No one knows Savannah like the readers of Savannah Magazine. That’s why, for the last eight years, we’ve counted on our following of invested Savannahians to help us choose the best food, nightlife, personalities, organizations, shops and services in the city. This year, savvy locals cast their votes on more categories than ever to honor the exemplary people, places and experiences that make the Savannah lifestyle so extraordinary.

FOOD/DINING OUT
Best Place for Romantic Dinner (Two-way Tie)
The tied winners in this category are Elizabeth on 37th and The Olde Pink House. When only the best service, food, wine pairing and ambiance are good enough for you and your significant other, our readers know national award winner Elizabeth on 37th will deliver. Well-established in Savannah’s Victorian district, Elizabeth has been the backdrop for special occasions since 1981. The Olde Pink House is back on top for the second year in a row, and, with a new addition that gives diners a view of the Historic District, it will be difficult to choose where to take your seat between the antique-appointed dining rooms and the elegant piano bar downstairs where live music is offered nightly.

Best Bartender
Best Waiter
Best Server
Best Overall Restaurant
The food is only half of the allure of Jazz’d Tapas Bar. Our readers are impressed with owners Brian and Julie Curry’s staff of chefs, hostesses, waiters and bartenders. The restaurant’s industrial-chic, underground design features a really cool bar, bright, exciting artwork and a place for nightly entertainment. It’s probably a blast to work in, so it’s no surprise that the staff takes great care of their guests.
Scrumptious Cosmos, mojitos and sweet sangrias combined with a warm smile and engaging personality earned Tracy Fischer a city full of devotees and a win in this year’s Best Bartender
category. Jake Meders of Jazz’d knows how to keep customers coming back — great service and great food. Jake won for Best Waiter.

Best Desserts
Delicious and glamorous are two words often used to describe Lulu’s Chocolate Bar, our readers’ choice for best desserts. With a full bar, homemade desserts and chocolate fondue, it’s easy to see why people flock to Lulu’s to “get their sweet on.” Handmade truffles, Lulu-tinis (chocolate vodka, chocolate liqueur, crème de cacao mixed with real chocolate) and a dessert bar are just a few of the reasons they won hands-down!

Best Business Lunch
Best Place for Saturday/Sunday Brunch
Best Chef
When you are meeting a client for lunch or taking the family out for a delicious brunch, your choice should be the newly tricked-out B. Matthew’s Eatery, according to our readers. With Chef Jeff Crumpton’s expanded menu that takes customers from breakfast to dinner, hungry folks don’t have to look far for a great meal downtown.

Best Outdoor Dining
The Bella in the name Bona Bella Yacht Club translates as beautiful, and that’s a perfect word for the view of the Herb River at this cozy and chic outdoor eatery. Whether our readers are dining al fresco right off their boats, or inside the small, but comfy restaurant, the food is always worth the trip to the tucked-away club on Livingston Avenue.
Best Restaurant on Water (New Category)
For downtown dining, it’s hard to beat the view at Vic’s on the River, one of Savannah’s newest and most popular restaurants/bars. Even if your seating doesn’t allow for a look at the Savannah River, the restaurant is one of the most stylish in the city. Chef Jay Cantrell serves up traditional Southern food with a twist.

Best Sushi
Best Place for Late-night Dining
(New Category)
It easy to see why Sushi Zen on Whitaker Street was voted the best place to cap the night with its downtown, after-the-bars allure. Soon Zen fans will be able to enjoy the new space at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and St. Julian Street. With Chef/owner Yoshi’s insistence on the freshest of fish and ingredients, it’s no wonder locals and visitors have voted them the best six years in a row!

Best Local Coffeehouse
Our readers most like to meet friends for coffee at Gallery Espresso, located in the heart of downtown Savannah. The café is packed with coffee and tea-related paraphernalia and local artwork for sale. Gourmet European coffees, baked goods and lunch items make this pet-friendly coffeehouse a hotspot for students, tourists and locals.

Best BBQ
Best Chef
Best New Restaurant
Best Kid-friendly Restaurant (New Category)
With less than a year under its filled-to-the-brim-with-barbecue belt, our readers have clearly found their way to Blowin’ Smoke BBQ, Brian Huskey’s second city eatery (B. Matthews was his first). Is it the indoor and outdoor seating choices, the live entertainment or Chef Jeff Crumpton’s lip-smackin’ pork, ribs, brisket and chicken that draws ’em in by the dozens? Most likely it’s all of the above, and the great kid’s menu items delivered by the cheerful staff that got this newbie the votes for four categories.

Best Wine Selection
Cheers to aVida Restaurant and Wine Bar, this year’s winner for offering the city’s best selection of wine. With a list hand-picked by owner Brian Grenchik, imbibers of the fermented grape need look no further for Italian and specialty reds, Pinot Noirs, Cabernet Sauvignons, champagnes, Chardonnays and specialty wines.

Best Asian Restaurant
KAO (pronounced cow) may be the most mispronounced restaurant name in Savannah, but our readers know it’s the place to order the best Thai food around. Chef/owner and Thailand native Wasan Trimas got his start in his family’s restaurant as a youngster, swore off the industry and then returned to his true calling as a young adult. His guests are mighty glad he came back to open his Thunderbolt hotspot.

Best Mexican Restaurant
Anyone who has ever visited one of the three Jalapeños Mexican Restaurants knows how consistently jammed-packed with people they are. It should come as no surprise, then, that Jalapeños is our reader’s choice for Best Mexican Restaurant for the second year in a row. Take your pick of locations: Sandfly, Southside or Whitemarsh Island.
Best Italian Restaurant
Savannahians are nothing if they’re not predictable when it comes to their favorite watering holes and neighborhood restaurants, and Bella’s Italian Café isn’t kidding when they claim, “It’s where Savannah eats Italian.” With a corner on this market, and for the second year in a row, Bella’s takes the cake (Tiramisu, of course), along with the prize for best Italian cuisine.

Best Greek Restaurant (New Category)
For 17 years, The Olympia Café on River Street has been serving up Greek cuisine to the delight of locals and tourists alike. Lamb chops, gyros, pizza pies and Baklava are just a sampling of the traditional foods that fly out of the kitchen daily. Overlooking the Savannah River, it’s kind of like stepping into a Greek café. Opa!

Best Hamburger
B & D Burgers is our readers’ choice for the fifth year in a row! Two locations — downtown and Southside — offer more than 15 types of burgers with names taken from our city’s history, such as “The Moon River,” “The City Market” and “The Tybee,” which is a veggie burger.

Best Fried Chicken
If ever there was a Savannah institution, it would have to be Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room, this year’s winner for best fried chicken. The fourth generation of the family keeps Sema Wilkes’ spirit alive by continuing what she started in 1943 — a boardinghouse where she served Southern cooking to her guests in a downstairs dining room. They don’t board folks anymore, but the family still invites strangers and friends to sit together and share bowls filled with steaming vegetables, fresh breads, grits and platters of award-winning fried chicken!

Best Seafood (Two–way Tie)
When near the ocean, who doesn’t crave fresh seafood? Especially when it’s brought straight off the boat to the kitchens of The Crab Shack and Uncle Bubba’s, the two restaurants that tied as winners in this category. The Crab Shack, formerly a “sleepy fishing camp,” is now a tourist destination with a Gift Shack, Gator Lagoon and seafood “so fresh you want to slap it.” Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House, a restaurant owned by Paula Deen and her brother, Bubba, is located along the coastal marshes on Whitemarsh Island. Specialties include char-grilled oysters, crab cakes, flounder, catfish and shrimp.

Best Place to Buy Produce
Another family enterprise, Polk’s Produce and Floral, takes the prize for this category. They offer a great selection of big, juicy, fresh produce as well as a lovely assortment of flowers and plants.

Best Bakery
Back in the Day Bakery is a hip, happening place in the Starland District, and it smells like all the goodies in their bakery case. That’s because the bakers make everything that lands on your tongue from scratch — including artisan breads, an assortment of cupcakes and small cakes, cookies and other sweet treats that you will most likely be unable to resist.

Best Candy Shop
River Street Sweets, a repeat winner, is a family affair with mother Pat Strickland as owner and children Jennifer and Tim Strickland as key players in the business. The gourmet Southern candy store has expanded to eight stores located in Savannah, Charleston, S. C., and Myrtle Beach, S.C., and is known for its pralines, assorted chocolate bear claws, glazed pecans and chocolate pecans.

Best Take-out Food
For the second year in a row, Zunzi’s Take-out and Catering was voted tops by our readers who don’t mind waiting in the line that snakes out the door and down York Street at lunch-time. This tiny food stand offers big flavors and generous servings of Gabriella’s and Johnny’s eclectic mix of Swiss-, Italian-, South African- and Dutch-inspired dishes.

Best Gourmet Food Store
Another second-time winner is The Fresh Market, a welcome addition to the grocery store offerings in town. In this open-air, “old-world” market, shoppers can stock their baskets with fresh fish, breads, produce, wine and flowers while enjoying coffee samples and classical music.

Best Caterer/Catering Company
Susan Mason is well-known for her Southern roots, and our readers are proud to claim her as their favorite. One of her mottos, “You’re only as good as your last party,” has apparently served Susan well — and her guests even better, as they’ve voted for her two years in a row.

Best Ice Cream/Yogurt
This category was new in 2007, and, for the second year in a row, Leopold’s Ice Cream is scooping up the award. Savannah Magazine readers might have difficulty choosing between the flavors in the ice-cream case, but they had no trouble at all naming Leopold’s as their fave ice-cream parlor.

Best Breakfast
Clary’s Cafe is well-known throughout the city (and farther) for many reasons; one of them, of course, for being a “character” in the book and movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” For now, however, they’ll have to be happy with being adored by our readers for their home-cooked breakfasts and bottomless coffee cups.


NIGHTLIFE
Best Place for Live Entertainment/
Girls Night Out
With live local jazz acts several times a week, an array of tasty bites and that spectacular serpentine bar, it’s no wonder Jazz’d Tapas Bar is racking up the nightlife awards for the fifth year straight.

Best Local Pub
Saturated with UK ambience and centrally located near Chippewa Square, the Six Pence Pub is a cozy meeting place where locals love to gather for a pint or feast on hearty staples such as Shepherd’s Pie and Bangers n’ Mash.

Best Dance Club
Lady Chablis and “Midnight” made it world-famous, but the irreverent Club One is more party girl than prima donna. The club’s daring drag cabaret performs every night of the week, and we think these ladies’ playful attitude is what makes Savannahians feel at home on the heart-thumping dance floor.

Best Karaoke Bar
Just dark and boozy enough to give us way more confidence than we ought to have, McDonough’s attracts all walks of Savannah life to the mic. With a karaoke sound-off every night at 9:30, it’s easy to see why McDonough’s rules for the sixth year straight.

Best Happy Hour
The view of the Wilmington River has gotten slimmer over the years, but the crowd on the two-story patio at Tubby’s Tank House continues to grow. Tubby’s famous Thursday Sunset Party makes happy hour last all night long, but any night of the week, a drink, a breeze and some blackened tuna bites make the workday seem worlds away.
Best Local Band
Since 1999, Ginger Fawcett, Rick Betz, Bob Hack and Barr Dylan Nobles have been spinning bright, spicy pop performances as Liquid Ginger, Savannah readers’ favorite musical group for four years running.

PEOPLE
Best Philanthropist
Robert S. and Alice Jepson epitomize the spirit of giving back. With grace and quiet determination, they support numerous organizations and charities in Savannah including the Telfair Museum of Art, the Georgia Historical Society, the Mighty Eighth Museum and the Savannah Music Festival — to name a few.

Best Local Writer
How proud we are that one of our regularly contributing writers, Tim A. Rutherford, was voted the best local wordsmith. Tim balances his full-time responsibilities as vice president of Senior Citizens Inc. with writing popular food articles for Savannah Magazine and operating a Web site, www.savannahfoodie.com, which features local and regional dining reviews and food news.

Best Local Media Personality
Whether on-screen at WTOC-TV or off-screen emceeing a variety of charity functions, Sonny Dixon has been our readers’ choice for the past seven years. A mixture of down-home conversation and an easy smile make Sonny easy to listen to and fun to watch.

Best Local Photographer
For the second year, Christine Hall’s beautiful family and bridal portraits have earned her recognition, both locally and across the nation. Her style captures true emotion and candid moments, revealing her subjects’ personalities. Her commercial work has been published in Good Housekeeping, Inside Weddings and The Knot, as well as Savannah Magazine.

Best Emerging Local Artist (New Category)
Margaret Clay, an admitted newcomer to the world of art, puts her heart and soul into her colorful works.

Best Party/Event Planner (New Category)
Bethany Hewitt has taken Savannah by storm with her expertise, creativity and high standards for planning successful events. Bethany’s company, Southern Graces, is in demand by corporate as well as individual clients looking for custom-tailored, unforgettable experiences.

Best Personal Trainer
Kathy Speno, with more than 20 years of experience in the fitness and personal training industry, wants to help her clients achieve overall health and a balanced quality of life. Always looking for innovative fitness approaches, Kathy is an obvious favorite with her many clients at Speno’s Personal Fitness Studio.

Best Dentist
Gerald E. Kramer, DDS, offering general dentistry and cosmetic reconstruction, has been treating patients “like family” for 28 years. With a philosophy of never overbooking to cut down on waiting times, the doctor and his staff have a great rapport with their patients.

Best Local DJ
Although disc jockey Gregory Cross passed away in April, his popularity was such that readers voted him Best Local DJ.
Cross – who died at the age of 47, apparently from a heart attack – had for more than 10 years owned and operated Crosstown DJ, a mobile disc-jockey service that provided the music – from pop to country to oldies – for countless weddings, parties, grand openings and other events.
Gregory, a Michael Jordan look-alike who impersonated the basketball icon at events when he lived and worked in Atlanta, had said that he and his deejays knew “how to read the crowd and play just the right music” for an event – making sure they didn’t “play the music too loud” and that they played “the appropriate music.”
Cross also prided himself on giving back to the community, and among his endeavors was tutoring at a local elementary school.

Best Pet Groomer
Best Pet Sitter (New Category)
For 45 years, Carol’s Pampered Pets has been training, boarding, grooming and providing expert care for Savannah’s pets. Owner Carol Mett knows a thing or two about what will keep your four-legged family members happy!

Best Realtor (New Category)
Andrea Re, an associate broker with Mopper-Stapen, Realtors, with more than 20 years of experience in assisting home buyers and sellers, has won the respect and admiration of her customers and her peers.

Best Hair Stylist
Best Hair Salon
Best Customer Service
Jay Marshlick and his Greener Grass Hair Color and Designs have a faithful following. Much in demand, Marshlick travels the world to teach the latest in color and design. Greener Grass, recently selected by Elle magazine as one of the country’s best hair color salons, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.

Best Lawyer
Chris Ray, a partner at the prestigious 110-year-old law firm of Oliver Maner LLP, brings his expertise to bear in areas of commercial litigation, medical malpractice, catastrophic injury and wrongful death. In addition to our list, Chris is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” and has been named a “Rising Star” as one of the best young lawyers in Georgia in 2005 and 2006. Hear, hear!!

Best Veterinarian
Case Veterinary Hospital has been treating animals in Savannah for almost 100 years. Dr. Carla Case-McCorvey’s great grandfather, Dr. Erle Case, came to the city in 1909 by steamship and began a legacy that has continued through four generations.