Feature: Picks

Laura Marrich

Alibi Calendars Editor, TVI Culinary Arts student

Best Ice Cream

Noda's

Yeah, it's a sushi place, but they make a green tea ice cream that's smoother, creamier and denser than anything you've ever licked off a spoon. And the spoons they use are precious.

Feature: Picks

Best Coffee

Blue Dragon Coffehouse

Free trade tastes better.

Best Chips and Salsa

Taqueria Mexico

No stale old chips here. Both the chips and salsa taste incredibly fresh. Great texture, bursting with flavor.

Best Huevos Rancheros

Garcias

Always and forever.

Best Biscuits and Gravy

Murphy's Mule Barn

Cream gravy is a dish best enjoyed with an ashy, lip-danglin' cigarette.

Best Tamales

Tamales are always a Christmas treat at home, so I never think to order them when I'm out. It'd be like eating wedding cake just for the hell of it.

Best Green Chile

Damn, damn, damn! Why is this such a hard question? It really depends on what I'm in the mood for. Fine ... Frontier.

Best Red Chile

Mary and Tito's for a fine vegetarian red (to my knowledge, the only vegetarian red, really).

Best Tortillas

Barelas Coffee House

If you'd have asked me any other year, I'd have said Frontier without any hesitation. But is it possible to outgrow a baked good? Those suckers are floury as all hell, to the point of tasting raw. I go with a thicker tortilla now. The tortillas at Barelas have a nice buttery note and enough coverage for a heavy-duty chile mop.

Best Indian Taco

The State Fair, Indian Village.

You've got to wait for it.

Best Bar Food

Gecko's

I'm always pleasantly surprised by the bar food at Gecko's. Real-tasting tomatoes are a small miracle for any restaurant, let alone a bar.

Best Dessert

Ted Nicely

Last I checked, he made the desserts at Monte Vista Fire Station and Ambrozia. Nicely does some amazing stuff with booze, ice cream and chocolate (not necessarily all at the same time, but it's been known to happen).

Best Pizza

Giovanni's

It all comes down to the crust: crisp but tender with good flop, good snap and good chew. There's no comparison in town. None.

Best Korean

Fu Yuang

Mamma Kai uses stuff from her own family's garden. You can actually taste the love!

Best Greek

Mykonos/Olympia

Mykonos for fancy, Olympia for diner Greek. My entire family is from Detroit, where this distinction makes sense.

Best Middle Eastern

Yasmine's

It's my neighborhood Middle Eastern place. I was there right when they opened up (I took pictures of them for the paper), and I used to ride my bike past it on my way to school. It's like I'm watching it grow up.

Best Thai

Siam Café

But the new Thai Basil on north Fourth Street has been luring me away recently.

Best American

Prarie Star

Best New Restaurant

There have been so many wonderful new additions this year! The biggest defining characteristic I think I'm seeing in this bunch is the quality—really fresh, cared-for ingredients. The integrity is there in the food already, which makes the chefs' jobs that much easier.

Best New Chain Restaurant

Ben and Jerry's

Best Value

Mannie's

Best Service

Loyola's Cactus Flower

They're always friendly and prompt, even when every last seat in the house is occupied.

Best Romantic Dinner Spot

Mary and Tito's

Best Sunday Brunch

Blue Dragon Coffehouse

It's delicious, creative, affordable and good for my body, too.

Best Chef

Sam Etheridge and his crew

A great chef without a good team ain't shit, but these guys probably get together on their night off and braid each other's hair. You really sense the relationship between them and the food and you. And they're having fun, which is critical.

Best Wine List

Graze

I like the wine list over at Graze. It's small enough so that even someone who doesn't know a lot about wine (me) can make a decision without feeling overwhelmed. It's short but delicious. Also, the servers are really knowledgeable about the wines, but not in a showy, alienating way. It's more like "I've sat down and drunk this and liked the hell out of it."

Best Restaurant You Wish You Could Afford More Often

Noda's

I swear, I'd eat there every night if I could.

Best Restaurant Bathrooms

Burt's Tiki Lounge

Because I spend so much time in them. And I've drunk my dinner there more times than I care to remember, so I think it counts.

Best Anything That We Forgot

Best Salad, Best Pancakes, Best Atmosphere, Best Hangover Cure, Best Cooking Classes, Best Sexy Food