Metro Pulse/Cover/Best of Knoxville 2003

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Best of the Best

The 10th Annual Metro Pulse Readers' Poll

Best of the Best

Knoxvillian of the Year:
Pat Summitt
Pat Summitt, the inimitable women's basketball coach at UT, has been Metro Pulse readers' Knoxvillian of the Year before. In some respects, the grim-faced coach with the unmatched record could be the Knoxvillian of any of the last 20 or more years.
This year, her team did not win the Southeastern Conference tournament title or the national championship, though it reached the final game in each. Her Vol women did go through the season undefeated in the SEC, and they lost only four times before the final of the "big dance," which was won by their latter-day nemesis, Connecticut. But Summitt's teams already had six national and 21 SEC championships, anyway, and this year she became the first basketball coach to reach 800 victories in the fewest years in the profession (29) by virtue of her .840 winning percentage.
But it wasn't her record that was mentioned most by the voters who elevated her to the top of the Knoxville heap again this year. They more often mentioned how she serves as a role model, unrivaled on the local scene. She's a Hall of Fame coach, a wife and mom, a motivational consultant, and an almost unbelievable winner among men or women. Congrats again, Pat.
Runners-Up: Victor Ashe, Julia Tucker

Best Business:
Earth to Old City
Bernadette and Scott West have been in the news so much for other endeavors lately—successfully starting the Preservation Pub on Market Square and consequently emphasizing the need for focusing on the square's historic preservation, not to mention their recent purchase of the building formerly housing Hooray's and then Banana Joe's with the intent of making it into a nightspot called the Think Tank—one tends to forget that they run a little chain of shops known as Earth to Old City. Fortunately, our readers didn't overlook these snazzy little gift stores. From chocolates and honeys to aromatic candles and incenses to novelty bath items to funk-spunky lamps, at an Earth to Old City location there's a unique present for your special someone, just waiting for you to find it. Don't be shy; go on in and say hello. Tell 'em Metro Pulse sent you.
Runners-Up: Planet X-Change, Disc Exchange

Best Local Music Group/Musician:
Maggie Longmire
After a long absence from performing, the former lead singer for the Lonesome Coyotes was a sentimental favorite. Once known as "the Lily of LaFollette," singer/guitarist Maggie Longmire and her powerful alto voice ruled the nights on Cumberland Avenue at one time. We hadn't heard much from her in maybe 20 years until last June, when the Coyotes, one of Knoxville's most accomplished and most popular bands of the '70s, held an emotional reunion at the Bijou. The release of her own CD, Teachers and Travelers (a solo effort, but with help from former Coyote Hector Qirko) surely gave her a boost in this category, too. Her voice spans blues and country styles, and is aging well; some say it's even fuller and more resonant today than it was a quarter-century ago, during the Coyotes' height.
Runners-Up: Robinella, Kenny Chesney

Best Restaurant:
Pulèo's Grille
If this is a trend in interstate dining, we like it. Metro Pulse has never been terribly fond of the big chains and bland eats that suburban sprawl spawned. Convenience, of course, is often important. But why does it have to come at the expense of originality and quality? Pulèo's Grille—at the Strawberry Plains exit of Interstate 40—proves it doesn't have to. Headed by Chef Steve Pulèo, the restaurant bills itself as Southern Roots and Italian Heritage. There's plenty on the menu to satisfy most appetites and diets: steaks, ribs, seafood, and pizza. Most intriguing are the Italian and Southern Comfort dishes, including pasta primavera, country fried steak, and shrimp and grits. There's also a great selection of wines and beers. In a world that seems more and more homogeneous, it's nice to see somebody mixing it up. Especially where you'd least
expect it.
Runners-Up: Melting Pot, Regas