrooge's Wine and Liquor Warehouse
Best Pet Store
ADOPT-A-PET
No, these aren't pedicured Shih Tzus behind air-conditioned Plexiglas cages, ready to be invested in--these are the city's rejects, animals either forced out of their homes or born without them. The Knox County Humane Society's Adopt-a-Pet center offers these pets for sale with but one motive: put them in good environments. And maybe that's why it's our favorite pet store--it works to save lives.
Close Runners-Up: Dolittles, The Pet Patch:
Best Electronics Store
CIRCUIT CITY
They're big. They're cheap. The sales people always make you think you're getting a special deal. What's not to like?
Close Runners-Up: Lindsey Ward, Radio Shack, Shields
Best Health Food Store
NATURE'S PANTRY
Go figure. "Food" packaged for convenience has become the norm, and real, whole foods have become counterculture. Nature's Pantry gets the good stuff to the people 'cause they sell it in a modern, well-lit storefront--the kind folks are used to and comfortable in. You can get your quinoa and groats without feeling like you've joined the Rainbow Coalition. The selection of products, foods, and information available at the Pantry is impressively comprehensive, and lends Kingston Pike a much-needed karma boost.
Best Bicycle Store
THE BIKE ZOO
If you have a bike, or have shopped for a bike anytime lately, you probably know that just about any shop can get you just about anything you need. What sets the Zoo apart are the people who sell it to you. They're hip, but not overly so; most of them have a shelf of racing trophies, but don't cop an attitude when you ask them how training wheels work; they're gear-heads, but speak down-to-earth English and can tell you plainly why you need the Anti-gizmo� instead of the Double-reverse-gizmo�. Service with the smile of experience.
Best Gift Shop
ANDREW MORTON GIFTS
From silver to crystal to porcelain, Andrew Morton offers a stunning array of things twinkly and fine for every gift-giving occasion, from National Dairy Farmers Week to Flag Day.
Runners-Up: Little Sisters, Crystal Wonders, a million Hallmark shops.
Best Antique Store
JACKSON AVE. ANTIQUE MARKET PLACE
There's nothing like an antique warehouse to show off antique furniture and provocative bric-a-brac. It's a supermarket of antiquity that somehow seems as intimate as your grandmother's attic--though JAAM's selection of old stuff, from garden statuary to cast-iron tools, from Nazi Youth pocketknives to a substantial and well-organized used book department (Old City Books), might bewilder even your grandmother.
Best Car Dealer
Toyota Of Knoxville
Okay, it's corny, but most people do love what Toyota does for them. The cars are undeniably well built (not to mention cute), the staff is knowledgeable and decidedly not pushy, and the service prompt and reliable. What more could anyone ask in a car dealership?
Close Runners-Up: Airport Honda, Ted Russell Ford, Fox Toyota.
Best Auto Repair Shop
Auto Technicians
In quiet, comforting tones, co-owner Judy Newcomb tells you exactly what's wrong with your car--and it's never as bad as you thought it would be. With a solid reputation for honesty, quickness and ability, this Gay Street institution does whatever it takes to get your automobile moving--and never any more unless it's really needed. Hey, Judy cares.
Close Runners-Up: R.T. Clapp, Buckner's.
Best Men's Clothing Store
M.S. McClellan
Having the last men's specialty storefront on Gay Street, with all those blazing neckties and canes and genteel accessories in the window had to have been a plus for Matthew McC., the traditionally trendy clothier with the natty little beard. His stores outstripped the bigger guys with ease.
Runners-Up: Structure, Proffits, Dillards
Best Women's Clothes Store (tie)
Dillards & Talbots
It's a straight-up draw between Dillards and Talbots for women's clothes shopping in this here town. It just goes to show: Knoxville women love decking out in the navy blue suits and prim floral dresses that can be had at either one of these two shopping venues for a few shekels more than most of us have to our names.
Best Hip Clothing Store
The Gap
Knoxville wore khakis.
Required uniform for the new all-American dream, The Gap can make anyone feel like they've just stepped, well � into the mall. With a safe palette that never strays too far from earth tones (stone, mushroom, saffron) and basics (black, white, gray), and 90210-like spins on "classic" stylings, The Gap is the national vanguard for commercial alternative apparel.
Close Runner-Up: the late, great Kate's Cave (now Jetta's).
Best Fitness Club
Court South
A perennial favorite for its clean, wholesome atmosphere, cutting-edge equipment, big outdoor pool, and personal service. Oh, and did we mention well-muscled women in thong leotards?
Runners-Up: Fort Sanders, Bally's.
Best New Business
New York Bagel and Deli
Who says Southerners don't like a good nosh? This year's best new business brought a bit of Yankee ingenuity to town--bona fide bagels--and Knoxvillians have been eating them up. In fact, this category's close runner-up is Aspen Bagel Co.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Best Museum
Knoxville Museum of Art
But why? Is it because they're attracting stellar exhibitions from all over the world, like the Rodin and metalworking shows soon to open? Is it because they're the only museum in town with a beer license? Or is it because of that swanky, indoor playground downstairs they call the Exploratory Gallery? Any or all of the above. And with its combination of diversity and professionalism, KMA stacks up well against public museums all over the country. Count your blessing.
Best Art Gallery
Bennett Galleries
Okay. Maybe we were vague. By gallery, we meant the kind that deals and sells. The highest number of votes in this category went to KMA. Hey, if you see a price tag on one of those Rodins down there, call us--we're looking to buy a little something for the office. The highest number of votes for an actual gallery, however, went to Bennett Galleries. Not only does the Bennett staff have a good eye, they know the biz and how to stock a sales space. That place is packed. What you end up with is a wonderful space that just happens to be filled to brimming with nice work.
Best Local Theatre Company
Theatre Central
They don't have dazzling special effects, or a real stage, or real theater seats, but with more--and more contemporary--performances each year than any other troupe, Theatre Central, that Gay Street punk of Knox drama, wins again as Knoxville's favorite bunch of actors.
Close Runners-Up: UT Theaters, Clarence Brown Company
Best Local Dance Company
Circle Modern Dance
In the cutthroat world of local ballet, Circle Dance is praised even by competitors who have to share the funding pie. Provocative and versatile, the troupe takes chances that more conservative troupes don't--and somehow gets away with it. They won by a nose in a field of four strong contenders.
Close Runners-Up: Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble, Appalachian Ballet, City Ballet.
Best Movie Theater
Terrace Theater
Once a second-run magnet for the beer-swilling masses, the Terrace has navigated a tricky transition to genuine art house theater--and thankful movie goers have responded. Despite a few inconsistencies (Gosh, did they really play Dumb and Dumber?), the Terrace has developed a loyal core of supporters with its under-the-mainstream fair. Long may it reign.
Best Poetry Reading Venue
Manhattan's
The venerable Manhattan's has never decided whether it's a preppie fern bar or a down-in-the-bucket blues club, but that's just as well. Our readers do think it's the best place to hear poetry, demonstrating that brick walls and a vaguely legendary atmosphere--not to mention a steady supply of spirits--goes a long way toward enhancing the appreciation of creative wordplay.
Close Runners-Up: Davis-Kidd Books, Gryphon's, Laurel Theater, and Java.
Best Local Actor
David Keith
For the second straight year, David Keith has snatched best actor honors. We're not exactly sure if voters actually saw his dramatic output this past year, but one cinematic image stands out for us: watching him squeeze into Pamela Anderson's red mini-dress and beat the kaplooey out of some jerk in the straight-to-video Raw Justice ("Kill or Be Killed."). That takes guts, and we certainly respect that.
Runners-Up: John Cullum, Jim Conn, Victor Ashe.
Best Local Actress
Patricia Neal
Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal premiered on a Knoxville stage sometime back in the '30s. She hasn't performed here much just lately, but at 69, her slow, throaty, cigarette-scarred voice can still kill a man at 20 paces.
Close Runner-Up: Jayne Morgan, who does still live here, and actually does perform on Knoxville stages.
Best Local Artist
Jim Gray
There's no question that way too many artists around here are drawn to the same subjects as Gray: regional wildlife and landscapes. By steering clear of the saccharine post-card clich�, though, Gray captures something his Gatlinburg and Kingston Pike black velvet competition never seems to notice. And for what it's worth, strong runner-up showings by Steve Pogue, Cynthia Markert, Robert Tino and Andy Saftel suggest that the host city of the Dogwood Arts Festival is more open-minded than we all had expected.
PEOPLE
Best Athlete
Todd Helton
Homeboy Todd Helton, whose exploits in both football and baseball at UT have kept his name on the sports pages year 'round, gleaned the title in a field that included the minister of defense, All-Pro Green Bay Packer Reggie White--who has started a bank for low income people here and showed up in the philanthropy column as well.
Other Runners-Up: Peyton Manning, Heath Who?
Best Teacher
Gail Johnson, Carter High
There was a big spread in the vote for the fave teacher. Of 419 votes cast, cosmetologist Gail Johnson came out on top with nine. She's taught aesthetics, cosmetology and manicuring for 17 years, the last three at Carter High, and she figures some of her students wrote in and got her this honor. Gail's taught some of Knoxville's best-known stylists, including Belinda Gambuzza of Salon Visage, but says she voted for Metz and Kerchner as best salon because her daughter works there.
Best Philanthropist
Jim Haslam
The Haslam money and its good works are almost a given around here. He picks lots of community causes and upholds them like a jockstrap, and of course, he's an athletics supporter and political-fiscal force as well. No one but Jim Clayton came anywhere near matching the Haslam tally--but Clayton came fairly close.
Best Unsung Hero
Benny Smith
The 'grass is growing again in Knoxville, and for that you can thank Benny Smith, music promoter, long-time scene supporter, disc jockey, record store clerk, music lover and this year's Unsung Hero. For the past year or so, Smith has lead the good fight to revitalize bluegrass in East Tennessee, with an energy, enthusiasm and love for the music that can't be matched. Most notably, his efforts have culminated in the form of "Soppin' The Gravy," a twice-weekly bluegrass show on WQLA-FM, co-hosted by Tony Lawson; live homegrown hoe-downs; and a series of workshops with pickin' greats the likes of Phil Leadbetter and Steve Kaufman. But those aren't the only reasons to sing his praises--readers also applauded Smith for keeping Knoxville's rock 'n' roll club scene vital by bringing in acts like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Mule, offering a helping hand to up-and-coming local bands, and staying true-blue loyal to those who have already "made it." According to Smith, he's just supporting what's already here. "There's a healthy crop of alternative and bluegrass bands here, and I just want to help people realize what's in their back yard," says the ever-humble Smith. "You don't have to travel to Nashville or Atlanta for a good show, it's right here in Knoxville. And that's what it's all about." But the honor does leave him tickled: "Hey, does this put me in the same league as Todd Steed? Well, all right."
Best Sex Symbol
Travis Hall
What is sexy? Looks like you can keep the musk in the medicine cabinet--it's the scent of salon-quality hair treatments that's driving the women wild in Knoxville these days. Travis Hall, a colorist at Salon Visage in Farragut, makes women feel good about themselves, which gives his male-model looks even more appeal. "He's radiant," says one of his clients. Goes to show, most people don't hate someone just because he's beautiful.
Best Local Politician
Victor Ashe
Doing what he does best, and doing it every waking moment, must have made a favorable impression, as the Mayor Himself outpolled his nearest contender, presidential prayerful Lamar Alexander, more than 2-1. In what first appeared a bizarre turn, U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan, City Council Member Carlene Malone and state Rep. Tim Burchette seemed tied for third. But there were votes for Duncan under "John," which he uses officially, and there's no reason to suspect they were cast for his late daddy, the primogenitor of Jimmy's congressional seat.
Very Close Runner-Up: "Aren't any."
Best Hair Stylist
Frank Gambuzza, Salon Visage
With his stocky build and total lack of pretension, Frank Gambuzza seems more like a plumber than a hairdresser. But, oh, what he can do with a head of hair. He's the kind of hairdresser that creates more than cuts, pioneering looks that have made it into national magazines like Self. Bangs away!
Best Waiter/Waitress (tie)
Jason Love, McGuffey's
Jennifer Atkinson, Crescent Moon Cafe
Linda Rhea, West Side Dinner Theatre
Jeff, Aubrey's
This was one of those categories that got a bajillion votes--each for a different person. So, in this case, we have a four-way tie. According to our contest by-laws, a tie breaker competition must be held in the Metro Pulse offices. Therefore, we invite each waitperson above to come in and serve our staff dinner from your restaurant to determine a winner. It's in the rules, trust us.
Best Bartender
Troy Goodale, La Paz
Although he's a perennial also-ran in political elections, this is a contest he couldn't help but win--Troy Goodale mans the friendliest bar in West Knoxville. Now, if he could only get more of his patrons to campaign for him in the next election��
Best Local Writer
Sam Venable
The Knoxville News-Sentinel's catchall columnist and nattering nimrod was informed with all the mock congratulatorium we could muster that he had topped the category for the second straight year. He responded with genuine humility: "I'll stick with what I said last year. The people of Knoxville need to elevate the level of their literary pursuits." As an afterthought, the twice-venerated Venob sighed, "Bet you can see the profs over in the English Department at UT rolling their eyes back up in their heads when they read this."
Close Runner-Up: Jack Neely.
PLACES
Best Tourist Attraction
Smoky Mountain National Park
Exactly what part of the Smokies experience makes it the best local tourist attraction? Could it be that intoxicating numbness of the lower extremities one experiences while wading upstream in the Little Pigeon? Waking to a surprise sunrise snowfall in May on Mount Le Conte? Or the bizarre dream-adrenaline that comes from kamikaze mice bombarding your sleeping bag all night from the rafters of a trail shelter, waking you to wonder if the noise made by the skunks under your bunk means they're mating or fighting? Sure. Let's say it's any or all of those, or maybe just the mountains themselves. Let's not even think about bunny golf, or slick-track go carts, or hillbilly toilet paper. Okay? Please?
Best Place to Watch People
West Town Mall
Park yourself in the food court and watch the masses of humanity stroll by: wind-suited housewives in search of skin products, black-hair-dyed teenagers on the hormonal prowl, pre-teen brats engaging in video combat � And on it goes, a never-ending newsreel of suburban life. Shudder.
Best Building
Whittle Communications Headquarters
It looks 300 years old--and to some Whittle executives, the last three years seemed like 300. But it'll keep wowing accidental tourists long after the hyper-glossy magazines and TV shows produced here have turned to high-concept dust. Yes, indeed, quite a legacy--and an empty one.
Distant Runners-Up: Sunsphere, Hodges Library.
Best Public Park
Tyson Park
In the bottomlands of toxic Third Creek, livened by the rugby field, the bike trail, a playground, and public tennis courts, this truly public park is a rarity in stay-in-your-own-yard Knoxville. Site of medieval tournaments and weekend barbecues, this UT-area Eden may be the most diverse gathering place in East Tennessee.
Best Bowling Alley
Family Bowl
Why expose yourself to the elements--polluted "fresh" air, harmful UV rays, and Lyme-tick-ridden trees--to get some exercise, when you can stay in the safe indoors and bowl? Head on over to Family Bowl, grab a couple of beers, and give your right arm a workout as you jam to the rockin' rollin' tunes. It's Lenny and Squiggy's dream date.
Runners-Up: Western, Fountain Lanes.
Best Golf Course
Deane Hill
Taking egalitarian greens fees from the general public for the first time apparently put the tidy, pretty little country club course over the top, besting bigger layouts such as Willow Creek. All the rest of the votes went to private clubs, with Holston Hills leading the frat pack.
Best Tennis Court
Tyson Park
The city's top public courts won in a blowout. That's testimony to the investment former Mayor Kyle Testerman plugged into refurbishment during his reign. The Testerman family's bent for tennis made itself known and remembered by providing excellent courts for everybody . The private clubs and UT's courts trailed badly.
Best Bike Trail
Third Creek
The most obvious choice is still the best. On Third Creek Bike Trail (better known as "the bike trail"), a bicyclist can start pedaling on the Ag Campus and hardly cross paths with an automobile before he's in West Knoxville (well, behind Western Plaza). A favorite with turtles and rabbits, some stretches of it are so primeval you forget you're right between the hairy traffic of Kingston Pike and the post-industrial squalor of Sutherland Avenue.
Distant Runners-Up: Cherokee Park and the new Lakeshore bike path.
FOOD AND DRINK
(Ed. Note: Although we asked voters to specify the location when voting for a chain restaurant, not many did. Therefore, in order to be fair to restaurants with only one location, we divided total votes by the number of locations in town for each chain or franchise.)
Best Sports Bar
Hoorays
Hoorays is the Grand Guignol of sports bars--a sprawling theme park to male obsessions, from the huge array of dead animals nailed to the walls to the sports arcade games to the Miss Hawaiian Tropic contests in back. Biggest is best.
Best Breakfast
Cracker Barrel
A regular-menu breakfast edges out Shoney's buffet mania for a change. Who'd a thunk it? Guess Knoxvillians know where to get the best eggs, grits, and country ham in town--all day long, every day.
Close Runners-Up: Shoney's, Waffle House.
Best Coffee
Best Coffee House
Best Desserts
Java
That Old City alley corner named after a volcanic island in Indonesia wins again, on both counts. Is Java, downtown's first outdoor cafe-style coffee house, still "cool" or not? Who cares, as long as they keep the French Roast flowing. Say what you want about pretentiously dressed customers, they're usually more interesting to watch than the rest of us.
Close Runner-Up (in all categories): JFG, just around the corner.
Best Sunday Brunch
Copper Cellar
Omlettes made to order, baby quiches, stone mill gravy, smoked salmon, the ever delightful crab and artichoke dip, home made pastries. Need more? Well, what about the specialty of the house--Eggs Copper Cellar? Oh my: an English muffin with tenderloin, filet and poached eggs. Phew. The brunch of our dreams.
Close Runners-Up: Hyatt Regency, Darryl's.
Best Appetizers
Friday's
Fridays has come a long way from its modest Memphis roots, growing from an earnest little grill to a national chain of restaurants offering an appetizer menu that features everything from potstickers to Thai chicken with peanut dipping sauce. All the better to wash down with your beer.
Close Runners-Up: Copper Cellar, Applebee's.
Best Restaurant Pizza
Best Lunch Spot
Tomato Head
We're not talking just pizza here--the Tomato Head is already an institution, the kind of restaurant you visit in other cities and think, "Boy, wish we had a place like this back home." Well, whaddaya know--we do. Under the inspired direction of proprietor Mahasti Vafaie, the 'Mater Head has become more than just a great pizza joint--it's a meeting place, a performance hall, and probably one of the best galleries of local art in town. And could there be a more lovable wait staff in town? Doubt it.
Close Runners-Up: Pizza Hut, Stefano's
Best Delivered Pizza
Papa John's
Once again, readers opted for the spicy fair of Papa John's. No fancy crust gimmicks or Rush Limbaugh tie-ins here, just a great rendition of the All-American pizza pie. And don't forget the garlic dipping sauce.
Close Runners-Up: Pizza Hut, Stefano's, Domino's
Best Wings
bw3
Running the gamut from mild mannered to hot and bothered, bw3 has a wing for everybody--not to mention a beer, with one of the most extensive beer selections in the city. And what's more, their waitresses get to wear clothes.
Runners-Up: Hooters, Spicy's.
Best Steak
Ye Olde Steak House
Pretenders come and go, but the olde reliable sticks to its grills. The thick get thicker, and the rustic architecture and zoo-feeding atmosphere keep gathering loyal beefeaters by the herd.
Close Runners-Up: Regas, Outback, Chop House
Best Salads
Silver Spoon
Who says chain restaurants can't have distinctive fare? (Well, okay, we did a couple of times.) Silver Spoon, n�e Mozzarella's, offers scrumptious assortments of greens with some of the best dressings in town.
Close Runners-Up: Grady's, Tomato Head
Best Soup
Soup Kitchen
Yep, it's all in a name. How can you help but think of the Soup Kitchen when soup's on your mind? The good thing is they come through on quality and variety daily, with steaming bowls ranging from classic vegetable to chowders to culturally diverse delights (try the gratin savoyard for illustration). They've got the smarts to serve at least three flavors of fresh-baked bread daily, too, a must for those serious dunkers.
Best Deli
Best Sandwiches
Harold's Deli
It's Knoxville's oldest deli--47 years in the same location, and Harold himself still rings up your order. The only kosher deli in the world once frequented by Homer & Jethro, Archie Campbell, and Chet Atkins, Harold's still draws a diverse clientele: young and old, rich and poor, orthodox and redneck.
Close Runners-Up: Sam & Andy's, New York Bagel and Deli, Vic & Bill's, Nixon's.
Best French Fries
Best Hamburger
Best Hot Dog
Litton's
If what you want is your thundering All-American basics, done up roundly and piled on your plate in portions that will keep you coming up for air and then digging back in, you've got Litton's, where the "10" Burger still takes all 10 fingers to control, the dog is just as big and succulent, and the fries are enough to make an Idahoan weep.
Close Runners-Up: Bell Air Grill, Sonic and Smoky Mountain Market dogs and McDonald's fries
Best Barbecue
Corky's
While hometown chain Buddy's is still the favorite of the masses, Corky's has won the hearts of Memphis-style 'Cue lovers. With its spicy-sweet sauce and hand-pulled pork, this West Tennessee import has become a local fave. Heck, you can even get their BBQ pork on the salads. A meat eater's paradise.
Close Runners-Up: Buddy's, Calhoun's.
Best Seafood
Chesapeake's
Well, start at lunch with the best crab cakes this side of Baltimore and continue on through dinner with thick chowders, rich appetizers and elegantly prepared swordfish, or grouper, or dolphin and what you've got here is just about the catch of any day. A consistent winner gastronomically with an atmosphere to match.
Close Runners-Up (well not so close): Red Lobster; Shrimp Shack
Best Buffet
Mandarin House
Hey, you can get pinto beans and Jell-O at every buffet--but where else can you get crab legs and sweet and sour chicken? Mandarin House's buffet has been rabidly popular since the day it opened, luring in diners to its Chinese fare with the eternal Southern mantra: "All You Can Eat."
Best Beer Selection
Smoky Mountain Brewing Co.
Okay, they typically have only four selections--but when the selections are always fresh-brewed ales, porters, lagers, and stouts, that can beat a whole museum of bottles and cans. The place on Gay Street already had a frothy head on it when it opened just last August, but it's developed a reputation for beer that's so hearty with the nectar of barley and hops you could almost feed your livestock with it.
Close Runner-Up: The Old City's bw3, with an encyclopedic array of bottled beer.
Best Wine List
The Orangery
It's a delight to sit down to an anticipated exceptional meal and see that the wine selection has been thoughtfully chosen to complement the cuisine. The folks who choose the wine at the Orangery understand that much of their clientele consider the drink to be as important as the food. A couple Orangery exclusives: Black Hand Mano Nero, from California, at $35 a bottle; and "Les Taillepiedes" '76 Voaney, a red burgundy acquired from a private collection, at $220 a bottle.
Best New Restaurant
Best Vegetarian Menu
Sunspot
With its amazing dearth of orange-and-white memorabilia, Sunspot immediately declared itself a change of pace for the Cumberland Strip when it opened last year. And that yen for being different definitely extends to its menu, which offers a mix of unusual vegetarian and meat dishes, as well as daily specials for both camps. The Sunspot is a much-welcome addition to the UT area dining scene.
Close Runners-Up: Tjaarda's, Falafel Hut
Best Italian Restaurant
Best Romantic Atmosphere
Naples
Although competition was stiff this year, perennial favorite Naples ruled. Its combination of classic Italian dishes and unusual daily specials is hard to beat, along with its award-winning wine list. And for those romantic sorts, there's the private "blue room" in the corner, guaranteed to make you forget your food (at least for a while).
Close Runners-Up: Italian Market & Grill, Olive Garden
Best Diner
Summit Diner
Hmmm. Maybe it won because it looked like a diner. Now out of business, the Summit Diner sits sadly empty, waiting for a bold soul to reopen its aluminum doors. Although it was a great concept and had a prime location, the Summit never seemed to develop the masses of loyal customers needed for a late-night operation. But there's still plenty of down-home diners to choose from out there. You just have to look for 'em a little harder.
Best Asian Restaurant
Stir Fry Cafe
Can there be any doubt? The Stir Fry Cafe does just about everything right. From the casually rockin' atmosphere to the Thai specialties, the Stir Fry stands out from the crowd of Chinese restaurants in town. Its sauces are marvels of spice and subtlety. Its ingredients are fresh and plentiful. Even its standard Chinese items have a fresh kick. And the singular curries, soups and noodles � oh, my.
Runners-Up: China Inn, Mandarin House
Best Mexican Restaurant
La Paz
Sure, there might be more authentic Mexican restaurants in town, but how can you argue with a pesto quesadilla? La Paz puts new spins on old standbys, like their Mexicotti enchiladas or zapnins. Every dinner is a delicious surprise.
Runners-Up: Cancun, Garcia's
Best Cafeteria
Wright's
The joy in the deviled eggs, the delight in the buttered turnips, the bliss in the country ham and the mother love in the meat loaf. All that without even sampling the breads and the banana pudding. Put it all out in a dining ambiance that has all the conviviality of a chow hall at summer camp, and how can you miss?
Close Runners-Up: S&S, Morrisons
Best Bakery
Fresh Market
How can you resist? There you are, innocently trying to purchase a box of cereal, when the scent of freshly baked bread hits your olfactory system � not to mention the aromas of muffins, pies, cookies, those Napoleon thingies with all the frosting stuff. Before you know it, your basket is full of goodies you didn't even know you wanted.
Runners-Up: Ham & Goodys, Kroger
Best Catering
Lord Lindsey
The Lord Lindsey can meet all your catering needs, with food guaranteed delicious whatever menu you choose. Hosting a tractor pull? Have them bring in a barbecue and roastin' ears buffet. Canasta tourney? LL might whip up an assortment of fresh fruits and salads. Orgy? A delicious array of finger foods would fit the bill quite nicely.
Runners-Up: Buddy's, Haramb�
Best Happy Hour
Hawkeye's
You heard about "Animal Hour" at Hawkeye's? It's got a lot to make the cost-conscious reveler happy--three-fers (that's right, THREE-for-1) on all drinks, and beer specials, from 9-10 weeknights, and often a groovy blues band to follow. You have to wedge your way to the bar through imbibing masses stuffed into a space about the size of a tool shed--it helps to bring friends to take turns on the trips--but it'll all be worth it when you find yourself dancing on a tabletop.
Best Ribs
Calhoun's
Crushing all comers is our hometown favorite, the one and only Calhoun's. Its formula seems unbeatable, even with the straight-from-Memphis rival Corky's opening up shop. And now, with the unleashing of the Calhoun's brew-pub on Bearden Hill, owner Mike Chase seems to have a lock on yet another restaurant institution.
MUSIC AND CLUBS
Best Local Rock Band
Best Local Country Band
The Viceroys
You don't know whether they're rock or country, and neither do we. Maybe that's their secret. Already legendary after only one year, those loony, reckless, smartass Southern boys in the nice ties smoked the competition in both categories. Driven by open-throttle musicianship and high-octane wit, you'd think they'd crack up like an overcharged ridge runner outpacing the G-men on Thunder Road, but the 'Roys stay eerily cool and tight in each successive performance. They're the Foggy Mountain Boys on Benzedrine, the Bluecaps with brains.
Close Runners-Up: Superdrag, The Cheeksters, The Judybats.
Best Local Jazz Band
Jazz Liberation Quartet
If this band didn't cook, you'd say they have a high personnel turnover. As it is, the revolving door has only fanned the flames of their success and local significance. With Dave Nichols on guitar and Mark Coleman on drums, JLQ has hosted soprano saxophonists, tenor saxophonists, electric and acoustic bassists and even a pre-recorded noise manipulator in the last year. So the cop "I saw 'em last summer" just doesn't hold up. Subscribe, so you never miss an issue or a lineup.
Best Local Blues Band
Hector Qirko Band
Whether you're fishing for Memphis jump, Chicago soul or Southern slide, Hector's the man to reel it in for you. He and his band--one of the most rock-solid, reliable shows in town--speak fluent blues, in each of its many dialects. Sure, he'll have you weepin' in your beer, but if you wanna know some blues, just imagine what it would be like around here without these guys.
Best Local Acoustic Band
Best Songwriter
Best Local Release
The Cheeksters
Mark Casson
Hey, What's Your Style
Knoxville (heart here) the Cheeksters. The most charming couple on the local scene made a clean sweep of the music categories, walking away with a total of five honors (take that, Forrest Gump). So what if they're not really acoustic anymore? Mark Casson writes the songs that make the crowds swivel and swoon, whether live or Memorex. Gimme some of that sweet soul music, yeah yeah.
Close Runner-Up: R.B. Morris, Scott Miller (Songwriter)
Best Local R&B/Hip-Hop Band
The Blair Brothers
Well, we're not exactly sure if they're local, but they have made Hooray's a second home, and their covers of classic and contemporary R & B are hard not to dance to.
Close Runner-Up: L.I.F.E.
Best Male Vocalist
Best Female Vocalist
Mark Casson
Shannon Hines
You know the story by now: American girl meets English boy on the Eur-rail, they fall in love, get married, move to Knoxville and make beautiful music together. The rest is history, right? Casson's rich trill and soulful falsetto couldn't have a better partner than Hines's precious lilt, making the Cheeksters Knoxville's very own music vox sweethearts.
Close Runners-Up: Kenny Chesney, Con Hunley, John Davis, Nancy Brennan Strange, Dolly Parton, Evon Easley
Best Church Choir
Cedar Springs Presbyterian
Thornton Wilder laid it out for you in Our Town more than a half-century ago. You can't sing louder than the Methodists, so don't try. The Presbys out at Cedar Springs stayed with the hint, apparently, and little wonder. The politics of the place is a century older than Wilder. But they can sing.
Close Runners-Up: Church Street United Methodist, First Baptist
Best Rock Club
Mercury Theatre
Besides feeding Knoxville a steady diet of national indie hotshots, Mercury Theatre bangs its head on the local punk (and pop and rockabilly and whatever you wanna call the Viceroys) rock, serving as a much-needed haven and outlet for the Knoxville music scene. (And there's always the entertainment value of free foosball.) Viva la Merc.
Best Jazz Club
Lucille's
An intimate setting, a well-stocked bar, a low cover charge, a good-weather patio, and dependably good bebop--partly fueled by one of the best jazz universities in the nation--make Lucille's in the Old City far and away the favorite feed for jazzhounds.
Best Country & Western Club
Cotton Eyed Joe
The country music steamroller may have slowed down a bit, but the massive dance floor of Cotton Eyed Joe has remained crowded with boot-kickers. And even if you don't dance there, you know about it--the club received over 90 percent of the votes in this category.
Best Dance Club
Best Dance Club DJ
The Underground, Storm
Despite the resurgence of Lord Lindsey's and Mercury Theatre's dance nights, the Underground remains Knoxville's overwhelming favorite went it comes to dancing. And offering up the latest techno-ambient-house-acid-funk-industrial grooves is the DJ of choice, Storm.
Best Piano Bar
Ivory's
The little gem of a joint off Old Kingston Pike pummeled the competition more than 10-to-1. It's one of those acoustic marvels where you can converse and listen to the music on all but the most crowded, rowdy nights. And it's still the only place in town where you can catch Steve Hetu literally foreplaying those 88s exactly once a year, on Valentine's Day. Little wonder it's a lock.
Distant Runners-Up: Lucille's, Regas
Best Dive
Gryphon's
The only place in town where an internationally ranked bridge champion might be the guy who pours your beer--while you wait for your laundry to dry. Featuring the strangest layout of any bar in Knoxville history, with a coin laundry conveniently wedged between the beer bar and the post-punk stage, Gryphon's was recently admired in the pages of the San Francisco Weekly.
Very Close Runner-Up: Toddy's Back Door.
Best Concert Venue
Bijou Theatre
The oldest theater in Knoxville (and still our favorite), the stage where John Cullum cut his thespian teeth 50 years ago has in recent years seen everything from children's productions of Aladdin to Public Enemy. Whether it's George Winston or the Ramones, the Bijou seems custom-built for it.
Best Place for Men to Meet Women
Best Place for Women to Meet Men
Michael's
Must be the food.
Close Runners-Up: Church, Kroger, Cotton Eyed Joe
Best Place for Men to Meet Men
Trumps
With its up-to-the-minute dance music, next-generation female impersonators and youthful regulars, Trumps is the place to be and see regardless of your orientation.
Close Runner-Up: Carousel.
Best Place for Women to Meet Women
Carousel
The good news is that these two categories only snagged seven votes for "hell"--a great reduction from last year, considering we had more than twice as many voters. Longtime favorite Carousel overcame the competition in this category, though Lady Vols games were a strong contender.
MEDIA
Best Radio Station
WIMZ 103.5
This was one of our tightest races, but the "classic" rock sounds of WIMZ edged out the more alternative music of both WNFZ 94.3 and WUTK 90.3, as well as the ubiquitous country twang of WIVK FM. And what with all the recent concerts by Blackfoot, the Eagles, Crosby Stills & Nash, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Knoxville is getting more and more "classic" itself. Let the good times roll � and roll, and roll, and roll��
Best Radio DJ
Best Radio Drive Time Show
Phil Williams & the Waking Crew, WIMZ
Other on-air "personalities" make great claims to being za-a-any (you can tell because they laugh so hard at their own jokes), but Phil's the real deal. With his scripted bits, improvised jabs and cast of colorful characters, his humor may be a bit red on the backside of the neck, but it's never stupid. He's one good reason to wake up on time.
Best Radio Music Show
Improvisations, WUOT
What makes this weeknightly evening jazz program lively and fluid is probably accidental. One imagines that WUOT has a different jock each night, because no single one of them has free time during the entire week. Yet because of that, the show's personality is not mired in the collection or reading of one individual. And though you're supposed to know who's on each night of the week, unless you've got a quiz show memory, it's a win-win crap-shoot. The world of jazz--from historical to experimental--comes to you interpreted by five different envoys.
Best Radio Talk Show
Hallerin Hill, WIVK AM
No contest here. The silver-tongued seeker of "truth" (who usually refrains from forcing it on listeners) stirs the apple-barrel mixture of radio callers, and obviously impresses MP readers with his style and grace. The prematurely sainted Rush Limbaugh and his ditzy dittoheads finished a distant second. But Mike Heath's Sportstalk ran third, giving WIVK's jaws the whole enchilada.
Best Local TV Show
Live at Five, WBIR
Bandying clich�s and droll repartee with badminton tournament deftness, co-hosts Moira Kay and Ted Hall amuse and inform with consistent zeal during that weekday waiting-for-Jeopardy downtime. They've got Missy Kane, Knoxville's poster woman for boundless energy, on board, too. Live at Five covers community issues responsibly, and, you can bet, if there's a dog/cat/home/boat/food/exotic bird/ antique car/model train/zany invention/kooky doo-dad show, the Fivers will be there.
Runner-Up: The Heartland Series
Best Local TV News Show
Best Local TV News Anchor
Best Local TV Sports Anchor
Best Local TV Weather
WBIR Channel 10
It wasn't close enough to measure. Big Dog WBIR took the Best TV News Show category with more than half the total votes cast, even with the loss of last year's fave anchor Edye Ellis. Heading up the All-City news team was guy-anchor Bill Williams, who doesn't do happy talk, and voters seem to appreciate it.
Bob Kesling, who has franchised himself out all over the place, took the top TV sports jock spot. And weatherwoman Marti Skold, with her WIVK radio spots, seems to be on the air even more than Kesling.
Best Local TV Anchor Hair Style
Kim Stephens, WBIR
Top teacher Gail Johnson (remember--she's the cosmetologist) had been pulling for Moira Kay in the "best hair" category, but was gracious when she heard that Kay's Channel 10 cohort, Kim Stephens, took the top coif honors. "She does have a pretty wedge," admits Johnson. Stephens nosed out the legendary incumbent hairdo winner, Sam Brown.
KNOXVEGAS
Best Thing Knoxville Needs
Riverfront Development
The waterfront took the honor, despite its controversies and fits and starts. That should make somebody somewhere happy, even though more than twice as many readers tabbed city investment on the waterfront as the best tax waste! The surprising second-place need was a lottery, outstripping consolidated government, better schools, parks, roads, bike trails or downtown improvements. There was one mention of better police and none of the supposed hot-button issue of crime control. Go figure. Better still, Pick Six in the Kentucky lottery.
Best Smart Aleck Replies: a 7-11 on every corner, a surf shop.
Best Public Squabble
Riverfront Development
The riverfront and its development reared its many heads again here as the tiff that caught readers' attention more than any other in recent memory. If you take its other rankings in the Best Thing Knoxville Needs and Biggest Waste of Our Tax Dollars categories seriously, the squabble is right there. Development is needed, but not at public expense--that's what the readers are telling us. Then there's Mike Chase, seemingly omnipresent in the jousting over public rights of way and the interests of his restaurants. It's a squabble all right.
Close Runners-up: None, but the historic Victor Ashe vs. Dwight Kessel battle, now over, polled higher than such living perennials as government consolidation.
Best Nickname for Mayor Victor Ashe
Bulldog
Hoo-boy, was this an ugly assortment. But Bulldog, the name he immodestly bestowed upon himself, nudged out Yoda, the Star Wars character, by the thinnest of margins. The one that said simply "not fit to print" characterized most of the rest, an astounding number of which made pointed reference to the mayor's posterior parts.
Most Imaginative: "The Annexator."
Best Waste of our Tax Dollars
The Tunnel
The Henley Street tunnel, that brighter-than-broad-daylight underground dive that's behind you before you know it, got the decided nod for the boondoggle of the year. Hints to the readers' bent against the little cut and cover project came not with the tax waste votes but with the nicknames suggested for it. "It took seven years for 50 yards!" was one of the slogans that came forth in describing its white-tiled ingloriousness.
Close Second: Riverfront expenditures.
Oddball Entry: Any tax deductions/exemptions for newspapers.
Best Make Out Spot
Sharp's Ridge
It's hot. Hey, it was on fire a couple weeks ago. Literally! Sort of an all-wheelers' heaven up there, it's certainly the best place to claim you're stuck up some rutty, muddy lane without faking it. Ah, the stars. Ah, the twinkle of broadcast tower strobes and beacons. Ah, the wrecker fees. Home/ bedroom/ couch-passion potatoes were hardly heard from in relative terms on this one.
Best Name for the Downtown Tunnel
"Chunnel"
Chunnel and variations such as "mini-chunnel" ran away with the name thing. Why? Is it because the English Channel Tunnel's name has been in the news? Is it demonstrative of a singular lack of imagination? (The names "Tunnel" or "The Tunnel" combined for third runner-up.) Is it some cunning reference to Mike Chase and/or his Chesapeake's restaurant, and the threat the restaurant survived in the tunnel's redesign? There were several separate references to Chase and the restaurant. Are we missing something? Chunnel?
Close Runner-Up: The Money Pit (see best tax waste)
Best Smart Aleck Replies: Don't blink, Was it good for you?
Best Local Scandal
Randy Pedigo
Nothing could compete with the randy Randy Pedigo affair. It had sex, with photographs of young men and boys in the nude. It had drugs, both from the sordid side of Dr. Pedigo's past and the ways in which he doped up male patients to get the photographs and who knows what else. And it had rock-and-roll, as in what you flip your assault rifle up on if you have the kind of multiple phallus collection that Pedigo amassed. He pursued the quadruple life of gun nut, male molester, UT Hospital surgeon and Knox County Medical Examiner until a kid woke up to find Pedigo flagrante-wand-waving-delicto. The "call me daddy" doc pleaded guilty to eight counts of drugging and sexually battering young men and got what amounts to a prosecutorial pat on the bum in the way of a sentence of a year in jail and seven years' probation. That resulted from a plea bargain that Watson's basement couldn't match. If it wasn't the scandal of the year before the plea, it sure was afterward. He finally quit the M.E. post, but still has his license to commit medical mayhem.
Close Runners-Up: None, but the Whittle downfall and, inexplicably, the Butcher banking scandals of more than a decade ago, polled about 20 votes each.
Best Smart Aleck Reply: Missy Kane's thong on TNI.
Best Word to Describe Knoxville
"Home."
Apparently, our readers have a love-hate relationship with our fair city, yet the biggest percentage agreed: this is where they live. We tend to think this is a positive response.
Runners-Up: Friendly, boring, beautiful, great, Knoxvegas, backwards, comfortable, diverse, slow, tired, pleasant, nice.
The Embittered: Pretentious, provincial, stagnant, underwhelming, redneck, sad, needy, mediocre, insular, constraining, catatonic, hell.
The Optimistic: Authentic, better than Seymour, cerebral, emerging, eccentric, folksy, groovy, underrated, subtle, refreshing, versatile, promising.
The Smitten: Unsuncity, wonderful, terrific, spunky, sassy, incredible, fun, fabulous, cozy, an island in a sea of rednecks.
The Oddball: Funkazoidal, "-ish," k-razy, scrumpdilicious, shalalalala, yuppies find peace, ungrateful colon.
Best Thing About the News-Sentinel
"Nothing."
Hey, no kidding, this was the runaway winner by a large margin. We love our readers, one and all.
Runners-Up (in order): Comics, sports section, TV listings, Detours, Ina Hughes.
Best Smart Aleck Replies: Absorbency, declining sales, easy to ignore, it only takes two minutes to read, it's recyclable, good packing material, it only comes out once a day, subscription is voluntary, it keeps Metro Pulse honest, few read it, Harry Moskos is approaching retirement.
Most Frighteningly Honest: Coupons, crossword puzzle, horoscope, movie listings, classifieds, Sam Venable and two votes for "stories."
Best Pick-Up Line Using the Word "Sunsphere"
"Is that a Sunsphere in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?"
Close Runners-Up: "Wanna see my Sunsphere?" "Your eyes sparkle like the Sunsphere." "It's as big as the Sunsphere."
And Now the Funny Ones: "Hey good lookin'! We'll be back to pick you up later--at the Sunsphere!" "Honey, I love you. Meet me at the Sunsphere." "I see the Sunsphere in your eyes." "I wish they had one of them in Seymour." "My Sunsphere or yours?" "You are so much prettier than the Sunsphere." "You can get a good view of the Sunsphere from my apartment." "You radiate more than the Sunsphere on a sunny day." "You're the Sunsphere of my life." "You Tarzan. Me Jane. I give you many sons. Fear not."
Best Public Restrooms
West Town Mall
Uh, you see, the aim here was to vote for unusual restrooms--the ones with personality, zest, brio--restrooms that further the art of commode design and decor. As far as West Town's goes � well, if you need to take a leak, it's there. And it does have those nifty auto-shutoff faucets.
Close Runners-Up: Proffitts, Parisian
Best Kept Secret About Knoxville
"Knoxville's a good place to live."
One of the broadest categories in the sheer number of different ideas, the pace-setter turned out to be that Knoxville is a (good, great, cool, easy, not such a bad, etc.) place to live. Actually, the readers laid it on pretty thick, with positive-sounding secrets outnumbering negatives more than 2-to-1 (without even counting the "we wear shoes" total) and generals topping specifics by a fair margin.
Close Runner-Up: Look, we don't want to out anybody who doesn't want to be outed, and we won't let a long list of readers do it either. So guess to your little heart's content.
Best Category We Didn't List
Best Hair Colorist
Yes indeedy, Knoxville's great masses of people are burning to discover: who dyes hair the best? You can bet this ballot wasn't stuffed.
Close Runners-Up: Newspaper, grocery store, neighborhood, tanning beds, drag queen, school.
Ones We Should Have Thought Of: Bagel shop, Middle Eastern restaurant, bluegrass band, brewpub, slogan for Knoxville.
Best Smart Aleck Replies: TV drunk, tree to urinate on before Vol games, questions about Elvis Presley.
No Kidding: You have too many already.