CL's Rib-Off — our 2010 Tournament of Ribs — kicked off with a flurry of voting last week, resulting in half the field of 64 Bay area rib restaurants knocked off the brackets. Although more than 6,000 votes were cast in the competition, just two of the 32 match-ups counted for more than a third of all the voting.

As soon as voting started it was clear that Wildwood BBQ & Burger was seriously committed to winning their fight. Just one thing stood in their way: Z Grille's proven power at getting out the vote. In last year's Tournament of Tacos, Z Grille owner Zack Gross parlayed that popularity into a Final Four spot for his former Zurritos, generating a monumental mass of support in the online voting. This year looks to be more of the same, with Z Grille amassing 790 votes to Wildwood's 509.

Surprisingly, Z Grille wasn't the top vote-getter in round 1. That honor goes to Lupton's Fat Man BBQ which garnered an astounding 841 votes, made even more impressive by the fact that they were well behind Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe after the first few days. In short order, though, Lupton's overcame Ella's early advantage and beat the Seminole Heights restaurant by more that a 2-1 margin.

Other Heights spots fared better, thanks in part to an effort by the Seminole Heights Blog, with Soo Good Southern BBQ defeating popular South Tampa spot Smoke and newcomer Smokin' A's easily handling a lackluster effort by Wholly Smokes.

Lee Roy Selmon's is the only national chain still in action, with an impressive 159 votes to Big Tim's 59. In Pinellas' outer limits, Brady's Backyard Grill had a strong showing against Ozona Pig; Brady's looks to be a serious contender to be the Pinellas North representative in the Finger Lickin' Four.

Check the full list of round 1 winners below, then go to cltampa.com/ribs to start voting (at 2 p.m.). We'll cut to the Savory Sixteen on Monday, March 22, at 10 a.m., with voting for the Edible Eight starting immediately after that.

Follow all the Rib-Off action at cltampa.com/ribs.

Round 1 winner

HILLSBOROUGH NORTH

First Choice BBQ

Jazzy's BBQ

Tolson Barbecue

Lupton's Fat Man BBQ

Alex's BBQ

Jaymer Que

Cally's Sticky Bones BBQ

Hot Rod's Country BBQ

HILLSBOROUGH SOUTH

Big John's Alabama BBQ

Uncle Rodney's Rib House

Soo Good Southern BBQ

Mike's Southern Classic BBQ

Smokin' A's BBQ

Kojak's House of Ribs

Ribit's BBQ

Jimbo's Pit BBQ

PINELLAS NORTH

Smokin Rib Shack

Brady's Backyard Grill

Frenchy's Rockaway Grill

Tony Mac's BBQ

Eli's Bar-B-Que

Rib City

Spoto's Steak Joint

Kelly's

PINELLAS SOUTH

Baker's Hogley Wogley

Angry Pepper

Buffy's Southern Pit Bar-B-Que

Connie's BBQ

Lee Roy Selmon's

Quick Q BBQ

Crab-BQ

Z Grille

This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2010.