Vote Here: 

https://www.survs.com/survey/7FKVFAZVQR

Voting ends September 23rd. Watch for results in October. Happy voting!

*****************************************************************************

Raise A Glass To Food And Drink

Absolute avalanche of results shows Saskatoon loves fine dining
by Chris Kirkland

Last fall, the collected minions of this magazine gathered at Planet S world headquarters to discuss a problem ' a happy, wonderful problem, but a problem nonetheless.

To put it simply, in the seven years we've been around, Saskatoon has been expanding, the dining scene has exploded and all manner of small businesses have sprung up and began doing wonderful things. Yet, we had no room to recognize this growth in our annual Best Of Saskatoon Readers Poll extravaganza.

What's more, Best Of Saskatoon itself had grown rapidly in popularity over the years ' and in 2009, it exploded to the point where we were seriously, seriously hard-pressed to count all the ballots, tabulate all the votes and create the Results issue in anything close to on-time.

Again, these are hardly bad problems to whine about (although trust me, we've got no problem whining in this office ' but hey, we're comfortable with who we are). We're stunningly pleased at just how much Saskatonians have embraced our annual Best Of Saskatoon, and we're deeply humbled by just how thoroughly entrenched our Readers' Poll has become in this city's cultural fabric.

Still, what to do about those pesky problems?

'Well,' said one of the assembled (and, undoubtedly, thoroughly over-caffeinated) worker-bees, 'what if we split Food and Drink into its own poll?'

Excellent idea ' although it did generate a list of potential concerns and calamities.

Of those, the most worrisome was that a separate Best Of Saskatoon Food and Drink poll might be met with less interest ' and garner less votes ' than in previous years.

As it turns out, no worries there.

The response to this year's first-ever Best Of Saskatoon Food and Drink poll has been, with no exaggeration, staggering. In fact, the number of ballots we received this year were just a tiny hair under double the number we received for the entire 2009 poll ' which was itself a record.

Wow.

I think there are a few reasons for this, but clearly the most important one is that Saskatonians have always loved dining ' but more and more, we love good dining ' and everything that phrase encompasses. As a result, we're becoming more passionate about food and drink ' meaning long-time dining favourites are becoming re-energized by an influx of enthusiastic new customers, while newer establishments dedicated to providing high-quality dining experiences have a much better chance of not only surviving, but thriving for many years to come.

All in all, if you love food, it's an exciting time to be in Saskatoon.

So: without further editorial blather, we present the results of Best Of Saskatoon Food and Drink 2010. Personally, I'm thinking of it as a list that will make me nod in agreement at wins for the places I know and love, and quickly make reservations to hit the places I haven't heard of.

Anyhow, enjoy the results, Saskatoon ' and thanks so much for picking them!

Results

BEST RESTAURANT OVERALL
Calories
Long-time purveyors of delicious fine French cuisine, Calories has a well-deserved reputation amongst foodies as the one of the best places to eat in the city. Planet S readers agree, as they earn top spot as the Best Restaurant in Saskatoon for 2010, beating out worthy runners up The Spadina Freehouse and Truffles Bistro.

BESTRESTAURANT FORA BUDGET DATE
Amigos Cantina
Want that special someone to think you have some taste and class, without breaking the budget?  How about dinner at Amigos? Their colourful take on tex-mex is a Saskatoon staple, and with live music happening many nights of the week, it’s great for a one-stop date!

BESTRESTAURANT FORA LUXURY DATE
Truffles Bistro
Feeling fancy?  Taking your date to Truffles Bistro will prove you know something about fine French cuisine, even you really have no idea — and the food will be awesome. In an extremely tight race for second, The Keg Steakhouse and Bar just beat out Carver’s Steakhouse and Weczeria Food & Wine.

BEST UNIQUE DINING
Samurai Japanese Restaurant
For the third year in a row, Samurai Japanese Restauranthas caught the imagination of Saskatoon voters looking for an exciting culinary adventure, winning Best Unique Dining Experience — there’s just something awesome about those Japanese chefs! Nabbing second place again this year is The Upstairs Fondue Restaurant, while the homey feel of Saba’s African Cuisinecaptured third.

BEST RESTAURANT TO TAKE YOUR PARENTS
The Granary
The Granary’s awesome menu of surf and turf narrowly edged out The Keg Steakhouse and Baras the best place to treatmom and pop (which you should really do more often!), while Mano’s Restaurant & Loungecame in third.

BEST RESTAURANT TO TAKE AN OUT OF TOWNER
The Spadina Freehouse 
With a wonderful food and drink menu and a beautiful view of both the riverbank and the historic Bessborough Hotel, how can The Spadina Freehouse not be the best place to show off our fine city: “There’s the river, that’s where the jazz festival happens, that’s a cool little bus that sells ice cream and...”

BEST RESTAURANT FOR VEGETARIANS
Keo’s Kitchen
Veg-heads can now breathe a collective sigh of relief, as this city is finally seeing more decent vegetarian options. This year’s winner is Keo’s Kitchen (which just opened a new location downtown) which offers a great selection of vegetarian food for those who can’t get enough Thai cuisine. The Upstairs Fondue Restaurant came in second, while The Spadina Freehouse holds down third.

BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT
Fuddruckers
Fuddruckers dominated this category, getting more than twice as many votes as anyone else. Fuddruckers isn’t just a restaurant; it’s an essential part of childhood.  The high ceilings, the loud air conditioners, the peanut butter cookies, the half-butchered meat in the window — forget the arcade, mini-golf, or even the batting cages right next door, this place is adventure all its own. Family fun is also easy to find at Jerry's Food Emporium, which came in second.

BEST OLD STANDBY
Amigos Cantina
Know you want something great, but unsure about trying something new? You simply can’t go wrong with heading down to Amigos for another delicious burrito, say voters — no matter how many times you’ve done it before, you’ll be satisfied again.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT
Scratch
Doing an impressive job of capturing both the downtown lunch and evening crowd, Scratch wins out as the hottest new place to catch a bite in the city. If you’re in the mood for sushi, New Island Sushi is also a new hotspot, taking second, while Souleio Foods also got voters’ attentions as a new gotta-try eatery in town.

BEST ALL YOU CAN EAT
New Island Sushi
 New Island Sushi is riding the wave of new sushi restaurants in Saskatoon — and now they’re also commanding top spot in the all-you-can-eat category. For the second year in a row, Great Buffet of China and Bonanza Family Restaurant claimed second and third respectively. 

BEST LATE NIGHT SNACK
Pita Pit
Pita Pit is probably the only super-quick late-night eat stop in town that won’t leave you feeling crappy the next morning. Pita Pit only narrowly beat out 7 Eleven(!) and McDonald’s as the place to grab food before bed.

BEST FAST FOOD
Subway
Voters preferred fresh over fried in this year, as Subway nudged out McDonald’s and A&Win the Best Fast Food category. 

BEST CHAIN RESTAURANT
Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge
Don’t say best chain restaurant, say Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge!  A mainstay of Saskatoon’s dining ‘n’ drinks scene for years, Earl’s beat out Boston Pizza and The Keg Steakhouse to earn top slot in this category. 

BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT
Mandarin Restaurant
There’s no shortage of great Chinese restaurants in town, so it’s no surprise that this category got a huge number of votes — and the final results were close. In the end, Mandarin Restaurant just barely edged out Genesis Family Restaurant to clinch the award for Best Chinese Restaurant. 

BEST THAI RESTAURANT
Keo’s Kitchen
Keo’s Kitchen is again in the top slot when it comes to Thai food in the city, commanding more than half the total responses. With a new downtown location, these guys are sure to gain even more popularity in the coming years. 

BEST VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT
Red Pepper Restaurant
Consistently a Saskatoon favourite, Red Pepper Restaurantstands above the rest in one of the most crowded restaurant categories in the city. 

BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT
Taj Mahal Restaurant
They were out of commission for what seemed like an eternity (thank gawd they’re back!), but with their new downtown location Taj Mahal Restaurant earned top grade from our voters in the Best Indian Restaurant category. Runners up were Spicy Bite Restaurant and Pizza, and India Palace.

BEST KOREAN RESTAURANT
Rice Bowl Fusion
Rice Bowl Fusion is adding a new flavour to Saskatoon’s growing Korean food market — and voters love it. If you have never tried Korean food, some others you need to check out are Koryo Korean BBQ and Strongfields Coffee.

BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT
Otowa Japanese Restaurant
Otowa Japanese Restaurant remains tops in this category for the second year in row, but Samurai Japanese Restaurant and Sushiro Sushi Barboth had strong showings as well, making this an extremely competitive race.

BEST FRENCH RESTAURANT
Calories
Calories just has that certain je ne sais quoi doesn’t it? Oh, and the awesome food doesn’t hurt, either. For the second year in a row, this fine Broadway restaurant ran away with top marks in the French Cuisine Category, beating out Truffles Bistro by a margin of two to one. It’s quite the honour — after all, we are the Paris of Prairies.

BEST GREEK RESTAURANT
Koutouki Taverna
I think Koutouki Taverna earns this win — not only do they have great Mediterranean cuisine, you get to smash plates. Do you have any idea how awesome that is? It’s like all kinds of childhood fantasies coming true. Mano’s Restaurant pulls into second spot, just ahead of Opa Souvlaki of Greece. 

BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT
Taverna Italian Restaurant
A great writer once said, "The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again." Taverna Italian Restaurant has been serving up utterly delicious Italian fare for quite some time now and they never leave you hungry — and as a result, they take tope spot in this category for another year. Voters chose them over mainstays Chianti’s Café, who took second, while the new kids on the block Bellissimo Italian Ristorante jumped into third.

BEST WORLD CUISINE
Saba’s African Cuisine
They’re on top of the world!  Saba’s African Cuisine’s authenticity, excellent flavours and cozy atmosphere has captured the imagination and the taste-buds of Saskatoon voters looking to spread their wings. The African restaurant won out over the experts of all things Jamaican at the Konga Café, while Las Palapas Resort Grill represented Latin America with their third place showing.

BEST LUNCH
Jake’s On 21^st
A fantastic assortment of soups, sandwiches and salads make up a winning combination for this downtown delight. Jake’s On 21^sthas been a favourite of Saskatoon voters for years now — but don’t count out the new kids on 3rd Avenue, Souleio Foods, and their high end grocery store/deli combination, who finished a solid second.

BEST BUSINESS LUNCH
2^NDAvenueGrill
Put it on the company tab!  2^ndAvenue Grill is the place to get your business done over the lunch hour, as they edged out Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge, who earned just two more votes than the pair tied for third place — Johns Prime Rib & Steak Houseand Spadina Freehouse.

BEST BUDGET LUNCH
Jake’s On 21^st
Money a little tight? No worries — because the best lunch joint in town is also the best place to grab an inexpensive bite. The Park Café’s winning reputation for homestyle cooking and affordable meals earned them second place, while Subway snuck in the third slot. 

BEST BRUNCH
Botanica Restaurant & Lounge
 Brunch is the best invention ever. You don’t have to wake up early, you don’t have to decide if you feel like breakfast or lunch and you can feast on the luscious brunch offerings of Botanica Restaurant & Lounge in the Saskatoon Inn. Proving brunch isn’t only the domain of hotels, the Park Café took a solid second. 

BEST TAKE-OUT OR DELIVERY
Panago Pizza
When it comes to ordering in or taking out, Saskatoon voters like to keep it simple: delicious, piping hot pizza from Panago Pizza. (Those cute little dipping sauces really make this pie joint stand out from the rest.) Pizza Hut managed to narrowly beat out Red Pepper Restaurant for second place. 

BEST APPETIZERS
Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge
Whether it’s wings in the lounge or an excellent spinach dip before your meal, Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge is the number one destination for delicious appies. Spadina Freehouse gave them a good run for their money, however, placing a healthy second place.

BEST BURGER
Fuddruckers
In the world of beautiful beef patties, Fuddruckers is king. Serving up beef of all weights and sizes, this year the top-it-yourself burger joint trounced the competition. The Yard & Flagon Pub and Park Café tied for second place, while Jerry’s Food Emporium finished just behind them.

BEST VEGGIE BURGER
Amigos
Is it terrible to say that the best veggie burger in town tastes even better when you put bacon on it? Well, it does — but don’t worry veg-heads, because it’s also brilliant on its own. Amigos’ rice and bean burger beat out the sunflower stylings of The Yard & Flagon Pubto earn the title of Best Veggie Burger in this year’s poll. 

BEST BURRITO
EE Burritos
The name says it all: EE Burritos’ authentic South American burrito edged out the tex-mex taste of Amigos to win the Best Burritocategory for 2010. Voters also like the burrito at Las Palapas Resort Grill, giving them a solid third place finish. 

BEST DESSERT
Calories
It just makes sense that a place called Calories would have the right kind of sinfully delicious ingredients to win Best Dessert in the city. When it comes to all things chocolate and sugar, the French know what their doing — and Calories pulled way ahead of the competition in this category, beating their closest rival, Moxie’s Classic Grill, by a margin of four to one. 

BEST FISH AND CHIPS
Gibson’s Fish & Chips
There is nothing fishy about this win — Gibson’s has been a favourite for fish and chip lovers in Saskatoon for decades and this year they captured more than half the total votes in this category. Coming in second for 2010 was Jerry’s Food Emporium, while Joey’s Only Seafood Restaurant finished in third place.

BEST FRIES
The Yard & Flagon Pub
For the second year in a row, Saskatoon voters loved the home-cut fries at The Yard & Flagon Pub. Still, there is something timelessly appealing about the prefabricated, pre-packaged deliciousness of McDonald’s famous shoestring fries, as the fast-food giant finished a close second. Other strong runners up were Fuddruckers’ spuds, Jerry’s Food Emporium and New York Fries.

BEST MILKSHAKE
Broadway Café
The décor of the place just screams out for an old fashioned milkshake — and voters love Broadway Café’s creamy cool combination, giving them the honours of making the best shake in town. The shake-makers at Fuddruckers finished second.

BEST ICE CREAM
Homestead Ice Cream
Homestead Ice Creamsimply can’t be beat when is comes to ice cream in Saskatoon. For the third year in row, voters chose this wonderful, old-fashioned neighbourhood ice cream shop over the homemade gelatos at Jerry’s Food Emporium, while ice cream giants Dairy Queen finished third. 

BEST NOODLE BOWL
Red Pepper Restaurant
Red Pepper continues its dominance of the Vietnamese cuisine categories in Saskatoon, earning top marks in the Best Noodle Bowl category. Voters also liked Nutana Café (or Norm’s, as it’s more colloquially known) and Noodle King & Ice-Cream Queen. 

BEST PASTA
Chianti’s Café
They might’ve been edged out in the Best Italian category, but voters still think Chianti’s Café serves up a brilliant spaghetti and meatballs, as they inched out Taverna Italian Restaurantfor Best Pasta in the city. Boston Pizza came in a distant third place. 

BEST PIZZA
Aroma Resto Bar
It’s a changing of the guard in the pizza category! The awesome specialty pizza stylings of Aroma RestoBar finally caught up to the great pies of perennial Best Pizza winners Vern’s Pizza, and in the end edged them out by the barest of margins for top spot. Not too far behind were both Panago Pizza and the speciality pizzas at Spadina Freehouse.

BEST RIBS
Tony Roma’s
“I want my baby back my, baby back, my baby back…” Ribs prepared by Tony Roma’s were the Saskatoon favourites this year, as they got the edge over Montana’s Cookhouse Saloon. Despite being relatively new and much smaller than the top dogs, voters also loved Schryer’s Smoked BBQ Shack’s ribs, placing them solidly in the top three.

BEST SALAD
Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge
For the third year in a row, Saskatoon voters picked Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge as the most delicious place to get your daily dose of leafy greens. Prairie Ink Restaurant and Bakery speared the second slot, while voters gave third to Spadina Freehouse.

BEST SANDWICH/PITA/WRAP
Pita Pit
That’s a wrap! (Sorry… couldn’t resist). For the third year in a row, Pita Pit was voted Best Sandwich/Wrap in town. Jake’s On 21^stfinished an extremely close second, while Extreme Pita came in third. 

BEST SEAFOOD
Red Lobster
Red Lobster remains the king of seafood on the prairies, winning Best Seafood in Saskatoon once again. Also bringing the oceanic offerings to this landlocked city were Joey’s Only Seafood Restaurant and The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, in second and third respectively.

BEST SOUP
Calories
 Once again, voters say Calories serves up the best soup in town. But they weren’t the only ones spooning up delicious broths, as Mano’s Restaurant finished a close second,  while last year’s runner up, The Yard & Flagon Pub, finished just behind in third. 

BEST SPRING ROLLS
Red Pepper Restaurant
Well on their way to winning every category involving Vietnamese cuisine, voters chose Red Pepper Restaurant as the best place to crunch down on this delicious deep fried delicacy. Saigon Rose Restaurant and Nutana Café finished in a dead heat to round out the top three. 

BEST STEAK
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar’s steaks cannot be beat, as for the third year in a row voters chose this high end grill joint as the best place for a steak in town. Johns Prime Rib & Steakhouse again finished second, but this year Carver’s Steakhouse came in a very close third. 

BEST SUSHI
Sushiro Sushi Bar
Saskatoon’s sushi scene has exploded of late, but one thing remains the same. Rolling up this category for the umpteenth time, Sushiro Sushi Bar is again untouched in the Best Sushi category. The Broadway favourite beat relative newcomers New Island Sushi, while Otowa Japanese Restaurant finished close behind in third.

BEST TAPAS
The Barking Fish Tavern
Where I come from, it was just called a cheese plate — but now I’m finding out there’s so much more to it!  It appears The Barking Fish Tavern dominates the world of specialty appetizers, trouncing the competition in the Best Tapas category. Voters also loved the nibble plates at Flint Saloon, which jumped into second, and Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge.

BEST BARTENDER
Seth Hooper, Spadina Freehouse
Seth Hooper of Spadina Freehouse takes the honour of Best Bartender in the city for 2010. I’ve never met him personally — but I have had some excellent drinks there! Seth defeated runners-upCurtis Ulmer from Buds on Broadway and our incumbent champ and two-time winner Michael Eva from Amigos.

BEST BARISTA
Starbucks
I’m pretty sure that the idea for this category was to name one actual person who actually makes and serves up the best coffee, but it seems that voters chose to give these honours to a coffee shop as a whole — and that coffee shop is Starbucks, just ahead of the Broadway Roastery. Museo Coffee & Espresso holds down third.

BEST CHEF
Dan Walker, WeczeriaFood & Wine
Dan Walker of Weczeria Food & Wine takes home the title of top chef in Saskatoon — no small feat in a city populated by talented culinary artists! It was an extremely close race, as Walker narrowly beat our other top nominee, Remi Cousyn at Calories. This has the makings of an awesome reality show. Top Chef: the Saskatoon edition!!!

BEST SERVER (MALE)
Donny Sparrow, Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge
Donny Sparrow at Earl’s does service right, winning this category. However, so do a lot of other people, apparently — there wasa massive number of nominees in this category. Second and third places were held down by Dave Berriault from Spadina Freehouse and Aman Salehat Sushiro Sushi Bar.

BEST SERVER (FEMALE)
Shira Morrison, Spadina Freehouse
This was a close one, but in the end voters thought that Shira Morrison at Spadina Freehouseserved it up with the best of ‘em! Shira nipped by second place winner Erin Ellis of Weczeria Food & Wine in a very close race, while her Freehouse co-worker Kate Matthews took third.

BEST STAFF OVERALL
Amigos Cantina
Voters just made this category exceedingly close as well, but in the end the super staff at Amigos squeaked past the Spadina Freehouse for top spot, with both O’Shea’s Irish Pub and The Yard & Flagon Pubright behind. Kudos to all of you!

BEST AFTER WORK DRINK
The Yard & Flagon Pub
The Yard & Flagon Pub is Saskatoon’s pick for the very best place to loosen that tie, put back a few pints and unwind after a hard day at the office. O’Sheas’s Irish Pub was also a favourite of working folks, placing just ahead of their downtown buddies at Winston’s English Pub & Grill.

BEST BEER MENU
Winston’s English Pub & Grill
 Well, that was a serious landslide! On tap or in the bottle, Winston’s English Pub & Grill has by the far the biggest and best beer menu in town, and clearly deserves this win. I just dare you try to drink their whole menu — I dare you!

BEST COCKTAILS
FlintSaloon
They’ve got a wicked cool garage door that opens up for the summer sun — and voters say Flint also has your best bet for the cocktails of all shapes, sizes, colors and alcohol contents. In a few short years, these guys have really established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in downtown Saskatoon. Local favourites Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge made an appearance in second spot, while 6Twelve Loungefinished third.

BEST CAESAR
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar
Spicing things up this year are the folks at The Keg Steakhouse & Bar,who earned high praise for their famous Caesar cocktail. They narrowly beat fan favourite Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge, who serve up a pretty mean cocktail in their own right. Voters also liked Spadina Freehouse and 6Twelve Lounge.

BEST MARTINI
FlintSaloon
Flintknows how to shake it — or stir it, whichever you prefer. The downtown martini bar defeated Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge to take Best Martini in Saskatoon for the second year in a row.

BEST LOUNGE
6Twelve
Located in the Sheraton Cavalier, 6Twelve Lounge has a winning combination of class and comfort — so it’s no surprise that voters chose it as the best lounge in town. Other favourites were Bacchus (the lounge at Earl’s) and Flint.

BEST NIGHTCLUB
Scratch
They may be newcomers to the nightclub scene in the city, but the people behind Scratch sure know how to throw a party. This club has emerged as a downtown hotspot, drawing huge crowds of dance-crazy party animals every weekend. They held a commanding lead over the two runners up, the ever-popular Diva’s and Jax Nite Club.

BEST NACHOS
Amigos Cantina
Voters love nachos — andthey really, really love the nachos at Amigos. Amigos has won this award every year we’ve had it, and with nachos that never skimp on cheese or toppings they deserve every award they get. Honourable mentions  for nacho awesomeness include O’Shea’s Irish Pub and Alexander’s Restaurant & Bar.

BEST PUB GRUB
The Yard & Flagon Pub
These guys have taken the classic idea of deep-fried pub grub and added twists that take it to a new level. Whether you like the classic burger and beer combination, or you’re in the mood for something a little fancier, The Yard & Flagon Pub has you covered. Voters also loved the drinking food at O’Shea’s Irish Pub and Amigos.

BEST PLACE FOR A WICKED BENDER
Amigos Cantina
It’s a unique honour to be named the best place to get completely and utterly smashed—because everybody needs to cut loose now and then.  Amigos does what good bars do best: they offer up good food, great music and a safe atmosphere where you can drink the night away. Voters also chose Lydia’s Pubas a place to do things you might regret the next day. 

BEST SPORTS BAR
Sports On Tap
For the second year in a row, voters chose Sports On Tap as the best place to cheer on your favourite team while enjoying a few cold ones. They definitely gave 110 per cent on this one, but Shark Club Bar & Grilland Joe Dog’s also had winning teams in this category, finishing second and third place respectively. 

BEST WINE LIST
Carver’s Steakhouse
Carver’s Steakhouse has the grapes when it comes to Saskatoon’s best wine list — with a selection running in the hundreds! It was seriously close, however, as wine lovers chose the steak house’s list of fermented fruit over Calories’ selection by the narrowest of margins. New to the wine scene, Souleio Foods came in third. 

BEST LOCALLY BREWED BEER
Paddock Wood
Raise a glass to the little guy! Paddock Wood has finally dethroned Great Western as Saskatoon’s brewery kings. This local microbrewery has products in the SLGA, as well as bottles and taps in a number of bars around town, and they’ve been making a big splash with beer aficionados in recent years. No worries for Great Western, however, as voters also showed them a nice share of love.

BEST WINGS
The Yard & Flagon Pub
Forget Red Bull — The Yard & Flagon really gives you wings! Voters say the pub wings served up by The Yard fly right over the competition, as their version of this messy delicacy beat out Wing World in this year’s contest. Maguires Irish Pub & Brewery’s beautiful bird bits came in third.

BEST BASIC BREAKFAST
Park Café
The little café that could, Park Café, has managed to sneak past perennial favourite Broadway Café and earn a well-deserved place at the top of this breakfast category.  Doing traditional breakfasts and eggs bennies like no other place town, these Riversdale patrons reaffirm the fact that breakfast is the most important and delicious meal of the day. Of course, there’s still no possible way to go wrong at the Broadway Café, who earned a healthy vote share in second.

BEST FANCY BREAKFAST
Calories
Feeling like getting luxurious at the top of the morning? Calories has all the egg frittatas, fancy pastries, and freshly squeezed juices you need to feel like you’re living the high life. Saskatoon Inn’sBotanica Restaurant & Lounge and the Bessborough’s Garden Court Café also earned top grades in the fancy pants category.

BEST EGGS (OMELETTE, BENEDICT, ETC.)
ParkCafé
ParkCafé serves up some egg-cellent, egg-stravagant, eggs-traordinary, egg-citing and eggs-tremely good eggs, taking another breakfast category this year. Grainfields Family Restaurant came in second, and Broadway Café placed third.

BEST HASH BROWNS
ParkCafé
And it’s a triple play! ParkCafé continues their dominance in the domain of breakfast — and with good reason: their hash browns aren’t too greasy, and they have just the added touch needed to fry this year’s competition. Broadway Café placed second, while the only all night breakfast joint in town, Denny’s Restaurant,enjoys a third place showing.

BEST BREAKFAST BUFFET
BotanicaRestaurant & Lounge
BotanicaRestaurant & Lounge’s buffet is the best for 2010, thanks to its beautiful and bountiful barrage of breakfast, beating Bessborough Hotel’s Garden Court Café.  Willows Golf Club also gets a good share of early morning love from voters, landing in third — although they really screwed up the whole alliteration thing I had going on here.

BEST COFFEE SHOP
Broadway Roastery
Broadway Roastery knows how to brew and steam and press and grind and whatever else those crazy-talented baristas do to make a delicious cup of coffee. Caffé Sola was in a near-dead heat with Starbucks Coffee, with the little guys just edging the mega-chain out for the second place slot.

BEST COFFEE SHOP MENU
BroadwayRoastery
Voters enjoyed Broadway Roastery’s assortment of all things caffeinated this year, giving the shop the award for best menu. Once again downtown coffee shop Caffé Sola was able win the battle for second place over corporate coffee giants Starbucks Coffee.

BEST CUP OF PLAIN COFFEE
Tim Hortons
I remember the joke going around a few years back that Tim Hortons was spraying nicotine on their coffee filters — that’s just how addicting their cuppa joe can be. The drive-thru lineup at their Cumberland location every morning is testament to how insane people are for their Timmy’s.

BEST FANCY-SCHMANCY COFFEE
Starbucks Coffee
Starbucks is finally able to overcome Broadway Roastery in the fancy-pants coffee category, what with their mistos and their mochachinos and their half-fat soy tall lattés.   The Roastery and Caffé Sola tied for second place, while Museo Coffee & Espressohad a strong showing as well.

BEST PLACE TO BUY BEANS
McQuarrie’s Tea & Coffee
For those of us who prefer brewing at home, Broadway is the place to be. This category went right down to the wire, but in the end voters chose McQuarrie’s Tea & Coffee over Broadway Roastery as the number one place to stock up on those precious caffeine beans — but it was an unbelievably tight race. Other good picks for coffee makings are the Starbucks Coffee and Museo Coffee & Espresso.

BEST COFFEE SHOP TO PLAY BOARD GAMES / WRITE A SCREENPLAY / READ A NOVEL
Broadway Roastery
A good 60 per cent of the articles written in the news section of this magazine have been written by someone high oncaffeine at Broadway Roastery. This Broadway coffee shop is an office for some, and a second home for others. Caffé Sola is also a good spot to hang out and pretend like you’re working.

BEST TEA
Broadway Roastery
Broadway Roastery really "steeped" it up in this category, showing some real personali-“tea” (again, sorry…) when it comes to their selection of loose leaf and bagged teas. Another pair of usual suspects at the top of our poll, Starbucks Coffee and Caffé Sola, captured second and third.

BEST SPECIALTY DRINK
Broadway Roastery
Broadway Roastery continues their supremacy over all things coffee-related, bringing home the prize for best specialty drink. Again Starbucks Coffee was in second, while the awesome folks of Caffé Sola clinched third.

BEST BUBBLE TEA
Fuzion Sushi & Deli Bar
For the second year in a row, Fuzion Sushi & Deli Bar was awarded the prestigious prize of best bubble tea in Saskatoon. They received three times as many votes as their next closest competitor, Campus Cove (although to be fair, Campus Cove’s primary function is as an arcade).

BEST BAKERY
Christies MayfairBakery
No matter how you slice it, Christies Mayfair Bakery is the number one stop for all things oven fresh. Voters chose this west side delight over the excellent Nutana Bakery on Broadway, while the fine folks at Earth Bound Bakery and Deli came in third.

BEST CATERING
Dreen’s Catering
Dreen’s Cateringhas every food-related need covered for whatever event you’re planning! Calories and PickNic’s Catering also had solid showings for voters looking to make their occasions extra-special.

BEST DELI
Bulk Cheese Warehouse
With their mouth-watering selection of meats, cheeses, salads and more to go, Broadway institution Bulk Cheese Warehouse clinched a solid first place victory over the new arrivals downtown, Souleio Foods. According to voters, the deli section of your nearest Sobey’s also deserves a look.

BEST KITCHEN SUPPLY
Peppers Kitchen
Once you’ve got the food, Peppers Kitchen in the Lawson Heights Mall has everything else you need to throw the best dinner party ever. The culinary characters beat out Russell Food Equipment,as voters named them Best Kitchen Supply store in town.

BEST LIQUOR/WINE STORE
Cava Secreta
Cava Secreta is the best place to buy your wine and hard booze, say Saskatoon voters — beating out every SLGA outlet in the city! In second place is, you guessed it, the SLGA Liquor Store on 8^thStreet(which many of us affectionately refer to simply as “The Liquor Church”).

BEST SPECIALTY GROCERY
Souleio Foods
They may have lost out in the best deli category, but Souleio Foods was voted the best specialty grocery store in town — not bad for not even being a year old! Reigning champs Bulk Cheese Warehouse came in a solid second, while Dad's Nutrition Centre finished in third place.

BEST BUTCHER
Bulk Cheese Warehouse
Bulk Cheese Warehouse just won’t stop, as voters also named them Best Butcher in town for their fine selection of meats. Voters also thought Prairie Meats and Boryski’s Butcher Block should make the cut.

BEST ARTY AMBIENCE
Caffé Sola
Of courseCaffé Sola has that artsy ambience — I mean, they have an art studio downstairs! It was probably this single fact that secured the one vote necessary to defeat Spadina Freehouse in the Best Arty Ambience category. And just so you know how close the race in thisextremely tight category was, Flint, our third place winner, was only two votes behind.

MOST COMFORTABLE
Spadina Freehouse
In a breakneck race with Amigos and Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge, Spadina Freehouse managed to pull off the tight win in this category. Amigos was breathing right down their necks a mere vote behind, with Earl’s hot on their trail as well.

BEST DÉCOR
Spadina Freehouse
They’re not only comfortable — they’ve got the look! Voters love the appearance of Spadina Freehouse, naming it the best decorated joint in town. Souleio Foods also had some fine furnishings, coming in an elegant second place, while Earl’sRestaurant & Lounge came in third. 

BEST PATIO
The Yard & Flagon Pub
For the third year in a row, readers decided that The Yard & Flagon’s rooftop patio isthe best place in town to catch a tan and drink booze at the same time. The Yard continues its dominance, despite a strong showing from O’Shea’s Irish Pub (their wicked-big and wicked cool rooftop deck is expanding, by the way!) and Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge, who finished second and third, respectively.

BEST TABLE SETTING
Tusq Restaurant
Some folks might not pay too much attention to table settings — but our readers, who love the finer things in life, definitely do, and they really love the way Tusq Restaurant lays things out. Tables are also tip-top at Spadina Freehouse and Calories.

BEST BATHROOMS
Moxie’s Classic Grill
What a beautiful thing it is that in this day in age mankind has progressed to the point where we can watch commercials in a sparkling-clean room while we, er, “go.” Moxie’s Classic Grill takes home what is in my opinion the most important prize of all: Best Bathroom. If you’re at Earl’s Restaurant & Lounge or Ivy Dining & Lounge, I wouldn’t be shy about excusing yourself to the toilet, either. It’s nice in there.

CATEGORY WE MISSED
Best Mexican
I don’t really have much to say about this except that this better be the last time we hold a glue-sniffing party while going over the list to make sure we have everything included on the ballot. We forgot Best Mexican? Sheesh. Not shockingly, this was a landslide winner in this category…