And the winners are...

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 Traci Fisher 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 Indulgent Catering, Delicious Design 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 S. Kramer, DDS, offering general dentistry and cosmetic reconstruction, has been treating patients “like family” for 15 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.

COMMUNITY

Best Charity Event
One of the community’s most sought-after tickets each year is to the black-tie Telfair Ball, held in support of the Telfair Museum of Art.  The glorious evening spills into the beautifully tented Telfair Square in front of the museum.

Best Place To Take Out-of-town Company
Okay, let’s admit it.  It’s fun to visit River Street, and out-of-town company is the perfect excuse to browse the shops along the cobblestone streets and sit at the riverfront in hopes of seeing a passing container ship.

Best Neighborhood To Live In
Our readers either live in Ardsley Park — or wish they did!  Generations of Savannahians have been calling this unique, conveniently located neighborhood — with its bungalows and mansions – home.  Since the early 1900s, it’s the place to be.

Best Group To Volunteer For
Back in 2006 when we launched our “Best of Savannah” party to recognize our winners, we decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales to the organization named by our readers as the best to volunteer for.  Our winner — as it was in 2006 — is the Humane Society Savannah/Chatham.  

Best Fundraiser
What could be better than a bit of chocolate — except maybe an evening of chocolate!  The annual Chocoholic Frolic to benefit LibLines is a reader favorite — for the chocolate, but also for this great organization.  LibLines’ mission is to facilitate open communication between breast cancer fighters and their families and friends through greeting cards containing messages of love and support.

Best Radio Station
Jerry Rogers and Quality Rock WRHQ 105.3 own a special place in our readers’ hearts.  Whether it’s the music or the local personalities, our readers have chosen WRHQ as their favorite for the past five years.

Best Private School    
The Hornets of the Savannah Country Day School buzz to victory for the second straight year.  

Best Public School
And the talented youth of the Savannah Arts Academy are standouts in Savannah’s creative landscape.

Best Wedding Venue
Savannah is a popular destination for today’s brides and grooms — with her historic venues and moss-draped squares.  Our voters selected Forsyth Park, with its gorgeous fountain, as the perfect spot for exchanging promises of love and devotion.

Best Golf Course
A relative newcomer among local golf courses, Crosswinds Golf Club, located near the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, is a championship course with an open layout and a nine-hole executive Par 3 course.  And it’s illuminated for night play — must be those dedicated night-time players who pushed the course into the winner’s circle.

Best Company to Work For
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., the business voted the Best Company To Work For, is also the largest employer in the Savannah area.  Gulfstream designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports business-jet aircraft and has produced some 1,600 for customers around the world since 1958.  Much of that work is accomplished by some 6,000 employees at its headquarters and manufacturing plant in Savannah and at a completion facility in Brunswick. The company that has evolved into Gulfstream has been in Savannah since 1967, a year in which 100 workers manufactured 12 aircraft designated as the Gulfstream II. This summer, the company announced the rollout of its 200th Gulfstream G550/G500 at Savannah. “We have an incredible work force that meets every challenge given to them, and this includes not only in their work environment but in their support to the community through the United Way and similar activities, “ said Gulfstream spokesman Robert Baugniet.

SHOPPING / SERVICES

Best Auto Repair
RPM, a new upscale option for car repairs, oil changes and tire purchases, has taken Savannah by storm.  Our readers have named the area’s first independent auto-repair facility to apply for LEED certification, as their favorite.  The professionally designed waiting room — with flat screen televisions, complimentary WIFI service and refreshments — plus their eco-friendly philosophy are changing the feel of the car repair experience.

Best Furniture Store
A walk past the glass windows at 24 E. Broughton St. instantly reveals what savvy locals have known for years: Ruel and Delaine Joyner’s 24e has modern and contemporary furnishings that make Savannah’s stylish set feel at home.

Best Shoe Store (New Category)
Cole Haan, Donald J. Pliner, Stuart Weitzman and Thierry Rabotin are just a few of the reasons Globe Shoe Co. is a top pick for local fashionistas. In business since 1892, this Broughton Street staple has made generations of Savannahians stand a little taller.

Best Sporting Goods Store
Whether it’s to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the giant fish tank or shop for the latest surf and camping gear, the city’s outdoorsy population flocks to Bass Pro Shop at the Savannah Mall.

Best Women’s Boutique
Heather Burge just knows how to shop for the Savannah market. From Diane von Furstenberg frocks to True Religion jeans, she keeps local style icons happy at her Broughton Street emporium, BleuBelle Boutique.

Best Florist (Two–way Tie)
Wonderfully creative, colorful, fragrant and fresh, Kiwi Fleur in Habersham Village and Eufloria Flowers & Little Luxuries in Midtown share the honor of being Savannah’s best florist. Eufloria wins for the second year in a row.

Best Plant Nursery
Knowledgeable staff and a tremendous selection of plants, trees, shrubs and ground cover make Savannah’s Secret Gardens a three-time winner. This spectacular garden showroom also offers landscaping, lawn maintenance, irrigation and design services.  

Best Spa
From aromatherapy to waxing, serene Vanilla Day Spa offers a total-body retreat from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Savannah readers have chosen this Broughton Street escape as their favorite spa for two years in a row.

Best Liquor Store
Who hasn’t dropped by Habersham Beverage on the way to a dinner party or a quiet night at home? This Ardsley Park favorite knows what Savannahians like to drink — and has the shopping carts in which to stack the cases.

Best Antique Store
Shipped directly up the Savannah River from Jere Myers’s European collection, the selection at Jere’s Antiques is as diverse as the Savannah population. It’s enough to fill his 33,000-square-foot warehouse on Bay Street, and that’s no mean feat.

Best Gift Shop
Paula Danyluk’s beautifully edited collection of unique finds from around the world make The Paris Market & Brocante the perfect place to choose a hostess gift, a birthday gift — even a wedding gift.

Best Bridal Shop
Two stories above The Paris Market on the corner of Broughton and Whitaker, BleuBelle Bridal has the attentive customer service and elegant atmosphere area brides adore. Reem Acra, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera and Melissa Sweet seem to agree.

Best Art Gallery
Jan Clayton-Pagratis and Lori Keith Robinson opened Chroma Gallery on Ellis Square in 2001. Today, the colorful showcase of contemporary art and craft takes home the Best Art Gallery prize for the fourth year.

Best Local Bank
Organized by 18 area business leaders in 2002, First Chatham Bank is a locally owned and operated financial institution that prides itself on personalized service. This year, it’s Savannahians’ first choice for mortgages, personal accounts and small business packages.

Best Dry Cleaner
With more than 60 years in business, Curry Dry Cleaners has the expertise to take on delicate finery and stubborn stains. Add two convenient locations and exceptional customer service, and it’s easy to see why this family business thrives and has won for the sixth year.

Best Tour Company
In more than 25 years of welcoming visitors to the First City, Old Savannah Tours — winning for the fifth time — has established itself as a local icon with historic trolley tours, a river cruise, five different ghost tours and the ever-popular Paula Deen Tour.

Best Home Accessories / Home Décor Store
Locals look to DC2 Design for the latest home décor accessories from Los Angeles, New York, Paris and London. Partners Dean Caldarelli, Dimitri Chami and Barbara Rose have even filled the store’s new location at 109 W. Broughton St. with a selection of personal accessories, from handbags to jewelry.

Best Fine Jewelry Store
Three locations and more than 100 years of experience make Levy Jewelers a local favorite for everything from engagement rings to watch repairs. This fourth-generation family business is stocked with gorgeous contemporary designs, estate jewelry and other artful luxuries.

Best Landscape Company
We Savannahians just love to keep our yards lush, green and sculpted. But a special place in our readers’ hearts is reserved for Fountains n’ Such, the folks who add birdbaths, ponds, waterfalls and other fabulous focal points to our green spaces.

Best Car Wash
With full service and a 24-hour guarantee, Savannah Car Wash on Abercorn has won a Best Car Wash nod for two years running. As an added convenience, customers can throw in a Jiffy Lube oil change while they wait.

Best Place to Buy Children’s Clothing
Since 1946, Punch and Judy has offered the Savannah community a wide selection of child and infant clothing, toys and products. With free gift-wrap and local delivery, this Habersham Village boutique scores.

Best Bookstore
With an in-house Starbuck’s and a huge selection of books, music and magazines, Barnes and Noble is our readers’ favorite place to peruse the latest bestsellers — and pick up the newest issue of Savannah Magazine.

Best Shopping District
An ever-expanding selection of locally owned boutiques in renovated storefronts makes Broughton Street and the surrounding areas Savannah’s favorite place to stroll and shop.

Best Local Romantic Inn / B&B
Elegant, pampering and beautifully furnished, The Presidents' Quarters Inn is our readers’ choice for a romantic getaway. The stylish, newly renovated Federal-style breakfast inn also offers complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres, which you’ll enjoy in the lush courtyard garden.

Best Local Real Estate Company
Local icon Cora Bett Thomas Realty has won it again. This tireless champion for Savannah real estate has brokered some of the largest East Coast land deals in history, and her dedicated staff continues to list many of the area’s most breathtaking estates.

Best Local Car Dealership
Shopping for a Mercedes, BMW, Buick, GMC or pre-owned vehicle? Savannah readers recommend locally owned Critz as their auto dealership of choice.

Best Childcare Center
With three locations citywide, before- and after-school care and summer camps, ABC Childcare has earned distinction as a trustworthy and loving guardian for infants and children ages 0-12.

Best Exercise Facility
Offering childcare and eight convenient local branches, YMCA of Coastal Georgia is our readers’ preferred place to get fit. Members can choose from aerobics, weight training, yoga, fitness machines and more.