Index
* = Includes Audience Choice
CITY LIFE
Best of the Best: Andersonville (2002)
Best of the Best: Blommer Chocolate (2002)
Best of the Best: Boystown (2002)
Best of the Best: Chicago Federal Center(2002)
Best of the Best: Cicero (2002)
Best of the Best: The Daley machine(2002)
Best of the Best: Devon Avenue (2002)
Best of the Best: Grant Park (2002)
Best of the Best: Greektown (2002)
Best of the Best: Hilliard Homes and Marina City (2002)
Best of the Best: Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral (2002)
Best of the Best: The intersection of Damen, North and Milwaukee (2002)
Best of the Best: John Hancock Center (2002)
Best of the Best: The Lakefront (2002)
Best of the Best: Lincoln Park (2002)
Best of the Best: Little Italy (2002)
Best of the Best: The Market District(2002)
Best of the Best: Navy Pier(2002)
Best of the Best: Parakeets in Hyde Park (2002)
Best of the Best: Pullman (2002)
Best of the Best: Sears Tower (2002)
Best of the Best: The Sun-Times’ writers (2002)
Best abiding sorrow mistaken for performance art(2007)
*Best accomplishment not yet carved on Burris’ tombstone (2009)
*Best airport security story, post-9/11(2002)
Best architectural restoration (2007)
*Best baby name for the Pete Wentz-Ashlee Simpson offspring(2008)
*Best Barack Obama moment (2008)
*Best bet to be the “next Oprah” from Chicago (2010)
*Best big Chicago company to work for (2008)
Best budding media mogul (2009)
*Best candidate for governor (2002)
*Best candidate for governor of Illinois (2009)
*Best candidate for mayor who is likely to run (2010)
*Best candidate for mayor who is unlikely to run (2010)
Best celebrity sighting in the past year (2007)
Best chance of making Time’s 100 Most Influential List in 2012 (2011)
*Best Chicago holiday tradition (2010)
*Best dating nightmare (2002)
Best day trip to Bedford Falls (2010)
*Best Democratic candidate for US president(2007)
Best desperate attempt to land the 2016 Olympics (2008)
*Best El station (2011)
*Best El station for an earache(2002)
Best European import (2008)
*Best example of a memo that Tribune executives Lee Abrams or Randy Michaels might write, but haven’t (2008)
Best example of fighting the man and winning (2011)
Best example of why some folks are oblivious to the real estate crash and financial meltdown (2008)
Best fusion of passion and commerce (2009)Best hidden park (2010)
*Best future owner of the Chicago Tribune (2011)
*Best hotel lobby (2010)
*Best iconic Chicago personality now that Studs is gone (2009)
Best iconic transformation (2008)
*Best idea to fix the CTA (2007)
*Best idea to forget about from Chicago 2016 (2009)
*Best idea to salvage from Chicago 2016 (2009)
Best idea we’d like to really see catch fire (2008)
*Best imaginary Oprah moment that won’t likely actually happen but, well, might have (2010)
*Best imaginary Oprah moment that won’t likely actually happen but, well, no, it never would (2010)
*Best imaginary Sun-Times headline (2002)
*Best imaginary Twitter post by Patti Blagojevich (2009)
Best impersonation of a true Chicago politician (2011)
Best indicator that America needs a new healthcare policy (2009)
Best indoor make-out spot (2010)
Best local digital controversy (2007)
*Best local general-interest blog (2009)
*Best local nonprofit (2007)
*Best local podcast (2010)
*Best local radio station (2011)
*Best local TV weatherman (2011)
*Best-looking female local TV personality (2011)
*Best-looking male local TV personality (2011)
Best macrocosmic El stop (2010)
*Best mayoral campaign slogan for Rahm (2010)
*Best Mayor Daley accomplishment of the past year (2009)
Best Mayor Daley debacle of the past year (2009)
*Best memory from the trial of Rod Blagojevich (2010)
Best missed but little-known local figure (2008)
Best moment that made us proud of our country (2008)
Best museum award that probably won’t make the corporate stationery (2011)
*Best name for the building formerly known as Sears Tower (2009)
*Best neighborhood in which to weather the possible decline in real estate values precipitated, among other things, by the mortgage crisis(2007)
*Best neighborhood in which to exploit the possible decline in real estate values precipitated, among other things, by the mortgage crisis (2007)
Best neon sign to evoke the good life (2002)
Best new building built in the last year or so (2009)
*Best new career for deposed Channel 5 news reporter Amy Jacobson (2007)
*Best new feature of the newly redesigned Tribune (2008)
*Best new gig for the Reverend Jeremiah Wright (2008)
*Best new name for Humboldt Park (2007)
*Best new nickname for Sam Zell (2008)
*Best new piece of architecture (2008)
Best new tourist attraction (2009)
*Best newly minted Chicago celebrity (2008)
*Best newsroom street level fish bowl (2009)
*Best next career for failed gubernatorial candidate Scott Lee Cohen (2010)
*Best next career for Jesse Jackson, Jr. (2010)
Best next dubious mascot for Chicago after “Chalkie” (2009)
Best next media moguls (2011)
*Best next neighborhood to gentrify, now that Humboldt Park’s on its way (2007)
*Best next thing for the city to privatize after selling off Midway Airport and the parking meters (2008)
*Best next thing for the state to privatize after selling off the Illinois Lottery (2008)
*Best next Twitter subject for Dan Sinker of @MayorEmanuel fame (2011)
Best niche website (2010)
Best nickname for that really enormous snowstorm last February (2011)
*Best opening paragraph from the memoirs of Richard M. Daley (2010)
Best outdoor make-out spot (2010)
Best place for a romantic stroll(2002)
Best place for dummies (2011)
Best place to chill out (2011)
Best place to drink in the forest preserves(2002)
Best place to nonchalantly check out the opposite sex (2008)
Best place to smell the chocolate cloud (2011)
Best place to spot an alligator (2008)
Best post-WWII motel sign still standing, though the motel is long gone (2011)
Best proposal for Chicago’s next landmark (2010)
Best reason for the real estate market to turn around soon (2009)
Best refuge from drunken frat boys and other urban miseries (2011)
Best reproduction of a Monopoly game square (2010)
*Best Rod Blagojevich accomplishment of the past year and we’re being serious here (2009)
Best sign of the Armageddon in 2008 (2008)
*Best sign that Rahm is not Richie (2011)
*Best sign that Rosie is not Oprah (2011)
Best smelling bike lane (2011)
Best South Side intersection for old-school dining and jazz (2010)
Best spot for celeb sightings (2010)
Best ten reasons not to leave Chicago (2011)
*Best thing about Millennium Park besides the Bean (2009)
Best thing about Snowmageddon (2011)
Best thing about the new parking meters (2009)
*Best thing about the return of Bill & Walter to Channel 2 (2010)
Best thing to happen to Chicago nonprofits (2009)
*Best thing to name after Richard M. Daley (2010)
Best threesome (2011)
Best transvestite watching (2010)
*Best tweeting by a local news or politics personality (2009)
*Best unexpected manifestation of the smoking ban (2008)
Best unrecognized landmark to Chicago’s gay community(2008)
*Best view of the Lake (2009)
Best view without the Lake (2009)
Best warrior against the hegemony of car culture (2009)
*Best way for Chicago’s Olympics to outdo the Beijing Olympics (2008)
*Best way to end Chicago’s budget woes (2010)
*Best way to end the city’s budget crisis (2009)
CULTURE & NIGHTLIFE
Best of the Best: “The Adventures of Augie March”(2002)
Best of the Best: Art Institute of Chicago (2002)
Best of the Best: Berlin(2002)
Best of the Best: Brew and View at the Vic Theatre (2002)
Best of the Best: Buddy Guy’s Legends (2002)
Best of the Best: Chicago Botanic Gardens (2002)
Best of the Best: Chicago Cultural Center(2002)
Best of the Best: Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2002)
Best of the Best: Delilah’s(2002)
Best of the Best: Doc Films, University of Chicago (2002)
Best of the Best: Empty Bottle(2002)
Best of the Best: Field Museum(2002)
Best of the Best: Fireside Bowl(2002)
Best of the Best: Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (2002)
Best of the Best: Garfield Park Conservatory(2002)
Best of the Best: The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute (2002)
Best of the Best: Goodman Theatre (2002)
Best of the Best: Green Mill(2002)
Best of the Best: The Hideout(2002)
Best of the Best: House Music (2002)
Best of the Best: International Museum of Surgical Science (2002)
Best of the Best: Jazz Showcase(2002)
Best of the Best: Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap & Liquor Store (2002)
Best of the Best: Lyric Opera (2002)
Best of the Best: Matchbox(2002)
Best of the Best: The Metro(2002)
Best of the Best: Museum of Science and Industry (2002)
Best of the Best: Music Box(2002)
Best of the Best: Newberry Library(2002)
Best of the Best: Northalsted Market Days(2002)
Best of the Best: Old Town School of Folk Music(2002)
Best of the Best: Printers Row Book Fair (2002)
Best of the Best: The Second City(2002)
Best of the Best: Steppenwolf Theatre Company(2002)
Best of the Best: Studs Terkel(2002)
Best of the Best: Tuman’s Alcohol Abuse Center (2002)
Best 12×12 solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art (2010)
Best actor to make Chicago proud this year (2009)
Best alternative art-space fundraiser (2009)
Best alternative dance club (2007)
Best anniversary fest for a music empire now gone (2011)
Best anniversary fest for a music empire still living (2011)
Best annual music festival(2007)
Best approximation of South Beach Miami(2007)
Best art exhibit in Second Life (2007)
*Best art exhibit (in the last year or so)(2007)
*Best art exhibit (in the last year or so)(2008)
*Best art exhibit (in the last year or so) (2009)
*Best art exhibit (in the last year or so) (2010)
*Best art exhibit in the last year or so (2011)
Best art exhibit (in the last year or so) held in the suburbs (2010)
Best art exhibition about architecture in an architecturally significant building (2011)
Best art-exhibition catalogue design (2011)
*Best art gallery (2011)
*Best art-opening parties (2008)
Best art school for hobbyists (2011)
*Best art show (in the last year or so)(2002)
Best artist bookstore (2009)
*Best artist who has yet to play Lollapalooza but should (2008)
Best artwork worth saving from destruction(2007)
Best bar above Lawrence Avenue (2008)
Best bar for free popcorn and NES video gaming (2011)
Best bar that emulates your father’s basement(2007)
*Best bar to have a conversation in (2008)
Best bar to pick up a molecular biologist (with patents) (2002)
Best bar to see a reading (2009)
Best bar to time travel in (2010)
Best basement gallery (2011)
Best bathroom boot camp (2009)
*Best blues club (2011)
Best book written by a local author (in the last year or so) (2008)
*Best bowling alley(2008)
Best brother/sister garage rock band (2010)
Best cabaret(2002)
Best Chicago art boosters (2008)
*Best Chicago-as-Gotham moment in “The Dark Knight” (2008)
Best Chicago comic book convention (2011)
*Best Chicago record label (2011)
Best Chicago version of the Eurythmics (2011)
Best Christmas festival (2008)
Best collaborative accomplishment in the arts (2011)
Best college campus art gallery (2008)
*Best college radio station (2008)
Best comic-relief sidekick (2009)
Best controversy where there was none (2011)
*Best country album by a Chicago artist (in the last year or so)(2002)
Best creative use of an arboretum (2011)
Best crowd-sourced event in a museum (2011)
*Best dance club (2011)
Best digital tour through a museum’s collection (2011)
Best dive bar featuring all-German beer (2010)
Best eighties dance night (2010)
Best emerging art gallery (2011)
Best excuse to revisit the eighties (2011)
Best 50-cent beer night (2011)
Best first date (2010)
Best five dollars you can spend on a Thursday night(2008)
Best 4am bar worth a cab ride (2007)
Best free art-exhibition catalogues (2011)
Best free indie parties sponsored by a corporation (2011)
Best Friday night dance party no one knows about(2008)
Best gallery show in the last year (2009)
Best gallery showing Chicago artists (2011)
Best gallery space located in a bathroom (2009)
*Best guess as to where Billy Dec is and what he’s doing right now (2009)
Best high-school murals to get teenaged boys interested in art (2009)
Best hipster-free bar in Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village (2009)
Best hipster specialty dance night (non-Soul Night division) (2011)
*Best holiday-themed theatrical production (2010)
Best “I gotta go back there just to see her” bartender (2011)
Best “I gotta go back there just to see her” hostess (2011)
*Best idea for Desiree Rogers to use to revive Chicago icon Ebony/Jet (2010)
*Best idea for Hugh Hefner to use to revive Chicago icon Playboy (2010)
*Best imaginary Twitter post by Studs Terkel (2009)
Best improv club (2011)
Best individual accomplishment in the arts (2011)
Best institutional accomplishment in the arts (2011)
Best Irish bar (2008)
Best irreplaceable loss for the culture (2011)
Best itinerary for creeps(2002)
*Best jazz album by a Chicago artist (in the last year or so) (2002)
*Best jazz club (2011)
Best jazz musician to make us proud in the near future(2002)
*Best John Hughes movie set in or around Chicago (2009)
Best late-night holiday-themed theatrical production (2010)
Best literary monument (2010)
*Best live music show (in the last year or so) (2009)
*Best local actor (2010)
*Best local arts, culture or nightlife blog (2009)
Best local band to almost make the cover of Rolling Stone (2011)
Best local Barack Obama propaganda(2008)
*Best local DJ (2010)
*Best local music festival (2010)
Best local publisher (2002)
*Best mainstream movie theater (2010)
*Best martini selection (2008)
*Best memory shaken loose by the re-release of Liz Phair’s “Exile in Guyville”(2008)
Best midweek jazz boite (2011)
Best missing attraction in Chicago(2002)
Best museum exhibit with really really really ambiguous educational value (2009)
*Best name other than “Nothing Like the Holidays” for renaming the movie once known as “Humboldt Park” (2008)
Best neighborhood music fest (2010)
Best new art residency (2010)
*Best new bar or club (opened in the last year or so) (2009)
*Best new bar or club (opened in the last year or so) (2011)
*Best new bar (opened in the last year or so)(2002)
*Best new bar (opened in the last year or so)(2008)
*Best new bar or nightclub (opened in the last year or so) (2010)
*Best new Chicago band(2002)
*Best new dance club (opened in the last year or so) (2002)
Best new gallery of the future (2011)
*Best new gay or lesbian club (opened in the last year or so) (2002)
Best new literary event (2011)
*Best new live music club (opened in the last year or so)(2002)
Best new live music venue (2009)
Best new Monday night dance party (2008)
Best new mural (2011)
Best new music venue (2008)
*Best new nightclub (opened in the last year or so) (2008)
Best new podcast (2008)
Best new restaurant/lounge hybrid(2002)
Best new scene to be seen (2009)
Best new trend (2009)
Best new trend in free (or damn close) Chicago theater (2011)
Best new world record held by Chicagoans (2009)
*Best next foe for the rival film critic who smacked Roger Ebert at a screening (2008)
Best next local Twitter tracker after the “Tamale Guy tracker” (2009)
Best non-senior, non-student discount (2008)
*Best ongoing event/night at a dance club(2002)
Best onstage mess-making (2008)
Best open mic (2010)
Best open-studio holiday art sale (2009)
Best outdoor bar (2010)
Best painter under the age of 25 (2009)
Best painting show (in the last year or so) (2011)
*Best piano bar (2009)
*Best place for a first date (2008)
Best place for Madonna madness (2010)
Best place to eye a boy toy (2009)
Best place to get a one-dollar mug of Old Style (2009)
Best place to get drunk before 10am (2010)
Best place to get in touch with your inner Lemmy (2011)
*Best place to have a bachelor party (2010)
*Best place to have a bachelorette party (2010)
*Best place to play board games(2008)
Best place to play darts (2008)
*Best place to see an author reading (2010)
*Best place to see art films (2009)
Best place to see emerging artists at work (2008)
Best place to see movies outdoors (2002)
Best place to volunteer your time and have a good time while doing it(2008)
*Best place to watch soccer on TV (2008)
Best Polish pub with tiki ambiance (2010)
*Best post-Cubs-game bar (2008)
Best printmaking studio (2010)
Best production of a play you may have expected to be boring (2008)
Best proof that we’re not in Kansas anymore(2008)
Best public art failure (2011)
Best quiet museum space with a striking collection of contemporary art (2010)
Best “Real World” cast member from Chicago (2002)
*Best reality-show contestant from Chicago (2009)
Best reason to cheat (2009)
Best reason why we don’t deserve anything nice (2002)
Best regular trumpet gig (2010)
*Best Riccardo Muti moment at the CSO (2010)
Best rise of the undead (2008)
*Best rock album by a Chicago artist in the last year or so (2002)
*Best rock club (2011)
*Best rock or pop album by a Chicago artist (in the last year or so) (2008)
*Best rooftop bar (2009)
*Best Second City personality of the last fifty years (2009)
Best second coming of HAL (2008)
Best solo art show (in the last year or so) (2011)
Best sports bar named after an Irish playwright who wrote in English as well as French (2011)
Best street art delivery service (2010)
*Best theater production (in the last year or so)(2002)
*Best theater production (in the last year or so)(2008)
*Best theater production (in the last year or so) (2009)
*Best theater production (in the last year or so) (2010)
*Best theater production in the last year or so (2011)
*Best new theater space (opened in the last year or so) (2002)
*Best thing about the Art Institute’s new Modern Wing (2009)
*Best thing about Tony Tasset’s “Eye” sculpture (2010)
Best tied house (2008)
*Best title for the next album by R. Kelly(2002)
*Best TV series currently or recently set in Chicago (2011)
Best TV show set in Chicago that actually filmed here (2011)
Best tweeting by an art personality (2011)
*Best tweeting by local arts and culture personality (2009)
Best under-the-radar-but-still-toiling-away playwright (2010)
Best underground gallery (2009)
Best underrated late-night dance party (2008)
Best unexpected exhibition in an unexpected museum (2011)
Best unexpected piano soloist (2010)
Best unexpected place to see contemporary art (2010)
Best unexpectedly touching eulogy (2009)
Best unknown party space in a bar(2008)
Best use of a washboard(2008)
Best use of abandoned property (2009)
Best venue launch (in the last year or so) (2009)
Best vintage TV show filmed in Chicago (2010)
Best way to blow five bucks and laugh about it (2010)
Best way to disband a performance company(2008)
Best way to experience a band in person that you will most likely never, ever, ever, never get to see play live. Ever. (2011)
Best way to get trashed and see a show at the same time and have it be appropriate (2011)
Best windowless no-frills neighborhood bar with cheap Cosmopolitans (2010)
Best “Work of Art: The Next Great Artist” contestant from Chicago (2011)
Best zine scene (2011)
FOOD & DRINK
Best of the Best: Al’s #1 Italian Beef (2002)
Best of the Best: Aruns(2002)
Best of the Best: The Berghoff(2002)
Best of the Best: Billy Goat(2002)
Best of the Best: Blackbird (2002)
Best of the Best: Charlie Trotter (2002)
Best of the Best: Foodlife(2002)
Best of the Best: Frontera Grill(2002)
Best of the Best: Harold’s Chicken Shack (2002)
Best of the Best: Irazu(2002)
Best of the Best: La Pasadita (2002)
Best of the Best: Lem’s Bar-B-Q House (2002)
Best of the Best: Leo’s Lunchroom (2002)
Best of the Best: Lula Cafe(2002)
Best of the Best: Manny’s (2002)
Best of the Best: Margie’s Candies(2002)
Best of the Best: Mario’s Italian Lemonade(2002)
Best of the Best: Maxwell Street Polish (2002)
Best of the Best: Pizzerias Uno and Due(2002)
Best of the Best: Pompeii Bakery (2002)
Best of the Best: Superdawg (2002)
Best of the Best: Tru(2002)
Best of the Best: Vienna Beef(2002)
Best of the Best: Wiener Circle(2002)
Best after-work buffet (2009)
Best airport food(2002)
Best alcohol to trick your friends into drinking (2011)
Best American culinary discovery(2007)
Best Amerindian-African food (2009)
Best argument that Chicago is a great food town(2007)
*Best authentic martini(2002)
Best award of Michelin stars (2010)
Best bakery tortes(2008)
Best ballpark dog (2002)
*Best banh mi (2010)
*Best barbecue (2010)
Best beer festival (2011)
Best Beijing (formerly Peking) duck service (2008)
Best birrieria (2008)
*Best Bloody Mary (2002)
*Best bloody mary (2007)
Best borscht (2010)
Best brains in Chicago (2010)
Best breadsticks (2007)
Best breakfast alternative to the wait at Cozy Corner (2009)
Best breakfast/lunch spot in a flower shop (2009)
Best broccoli rabe (2010)
*Best brunch(2002)
*Best brunch(2007)
Best brunch (non-frou-frou division) (2011)
*Best bubble tea (2008)
*Best Buffalo wings (2009)
*Best burgers (2009)
Best café for coffee and respect (2008)
Best café for sprawling out(2008)
*Best Cajun/New Orleans-style restaurant (2008)
Best cheap Mexican food (2011)
Best cheese sandwich (2011)
Best chef blogger (2009)
Best “Chicago” tamales (2010)
Best Chicago-themed restaurant on the North Side (2011)
Best chicken sandwich (2007)
*Best chicken Vesuvio(2008)
*Best chili (2009)
Best chili dog(2007)
Best collegiate cookbook (2011)
Best cranberry borscht (2011)
Best crowd-sourced local brewery (2011)
*Best Cuban sandwich (2008)
Best culinary tours (2011)
Best cupcake tours (2011)
*Best cupcakes (2011)
*Best deli (2010)
Best designer cake shop(2008)
Best dish that most closely resembles your grandma’s secret stuffing(2008)
Best dive bar with gourmet grub(2008)
Best downtown cafeteria (2010)
Best Earth Day celebration (2011)
*Best empanada (2009)
*Best Ethiopian restaurant(2007)
Best fake reason Laurent Gras left Lettuce Entertain You’s L20 after it was awarded three stars (2010)
*Best falafel(2007)
Best Filipino breakfast (2010)
*Best fish & chips(2007)
*Best fish tacos (2010)
*Best foie gras, now that it’s legal again(2008)
*Best food at Taste of Chicago (2002)
Best food business move of the year (2010)
*Best food truck (2010)
*Best french fries (2011)
Best French toast (2009)
*Best fried chicken(2008)
*Best fried shrimp (2008)
*Best frozen cocktail(2008)
*Best gastropub, whether or not it calls itself a gastropub (2007)
*Best gourmet carryout (2009)
Best granitas (2009)
*Best Greek restaurant (2011)
Best grilling rub recipe (2011)
Best grocery store (2007)
*Best guacamole(2002)
*Best guess on what next media stunt the artist formerly known as Graham Elliot Bowles will employ to promote his burgeoning TV and restaurant empire? (2010)
Best hamburger empire based in Chicago besides McDonalds (2009)
Best handcrafted non-alcoholic drinks (2011)
Best Hawaiian lunch spot (2011)
*Best high-end chef serving low-end food (2010)
Best high tea (2010)
Best holiday potluck dish (2011)
Best hotdog shack(2008)
*Best house-made charcuterie (2009)
Best humungous margaritas (2011)
*Best imaginary Twitter post by Herman Joseph Berghoff (2009)
*Best Indian restaurant (2009)
*Best Italian beef sandwich (2011)
Best latte art (2010)
Best Lithuanian bakery (2011)
Best local bbq sauce (2010)
*Best local food blog (2009)
*Best local spirit/liquor (2010)
Best locally brewed beer(2008)
Best lunchtime fish special (2009)
*Best macaron (2010)
Best masochistic move by a local chef (2010)
*Best meatball sandwich (2010)
Best meatless tzimmes (2011)
Best meatloaf sandwich (2008)
*Best Mexican restaurant (2011)
*Best Middle Eastern restaurant (2010)
*Best milkshake (2011)
*Best mojitos (2002)
Best Montreal-style poutine in Chicago (2009)
Best museum-worthy cupcakes (2010)
Best mussels (2011)
Best never-before-revealed reasons why the Publican restaurant (from the Blackbird and Avec team) took so long to open(2008)
Best new brewery (2011)
*Best new chef (2009)
Best new falafel sandwich bar (2009)
Best new fatty food trend (2011)
Best new Japanese fusion restaurant that’s not L20 (2008)
Best new Middle Eastern restaurant(2008)
Best new pancake house(2008)
*Best new restaurant (opened in the last year or so)(2002)
*Best new restaurant (opened in the last year or so)(2008)
*Best new restaurant (opened in the last year or so) (2009)
*Best new restaurant (opened in the last year or so) (2010)
*Best new restaurant (opened in the last year or so) (2011)
Best new South Side restaurant to earn a Michelin Bib Gourmand award (2010)
Best of the new steakhouses (2010)
Best $9 curry braised duck, pickled cauliflower and mint chutney yogurt on baguette at a BYOB (2011)
Best non-bbq rib (2009)
*Best noodles (2009)
Best outdoor lunch (2002)
*Best pancakes (2010)
Best panzanella salad twist(2008)
Best pasta dish (2009)
*Best pastries (2009)
Best peach cobbler (2010)
Best Persian restaurant (2010)
*Best pizza (2011)
Best place for an inexpensive lunch of unadulterated food in the North Michigan Avenue area if you are tired and hungry after gazing in the windows at Chanel or pondering the latest conundrums at the MCA but don’t want to go to a food court or an expensive restaurant (2010)
*Best place for dessert(2008)
Best place for inexpensive French toast (2010)
Best place for Mayor McCheese to commandeer on Foursquare if McDonald’s fired him (2010)
Best place for wholesale tofu (2011)
Best place to buy Lechon in a trailer (2009)
Best place to eat, drink, and party in a traditional-but-relaxed place with excellent food close to Chicago, thus immune to Hizzoner’s threatened smoking ban(2002)
*Best place to drink bourbon (2009)
Best place to eat head cheese (2009)
Best place to get a decent meal after midnight (2010)
*Best place to get a salad(2008)
Best place to meet strangers over breakfast(2008)
Best place to stock up on fruits and nuts (2008)
*Best pork belly(2008)
Best prosciutto lollipop (2009)
Best quote from a local chef (2010)
Best raw vegan pastries (2010)
Best reason for breakfast (2011)
Best reason to avoid the long lines at Xoco (2009)
Best reason to choose tofu over pork (2009)
Best reason to indulge in a 1980s restaurant cliché (2009)
Best reason to stop teasing vegetarians and become one (2009)
Best regional dinner series (2009)
Best restaurant disaster and recovery (2009)
*Best restaurant for a holiday meal if mom’s on a cruise (2010)
Best restaurant in the back of a supermercado (2010)
Best restaurant near the Art Institute (2002)
Best restaurant with a chalkboard menu(2008)
Best sangria (2002)
Best savory waffle (2011)
*Best seafood restaurant (2008)
Best smelling food truck (2011)
Best spinach pie (2010)
Best Steve Dolinsky television moment proving he’s not just another pretty food journalist with a shiny 8” x 10” headshot (2008)
*Best sub sandwiches (2002)
Best Sunday comfort food (2010)
Best Swedish breakfast (2011)
Best sweet use of horseradish (2011)
*Best taco from a non-traditional taqueria (2010)
Best Tex-Mex food, i.e. not Rick Bayless or organ-meat-serving, regional-taqueria-skewing Mexican food(2008)
*Best Thai restaurant (2011)
Best time-tested pizza parlor (2010)
Best tiny birthday cakes sold at a Thai restaurant (2011)
Best traditional neighborhood bakery with a contemporary twist (2011)
Best trip to Algiers without leaving Andersonville (2011)
Best Turkish restaurant (2010)
*Best tweeting by a local food personality (2009)
Best underground supper club (2011)
Best use of eighties kitsch (2010)
Best use of tofu (2010)
Best Wagyu steak salad (2009)
Best way to deal with annual problems of persistently long lines and lack of food at Chicago Gourmet (2010)
Best way to deliver a restaurant check so the customer forgets it’s actually a bill (2011)
Best wine blog (2011)
Best wine list few people know about (2010)
Best under-the-radar Italian restaurant (2010)
Best unusual food item (2002)
Best vegan restaurant (2011)
*Best vegetarian restaurant (2011)
GOODS & SERVICES
Best of the Best: Dusty Groove America (2002)
Best of the Best: El train(2002)
Best of the Best: Facets Multimedia(2002)
Best of the Best: Marshall Field’s State Street(2002)
Best of the Best: Paulina Meat Market(2002)
Best of the Best: Prairie Avenue Bookstore (2002)
Best of the Best: Quimby’s (2002)
Best of the Best: Salvage One(2002)
Best of the Best: Sam’s Wine Warehouse(2002)
Best of the Best: Seminary Cooperative Bookstore(2002)
Best addition to Michigan Avenue (2011)
Best adult toys and novelties you won’t be tempted to put up an orifice (2007)
Best alternative to the post office(2007)
Best Amish market complete with walk-in refrigerator and fresh poultry (2011)
Best (and cheapest) way to see Chicago during the warmer months (2011)
*Best animal shelter (2011)
*Best antique shop (2009)
*Best art supply store (2011)
Best artisan design shop in Andersonville (2011)
Best attribute of the massive new 24-hour Dominick’s in West Town(2007)
Best bakery to buy your own pretzel buns (2010)
Best barbershop not in the movie “Barbershop”(2002)
Best bicycling revolution not fully espoused by a mayor who claims to be spot-welded to his own two-wheeler (2007)
*Best bike shop (2002)
*Best bike shop (2007)
Best bikini wax(2002)
Best birthday party accessories (2010)
Best boutique mascot (2010)
Best breadsticks(2007)
*Best butcher shop (2007)
Best camera store(2008)
*Best cheap-chic chain in Chicago
Best cheap downtown bar (2010)
Best cheap haircut(2007)
Best Chinese herb shop (2009)
*Best chocolatier (2010)
Best Christian bookstore on the North Side (2010)
Best church for getting your pets blessed (2010)
*Best comics shop (2007)
Best counter-intuitive name for a dental practice (2010)
Best custom bikes (2011)
Best custom-made designer boxes (2011)
*Best daily-deals site (2011)
Best discount shoe store (2008)
Best dollar store(2007)
Best dry cleaners with an antique museum inside (2011)
*Best eco-retailer (2008)
Best example of DIY creativity gone global (2008)
Best excuse to shop for shoes (2011)
Best facial moment you’ll be thinking about for a month (2011)
*Best farmers’ market (2010)
Best fashion future boutique (2010)
*Best flower shop(2008)
*Best garden store (2008)
Best gear for chicks who love kicks (2011)
Best gnarling dog restaurant t-shirt (2010)
*Best grocery store (2007)
*Best IKEA feature(2002)
*Best imaginary Twitter post by Marshall Field (2009)
Best imported German dirndl dresses (2010)
*Best independent bookstore (2002)
*Best independent bookstore (2007)
Best indie film rental store (2010)
*Best indie record store (2010)
*Best iPhone app with Chicago relevance (2009)
*Best liquor store (2010)
Best living legend in the magic world who is Armenian and runs his own magic shop (2011)
*Best local cemetery (2009)
Best local shopping or consumerist blog (2009)
*Best local shopping or consumerist twitterer (2009)
Best local soap company (2011)
Best local tattoo artist who probably will not ink you (2010)
*Best locally made bread (2010)
Best magic shop (2011)
Best masseuse (2011)
*Best menswear boutique(2008)
*Best mobile-phone-service provider (2010)
*Best museum store for jewelry(2008)
Best neighborhood jeweler (2008)
*Best new boutique (opened in the last year or so)(2008)
*Best new boutique (opened in the last year or so) (2009)
*Best new boutique or shop (opened in the last year or so) (2010)
*Best new boutique or shop opened in the last year or so (2011)
*Best new clothing store (opened in the last year or so)(2002)
Best new coffee shop to write a paper in while listening to good music (2009)
Best new Old World sauna (2010)
Best Paris Web site by a Chicagoan (2009)
*Best pet boutique (2002)
Best pet boutique (2010)
Best place for discount home goods (2008)
Best place for fresh meat for pets (2010)
Best place for matched, and mismatched, juice and drinking glasses (2011)
*Best place to buy cheese (2002)
*Best place to buy coffee beans (2010)
*Best place to buy denim (2009)
*Best place to buy DVDs (2010)
Best place to buy fashionable t-shirts (2010)
*Best place to buy fresh seafood(2008)
*Best place to buy kitchen gadgets (2008)
*Best place to buy men’s shoes (2009)
*Best place to buy men’s underwear(2008)
*Best place to buy music (CD or vinyl) (2011)
*Best place to buy new magazines (2011)
Best place to buy records on the South Side (2010)
*Best place to buy tea leaves (2010)
Best place to buy tea leaves in the suburbs (2010)
*Best place to buy a used bicycle (2009)
*Best place to buy women’s jewelry (2009)
*Best place to buy women’s shoes (2009)
*Best place to buy women’s underwear(2008)
Best place to design your own jewelry (2008)
Best place to donate a piano (2009)
Best place to get books on street art and graffiti (2010)
*Best place to get eyewear (2011)
Best place to get gas before you enter the city(2002)
Best place to get a handmade belt buckle (2009)
*Best place to get men’s hats(2008)
*Best place to get women’s hats (2008)
Best place to live out “A River Runs Through It” (2009)
Best place to make going to the dentist dreamy instead of dreadful (2010)
*Best place to open a checking account, now that the financial meltdown has wiped out a chunk of the banking system(2008)
Best place to rent films about things your parents warned you about (2010)
*Best place to sell your used books (2009)
*Best place to sell your used cds (2009)
Best place to smell pretty(2002)
Best place to spend nothing on trendy duds(2008)
Best Polish store (2009)
Best popcorn company with a logo reminiscent of Julie Andrews (2011)
Best poster shop(2008)
Best proof positive that the Far East can manufacture practically anything cheaper than the USA (2002)
Best retail supply and display store (2010)
Best retro luggage featured on a TV show about to get cancelled (2011)
Best retro lunch boxes (2010)
Best salon for a discount ‘do(2008)
Best salon for getting your Ramona Flowers on (2010)
Best selection of hanging Danish mobiles (2011)
Best seventies museum in a barbershop (2002)
*Best sex shop (2008)
*Best shoe repair(2002)
Best shop for affordable, poofy tulle debutante ball gowns like Scarlett O’Hara once wore (2011)
Best shop to get your bike fixed at 9am (2009)
Best sister stores with coordinating names (2010)
*Best sneaker boutique (2010)
Best specialty used bookstore (2010)
Best store for pink girlie stuff(2008)
Best store for vintage costume jewelry sorted by color (2010)
Best store to loiter in on the Mag Mile besides the Apple store (2010)
Best taxicab experience (2010)
*Best thing about the Groupon craze (2010)
*Best thing you’d like to see the CTA spend your $3 fare on (2009)
*Best toy shop(2008)
Best underappreciated junk store (2010)
*Best used bookstore (2010)
*Best vintage store (2010)
Best voodoo shop (2010)
Best way to profit from your giveaways(2008)
Best way to save money and still have fun (2009)
Best way to visit Spain without a plane (2009)
Best “we bring the spa to you” experience (2011)
Best wind-up tin robots (2011)
Best women’s-only workout space (2008)
*Best women’s shoe store (2011)
SPORTS & RECREATION
Best of the Best: Diversey River Bowl(2002)
Best of the Best: National anthem at Blackhawks games(2002)
Best of the Best: North Avenue Beach(2002)
Best of the Best: Sammy Sosa (2002)
Best of the Best: Sixteen-inch softball(2002)
Best of the Best: Soldier Field(2002)
Best of the Best: Southport Lanes(2002)
Best of the Best: Wrigley Field (2002)
*Best alternative name for the bean-bag game sometimes called cornhole(2007)
Best bar for fantasy-football dorks (2010)
*Best bar in Bridgeport to watch the White Sox (2011)
*Best bar in Wrigleyville to watch the Cubs (2011)
*Best bar outside of Bridgeport to watch the White Sox (2011)
*Best bar outside of Wrigleyville to watch the Cubs (2011)
Best beer man at United Center (2010)
*Best bowling alley(2008)
Best boxing gym for beginners (2010)
Best brick-and-mortar place to seriously nerd out, old-school style (2011)
*Best Chicago baseball player this season (2008)
Best Chicago Cubs blog by a “chic”(2008)
*Best city street to ride a bicycle on (2009)
Best classic neighborhood pool hall (2010)
*Best coach of a Chicago pro sports franchise (2010)
*Best coach or manager of a Chicago team (2009)
Best Cubs moment of joy in an otherwise sad season(2008)
Best ’85 Bear still making his living as an ’85 Bear(2002)
Best half marathon(2007)
Best half marathon (2009)
*Best imaginary Twitter post by Mike Ditka (2009)
Best indulgence where the penance comes first (2009)
*Best lesson to be learned from the Cubs season this year (2008)
*Best local sports blog (2009)
*Best name for the ballpark if the Rickettses decide to rename Wrigley Field (2009)
*Best new Bear (2002)
*Best new Bear (2007)
*Best new Bear (2008)
*Best new Bear (2009)
*Best new Bear (2010)
*Best new Bear (2011)
*Best new Blackhawk(2002)
*Best new Blackhawk(2008)
*Best new Blackhawk (2009)
*Best new Blackhawk (2010)
*Best new Blackhawk (2011)
*Best new Bull (2002)
*Best new Bull(2007)
*Best new Bull(2008)
*Best new Bull (2009)
*Best new Bull (2010)
*Best new Bull (2011)
*Best new career for Tank Johnson(2007)
*Best new Chicago baseball manager (2011)
*Best new Cub (2002)
*Best new Cub (2007)
*Best new Cub (2008)
*Best new Cub (2009)
*Best new Cub (2010)
*Best new Cub (2011)
*Best new gig for Jay Mariotti(2008)
*Best new gig for Rex Grossman (2008)
Best new park (2009)
*Best new Sox(2002)
*Best new White Sox(2007)
*Best new White Sox(2008)
*Best new White Sox (2009)
*Best new White Sox (2010)
*Best new White Sox (2011)
Best news for Chicago bicycling (2010)
*Best next career for Ozzie Guillen(2007)
Best next move for the Baseball Hall of Fame after inducting Ron Santo (2011)
*Best nickname for Gordon Beckham (2009)
*Best nickname for Jay Cutler (2009)
Best noticeable absence (2009)
*Best personal encounter with a sports celebrity (2009)
*Best place the Stanley Cup might have visited during its Chicago tour, but likely did not, at least not publicly (2010)
*Best place the Stanley Cup visited during its Chicago “tour” (2010)
*Best place to buy Cubs tickets for sold-out games (2007)
Best place to go around in circles (2011)
Best place to picnic (2010)
*Best place to play board games(2008)
Best place to play darts(2008)
*Best place to play kickball(2007)
*Best place to watch Nebraska football games, as fans prepare for its Big 10 era (2010)
*Best place to watch soccer on TV (2008)
*Best player that the Cubs could have spent $30 million on instead of Milton Bradley (2009)
*Best post-Cubs-game bar (2008)
*Best potential buyer for the Chicago Cubs(2007)
*Best public beach (2010)
*Best public park (2010)
Best public pool to go swimming (2009)
Best public pool to have held Olympic swimming trials (2010)
*Best race other than the marathon(2007)
*Best reason the Bears will go back to the Super Bowl(2007)
*Best replacement for Illini mascot Chief Illiniwek(2007)
*Best sports bar to avoid Cubs fans (2007)
*Best sports bar to watch the Cubs pennant chase since you can’t get tickets for wrigley(2007)
Best sports-radio jocks(2008)
*Best still-playing former Chicago athlete we wish were still in town (2010)
*Best thing about Northerly Island (2010)
*Best thing about the Bears playing in Champaign-Urbana(2002)
*Best thing about the Cubs’ Ricketts era so far (2010)
*Best thing about the Cubs-Sox World Series fantasy(2008)
*Best thing about the new Blackhawks regime(2008)
Best tweeting by a local sports personality (2009)
Best underrated park (2010)
Best Windy City Roller that we already miss (2009)
Best women’s-only workout space(2008)
*Best Wrigley renovation, not yet proposed(2002)
*Best yacht club in Chicago (2010)
*Best yoga studio (2011)
