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Fast Forward readers choose Calgary's best

For 11 years now, Fast Forward readers have been voting for the city’s favourite people and places in our annual Best of Calgary readers’ poll. From best beer selection to best place to get naked (the latter often following the former), this year’s list includes perennial faves such as charismatic TV personality Dave Kelly and the award-hogging Ship & Anchor pub, alongside newcomers such as the ultra-chic restaurant Alloy and CJSW radio personality Chad Saunders.

The votes are in, the people have chosen. Roll out the red carpet for 2008’s Best of Calgary.

THE CITY

Best New Trend

  1. Going Green / Environmentalism
  2. Urbanization of Calgary

Worst New Trend

  1. Skinny jeans
  2. 80’s clothing

Best Kept Calgary Secret

  1. Wild Rose Brewery & Taproom
  2. Inglewood

Best Historic Structure

  1. Fort Calgary
  2. The Lougheed House

Scariest Intersection

  1. Memorial Drive & Deerfoot Trail
  2. Macleod Trail & Glenmore Drive

First Place To Take Visitors

  1. The Calgary Tower
  2. The Calgary Zoo

Most Livable Neighbourhood

  1. Kensington
  2. Mission

Most Unlivable Neighbourhood

  1. Forest Lawn
  2. Dover

Best Day Trip

  1. Banff
  2. Bragg Creek

Best Place To Take Kids

  1. The Calgary Zoo
  2. Telus World of Science

Best Place To Waste An Entire Day

  1. The Calgary Zoo
  2. 17th Avenue S.W.

Best Place To Snag Stampede Breakfast

  1. Chinook Centre
  2. Community Natural Foods

Best Place To Go For A Stroll

  1. Prince’s Island Park
  2. Fish Creek Provincial Park

Best Place To Get Wet

  1. Elbow / Bow Rivers
  2. Southland Leisure Centre

Best Place To Pick Up Someone of the Opposite Sex

  1. The Ship & Anchor
  2. Cowboy’s

Best Place To Pick Up Someone of the Same Sex

  1. Twisted Element
  2. The Ship & Anchor

Best Public Place To “Do It”

  1. Prince’s Island Park
  2. Nose Hill Park

Best Place To People-Watch

  1. 17th Avenue S.W.
  2. Stephen Avenue Walk

Best Place To See A Ghost

  1. Heritage Park
  2. The Deane House

Best Local Cause

  1. The Mustard Seed
  2. The Back Door

Calgary’s Claim To Shame

  1. Homelessness
  2. Urban Sprawl

Best Use of Local Tax Dollars

  1. Roads
  2. Public Transit

Worst Use Of Local Tax Dollars

  1. Roads
  2. Mayor’s salary

URBAN LIFE

Best Radio Station

  1. CJSW 90.9 FM
  2. X 92.9 FM

Best Television Station

  1. CityTV
  2. Global

Best Art Gallery

  1. Art Central
  2. Art Gallery of Calgary

Best Dance Company

  1. Decidedly Jazz Danceworks
  2. Alberta Ballet

Best Theatre Company

  1. One Yellow Rabbit
  2. Alberta Theatre Projects

Best Arthouse Cinema

  1. The Uptown Stage & Screen
  2. The Plaza Theatre

Most Comfortable Cinema

  1. Paramount Chinook
  2. The Uptown Stage & Screen

Best Area Ski Hill

  1. Lake Louise
  2. Sunshine Village

Best Golf Course

  1. Shaganappi Point
  2. Willow Park Golf & Country Club

Best Place To Gamble

  1. Deerfoot Inn & Casino
  2. Elbow River Casino

Best Festival

  1. Calgary Folk Music Festival
  2. Lilac Festival

Best Free Event

  1. Lilac Festival
  2. Stampede breakfasts

Best Fund-Raising Event

  1. Calgary Cares
  2. CJSW Funding Drive

Swankiest Washroom

  1. Earl’s Bankers’ Hall
  2. Cactus Club Café

Skankiest Washroom

  1. The Back Alley
  2. The Castle Pub

Most Beloved Calgarian

  1. Jarome Iginla
  2. Feist

Most Embarrassing Calgarian

  1. Ralph Klein
  2. Mayor Dave Bronconnier

Most Active Activist

  1. Grant Neufeld
  2. Dr. David Swann

Best Local Villain

  1. Dave Bronconnier
  2. Paul Vickers

Hardest Working Calgarian

  1. Mayor Dave Bronconnier
  2. Dr. David Swann, MLA

Sexiest Man

  1. Dave Kelly
  2. Jarome Iginla

Sexiest Woman

  1. Tara McCool
  2. Barb Higgins

Favourite Local TV Personality

  1. Dave Kelly
  2. Jebb Fink

Favourite Local Radio Personality

  1. Chad Saunders
  2. Matt Holliday

Best Journalist / Writer

  1. Jeremy Klaszus (Fast Forward)
  2. Rick Bell (Calgary Sun)

Best Local Actor / Actress

  1. Meg Roe
  2. Christopher Hunt

Best Local Band

  1. The Dudes
  2. Ostrich

Best Singer/Songwriter

  1. Feist
  2. Jann Arden

Best Visual Artist

  1. David Brunning (Thekidbelo)
  2. Terrance Houle

Best Athlete

  1. Jarome Iginla
  2. Mikka Kiprusoff

Best Local Poet or Writer

  1. Sheri-D Wilson
  2. Andrew Wedderburn

SHOPPING

Best Shopping District

  1. 17th Avenue S.W.
  2. Kensington

Best Corner Store

  1. Kalamata Grocery
  2. A&A Deli

Best Outdoor / Sports Gear Shop

  1. Mountain Equipment Co-op
  2. Sport Swap

Best Skateboard Shop

  1. Mission Snow and Skate
  2. The Source

Best Ski/Snowboard Shop

  1. Mission Snow and Skate
  2. The Source

Best Bike Shop

  1. Bow Cycle
  2. The Bike Shop

Best CD Store

  1. Megatunes
  2. Play Entertainment

Best Place To Buy Vinyl

  1. Recordland
  2. Hot Wax

Best Musical Instrument Store

  1. Axe Music
  2. Long & McQuade

Best Bookstore

  1. McNally Robinson Booksellers
  2. Pages Books On Kensington

Best Used Bookstore

  1. Fair’s Fair
  2. Wee Book Inn

Best Magazine Selection

  1. Daily Globe
  2. With The Times

Best Comics Store

  1. Phoenix Comics
  2. Another Dimension

Best Video Store

  1. Casablanca
  2. Bird Dog Video

Best Place To Buy Porn

  1. Source Adult Video
  2. Priape

Most Stylish Furniture Store

  1. Urban Barn
  2. KIT Interior Objects

Best Men’s Clothing

  1. Henry
  2. Worth

Best Women’s Clothing

  1. Purr
  2. Worth

Best Lingerie

  1. SHE Apparel
  2. The Cat’s Pyjamas

Best Place To Buy A Sex Toy

  1. Source Adult Video
  2. A Little More Interesting

Best Consignment / Vintage Clothing

  1. Trend Clothing
  2. Cat’s Eye

Best Shoe Store

  1. Gravity Pope
  2. Arnold Churgin

Best Place To Find Cool Jewelry

  1. Purr
  2. Rubaiyat

Best Optical

  1. The Brass Monocle
  2. 17th Avenue Specs

Best Flower Shop

  1. Peaseblossoms Flowers & Stuff
  2. Twigs & Company Best International

Food Store

  1. T&T Supermarket
  2. Kalamata Grocery Best Place To Buy

Organic Food

  1. Community Natural Foods
  2. Planet Organic Market

Best Farmers’ Market

  1. Calgary Farmers’ Market (Currie Barracks)
  2. Crossroads Farmer’s Market

Best Deli Sandwich

  1. Spolumbo’s Fine Foods & Deli
  2. Peppino

Best Bakery

  1. Glamorgan Bakery
  2. Urban Baker

Best ice cream/gelato

  1. Fiasco Gelato
  2. My Favorite Ice Cream Shoppe

Best Wine Shop

  1. Kensington Wine Market
  2. Willow Park Wines & Spirits

SERVICES

Best Fitness Facility

  1. Talisman Centre
  2. Eau Claire YMCA

Best Place For Yoga

  1. Yoga Passage
  2. Bodhi Tree

Best Place For A Haircut (male)

  1. Chrome
  2. Hedkandi Salon

Best Hair Salon

  1. The Ginger Group
  2. Hedkandi Salon

Best Place To Get Pampered

  1. Oasis Wellness Centre & Spa
  2. SwizzleSticks SalonSpa / Stillwater Spa

Best Tattoo Shop

  1. Smilin’ Buddha Tattoo
  2. Bushido

Best Piercing Studio

  1. To The Point
  2. Bushido

Best Coin Car Wash

  1. 10th & 10th
  2. Penguin Car Wash

Best Place To Spoil Your Pet

  1. Petland
  2. Tail Blazers

NIGHTLIFE

Best New Bar

  1. The Republik
  2. Snatch Rock & Roll Lounge

Best Cocktail Bar

  1. Ming
  2. The Mercury

Best Neighbourhood Pub

  1. The Ship & Anchor
  2. Kensington Pub

Coolest Hole-In-The-Wall

  1. A Bar Named Sue (RIP)
  2. Vern’s

Best Brewpub

  1. Wild Rose Brewery & Taproom
  2. WildWood Brewpub

Best Gay / Lesbian Hangout

  1. Twisted Element
  2. Money Pennies

Sexiest Clientele

  1. The Ship & Anchor
  2. The Metropolitan Grill

Best Redneck Bar

  1. Ranchman’s
  2. Cowboy’s

Best Place To Watch Sports

  1. Flames Central
  2. Schanks Athletic Club

Best Strip Club

  1. The French Maid
  2. The Speakeasy

Best Place To Shoot Pool

  1. Stix Sports Bar
  2. The Garage Sports & Billiards

Best DJ Night

  1. Flashlight Fridays (Hi Fi)
  2. Hi-Karate (Hi Fi)

Best Place For Karaoke

  1. Ducky’s Pub
  2. Broken City

Best Club To Dance In

  1. Hi Fi Club
  2. The Warehouse

Best Live Rock Music Club

  1. Broken City
  2. The Republik

Best Live Jazz / Blues Club

  1. Beat Niq
  2. The Shamrock

Best Live Country / Folk Club

  1. Ironwood
  2. Ranchman’s

Best Concert Venue (500+)

  1. MacEwan Hall
  2. Jack Singer Concert Hall

Best Open Jam

  1. The Ship & Anchor
  2. King’s Head

Best Bartender

  1. Christine (Palomino)
  2. Adam (Broken City)

Sexiest Staff

  1. Cowboy’s
  2. Snatch Rock & Roll Lounge

Surliest Staff

  1. The Back Alley
  2. The Ship & Anchor

Best Patio

  1. The Ship & Anchor
  2. Melrose Café & Bar

Best Beer Selection

  1. The Ship & Anchor
  2. Bottlescrew Bill’s

Most Interesting Wine List

  1. Divino Wine & Cheese Bistro
  2. Brava Bistro

Most Interesting Cocktail Menu

  1. Vicious Circle
  2. Ming

Best Caeser

  1. Caeser’s Steak House
  2. The Unicorn Pub

DINING OUT

Best New Restaurant

  1. Alloy
  2. Bolero Fire Grill

Best Restaurant For A First Date

  1. The Coup
  2. Alloy

Best Restaurant For A Last Date

  1. McDonalds
  2. Tubby Dog

Best Restaurant When Someone Else Is Paying

  1. The River Café
  2. Teatro

Best Service

  1. Brava Bistro
  2. The Coup

Best Overall Restaurant

  1. Brava Bistro
  2. The River Café

Best Late Night (after 1 am)

  1. Tubby Dog
  2. Gerry’s

Best Cheap Eats

  1. Tubby Dog
  2. Nellie’s

Best Breakfast

  1. Nellie’s
  2. Diner Deluxe

Best Pizza

  1. The Wicked Wedge Pizza Co.
  2. Pulcinella

Best Nachos

  1. The Ship & Anchor
  2. Original Joe’s

Best Wings

  1. Regal Beagle Pub
  2. Kilkenny Pub

Best Burger

  1. Peters’ Drive-In
  2. Burger Inn

Best Veggie Burger

  1. The Ship & Anchor
  2. Burger Inn

Best Fries

  1. Peters’ Drive-In
  2. The Ship & Anchor

Best Middle Eastern

  1. Aida’s
  2. Tazza Deli & Grill

Best Sushi

  1. Globefish Sushi & Izakaya
  2. Hana Sushi

Best Vietnamese

  1. Bagolac Saigon
  2. Co Do

Best Chinese

  1. Silver Dragon
  2. Buddha’s Veggie Restaurant

Best Dim Sum

  1. Silver Dragon
  2. Central Grande

Best Indian

  1. Moti Mahal
  2. Namskar

Best Italian

  1. Chianti Cafe & Restaurant
  2. Buon Giorno

Best Thai

  1. Chili Club Thai House
  2. The King & I

Best Greek

  1. Pegasus
  2. Santorini Greek Taverna

Best Vegetarian

  1. The Coup
  2. Buddha’s Veggie Restaurant

Best Veggie Option at a Non-Veggie Restaurant

  1. Café Koi
  2. Not Dog at Tubby Dog

Best Steak

  1. Caesar’s Steak House
  2. Smuggler’s Inn

Best Place For Seafood

  1. Catch
  2. Booker’s BBQ Grill & Crab Shack

Best Coffeehouse

  1. Caffé Beano
  2. Higher Ground

Best Place To Feed A Sweet Tooth

  1. Crave
  2. Nectar Desserts

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