INTRODUCING THE BEST OF THE BAY HALL-O'-FAME
How did we choose the first 10 inductees to the Best of the Bay Hall-O’-Fame? Well, it wasn’t just us. It was you, too — readers who’ve been with us since the days when the paper was Creative Loafing. Now that we’re Loafing again, we decided to look back and determine which Tampa Bay people and places have been winning votes of readers and staff ever since the paper premiered Best of the Bay in 1990.
Only one of these 10 made it onto the list every single year from the first BOTB issue on — and as a few of you guessed correctly on this year’s Readers’ Poll ballot, that perennial winner was, not surprisingly, Bern’s. Nice synergy, seeing as how Tampa’s Temple of Tenderloin also happens to be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. But the others in the Hall are no slouches; year in and year out, we found reasons to single them out with awards both obvious (Tampa Theatre as Best Movie Theater — duh) and obscure (Fort DeSoto as Best Butch Wallow — huh?).
As for the many estimable institutions who can also point to walls full of BOTB plaques, not to worry — there’ll be plenty of room in the Hall in years to come. But for this first installment, we focus on a cross-section of repeat winners who, in various ways, define the Best of the Bay.
Here’s hoping they’re all still here the next time Creative Loafing changes its name. Take it from us: That won’t be happening for a very long time.
Staff Picks Tampa Theatre Best Movie Theater (seven times), Best Cinema (three times), Best Place to See Non-Mainstream Cinema, Best Piece of Living History, Best Reason for a Film Lover to Live in Tampa, Best New Sign Jannus Landing Best Outdoors Venue (seven times), Best Live Music Venue (three times), Best Concert Venue Skipper's Smokehouse Best Blues Bar (five times), Best Concert Venue (three times), Best Club for Live Music, Best Outdoor Concert Venue, Best Small Live Music Venue Bern’s Steak House Best Steakhouse (seven times), Best Wine List (seven times), Best Desserts (five times), Best Overall Dining Experience (twice), Best Place to Impress a Date (twice), Best Place to Go When Someone Else Is Paying (twice) La Teresita Best Cuban Food (six times), Best Black Beans & Rice (six times), Best Cheap Eats (two times), Best $5 Lunch, Best Cuban Sammie, Best Cuban Coffee WMNF 88.5 FM Best Radio Station (eight times), Best Radio Show (four times), Best Local News and Public Affairs Reporting, Best Dead Air, Best Landscaping Fort Desoto Park Best Beach (three times), Best Picnic Spot (three times), Best Park (twice), Best Place to Take Your Dog, Best Day Hike, Best Butch Wallow Haslam’s Book Store Best Used Bookstore (seven times), Best Bookstore (three times), Best Indie Bookstore, Best Coffee Table Books Vinyl Fever Best CD Store (six times), Best Record Store (three times), Best Place to Buy Vinyl Howard Troxler, columnist, St. Petersburg Times Best Daily Columnist (six times), Best Local Print Journalist, Best Columnist That Doesn’t Deserve An Award, Best Picture of a Columnist Who Looks Like He Should Have a Twin Named Tweedledum
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2006.