March 9, 2006

And the winners are ...
Readers cast their votes for best of Manchester
By Will Stewart and Robert Greene news@hippopress.com

More than 1,000 of you cast votes in this year’s Best of Manchester survey, and we counted every ballot. More than 40 person-hours went into the count, along with several gallons of coffee and numerous bags of potato chips.

Here are the results — the people, places and things that you readers voted for as the best the Queen City has to offer.

Hottest Mancunian
Kelliegh Domaingue, school committee member and lawyer
If you hang with Kelliegh Domaingue on a regular basis, you’d do well to watch your back.

That’s because Domaingue is convinced her win as Hottest Mancunian in this year’s Best of Manchester poll was the result of a practical joke concocted by her circle of friends.

And while revenge is certainly on her mind, it will likely have to wait, at least until she stops laughing.

“It’s a riot to me, absolutely hysterical,” she said. “But seriously, I’m very flattered. And I’m taking it all very lightheartedly. Actually, I’m still waiting for Candid Camera to show up,” she said.

Domaingue, an attorney at Devine and Nyquist and a first-term school committeeman representing Ward 12, said the win helped her to laugh a bit more amid her serious professional and public responsibilities.

“I was voted Most Stressed in high school so I guess Hottest Mancunian means I’ve evolved,” she laughed.

Asked how she will take advantage of her newfound status, Domaingue said she will not be adding the honor to her résumé, though noted that it might net her a few more dates.

Runner-up: George Bezanson, Bridge Café owner, 1117 Elm St., 647-9991

Best Manchester Gadfly
Joe Kelly Levasseur
Former Ward 3 alderman with a sack full of axes to grind and a prime spot on the MCAM programming schedule. Call him crazy, call him clever — what you can’t call him is apathetic and uninvested. Recently, he’s been on the trail of several aldermen who, he says, are meeting in secret to plot against the mayor. Tune in to his show, 8:30 p.m. Thursdays on Channel 23, to see.

Runner-up: John Clayton, New Hampshire Union Leader columnist

Hottest Bartender
“Hot Jenn” Thompson, Uptown Tavern, 1301 Elm St., 666-0909
She doesn’t know exactly how it came to be, but one day, not long after she started tending bar at Uptown Tavern a couple of years ago, a customer dubbed her “Hot Jenn” and the nickname stuck.

“People I don’t even know come in and call me that,” said Jenn Thompson, who took top honors in the Hottest Bartender category in this year’s Best of Manchester poll.

It didn’t take Thompson long to figure out that, as far as monikers go, Hot Jenn isn’t a bad one to have, especially for a female bartender who depends on tips. She’s even gone so far as to employ the nickname as a marketing gimmick, writing “come see Hot Jenn at the Uptown Tavern,” along with her day-shift hours, on matchbooks that she distributes at the bar.

“People who would come in here at night would see the matchbooks and want to see Hot Jenn, which has made things unbelievably busy during the day, which is very good,” she said.

And as one might expect with someone known as Hot Jenn, Thompson said that her admirers are not disrespectful and that her fiancé, himself a bartender, knows that that kind of thing comes with the job.

Runner-up: Billy Laforge, Wild Rover, 21 Kosciuszko St., 669-7722

Best Hairstylist
Mark McAdams, Salon Beauchesne, 32 Hanover St., 621-0500
It should come as no surprise that someone who literally grew up in a hair salon might know a thing or two about hair. Or, for that matter, be voted Best Hairstylist by readers of the Hippo.

“My mom was a hairstylist so it’s kind of second nature to me,” said Salon Beauchesne’s Mark McAdams, who took top honors in the Best Hairstylist category in this year’s Best of Manchester readers’ poll.

While some kids might shy away from going into the same line of work as their parents, McAdams said hair styling is something he’s always been passionate about. And when it came time to make his post-secondary plans, it didn’t take him long to decide to attend Fashion Focus Hair Academy in his native Sarasota, Fla.

A professional for the past five years, McAdams, 23, has been at Salon Beauchesne, where he also does makeup, for going on four years. He said he continues to take classes to keep abreast of constant changes in the world of hairstyling and high fashion.

“Fashion is huge in this industry — you have to keep up with what’s happening on the runways in New York to know what’s fresh and in demand.”

Runner-up: Michelle Joyce, Signature Style, 670 N. Commercial St., Manchester, 606-7090

Best Bartender
Billy LaForge, Wild Rover, 21 Kosciuszko St., 669-7722
Manchester, said Billy Laforge, loves to booze it up.

“People in this town just love to drink, and not just college kids; everybody. I don’t know if it’s ’cause they’re bored or what, but they love to catch a buzz,” he said.

And Laforge would know. He’s been tending bar at the Wild Rover for the past 10 years, and tending it well if the voters in this year’s Hippo’s Best of Manchester poll are any indication.

“It feels pretty good — I’ve won once before,” Laforge said of his win. “But I think there’s better bartenders than me in this city: Karen at Shorty’s in north Manchester, Beth at the [Puritan] Backroom and Dennis Lynch at Strange Brew.”

Still, he said, in his decade at the Rover he’s learned a thing or two about what makes a good bartender. For starters, he said, you’ve got to have the skills, ability and knowledge inherent to the trade. But more than that, you’ve got to have people skills, including the ability to read people accurately.

“Judgment is very important. When somebody walks in the door you never know if they could be a total freak show. You need to have a good idea how much you can serve someone or if you should even serve them at all,” he said.

Runner-up: Doogie, Breezeway Pub, 4 Pearl St., 621-9111

Best Mechanic
Charlie Knight, East Side Auto, 1040 Hanover St., 627-7458
Mechanic Charlie Knight knows his limitations, something he said every good mechanic ought to know.

“That’s the big thing: you don’t experiment on customers’ cars,” he said. “You do what you can, but if something’s not in your realm you pass it off to a dealer or a [specialist]. A lot of mechanics have an ego thing and say they’re gonna fix it no matter what, but all that does is wind up costing a customer more time and money.”

Basically, Knight said, you treat people the way you want to be treated. It is this sentiment — not always seen in the car repair business — that helped to make Knight the far-and-away winner in the Best Mechanic category in this year’s Best of Manchester poll.

The East Side Auto mechanic said while he is flattered with the honor, he thinks there are far more skilled automotive technicians in the city. He noted, however, that there is a difference between being a skilled mechanic and being a good mechanic.

Knight has been working under the hood in Manchester since 1973, when he graduated from technical school. These days he said he attends automotive courses when he can, but that’s not often given that he currently has nearly more customers than he can handle and only accepts new ones on a referral basis.

“My ad budget is limited to putting ads in the programs of my customers’ kids’ school plays. Everything else is word-of-mouth. Some of my customers are third-generation customers,” he said.

Runner-up: Glenn Boisvert, Kelley Street Garage, 39 Kelley St., 622-7893

The Rest of the best
Food
Best New Eatery
Hanover Street Chop House, 149 Hanover St., 644-2467
Taking over the building that once housed the Hippo’s office, the Hanover Street Chop House is offering fine dining and valet parking on what is rapidly becoming the city’s go-to street. Big, juicy steaks for lunch and dinner, topped off with great cocktails and to-die-for desserts.
Runner-up: The Shaskeen, 909 Elm St., 625-0246

Best Neighborhood Market
Bunny’s Superette, 74 Webster St., 622-5080
A several-time “Best of” winner, Bunny’s flourishes in the North End. It’s there when you need a can of beans or a whole darn meal. It also carries meat and wine.
Runner-up: Golomb’s Market, 66 Union St., 625-8755

Best Mexican/Latin American Restaurant
La Carreta, 545 Hooksett Road, Unit 7, 628-6899
Whether you’re craving a burrito, quesadillas, fajitas or just authentic salsa, La Carreta will not disappoint. It might be snowing outside, but once inside you’ll swear you’re south of the border.
Runner-up: Gaucho’s Brazilian Steakhouse, 62 Lowell St., 669-9460

Best Breakfast
Red Arrow, 61 Lowell St., 626-1118
If there’s one meal a diner does best, it’s breakfast, and the Red Arrow is no exception. Omelets, eggs, hash browns, pancakes, French toast — you name, they make it. And it’s quick, cheap and available 24 hours a day.
Runner-up: Chiggy’s Place, 372 Kelley St., 627-575

Best Sandwich
The Hippo, Suddenly Susan’s Gourmet Deli, 28 Hanover St., 625-1850
Black Forest Ham with Cheddar cheese, maple mustard spread, onions, tomatoes, and roasted red peppers grilled on sourdough — this is a truly awesome sandwich. I think I will go get one now.
Runner-up: Nacho-Crusted Chicken, Wild Rover, 21 Kosciuszko St., 669-7722

Best Menu Item
Chicken Tenders, Puritan Backroom, 245 Hooksett Road, 623-3182
Chicken tenders were popular this year, but only the ones at Puritan showed up on the ballots again and again. Golden brown, oh-so tasty and so big that you wonder where the hell they are growing rottweiller-sized chicken.
Runner-up: Nacho-Crusted Chicken Sandwich, Wild Rover, 21 Kosciuszko St., Manchester, 669-7722

Best Desserts
Piccola Italia Ristorante, 815 Elm St., 606-5100
What do you want? Homemade cannoli? They got it. Spumoni ice cream? Yep. You love dessert? This is where your fellow Mancunians say to go. And who can blame them? That’s amore!
Runner-up: Richard’s Bistro, 36 Lowell St., 644-1180

Best Italian Restaurant
Piccola Italia, 827 Elm St., 606-5100
You’ll get three things at Piccola: top-notch Italian cuisine, Italian ambience and the feeling that you’re family. Such are the goals of owners Rosa and Giovanni Paolini and they deliver, making Piccola one of Elm Street’s most popular restaurants.
Runner-up: Fratello’s Ristorante Italiano, 155 Dow St., 624-2022

Best French Fries
Caesario’s, 1057 Elm St., 669-8383
There are some among us who think McDonald’s has the best fries. We think that just shows they need to get out more. Caesario’s, known primarily for its pizza, knows its fries. Golden, crisp wedges of potato deep-fried to the point of being a heart attack on a plate.
Runner-up: Goldenrod, 681 Candia Rd., 623-9469

Best Pizza
Alley Cat Pizzeria, 486 Chestnut St., 669-4533
The winner and returning champion. Try the Aristo Cat (feta and spinach), the Tom Cat (meatballs) or the Black Cat (Cajun chicken with onions) for a good night’s feed. They’re all wicked tasty. Missing out would be a cat-astrophe.
Runner-up: Sal’s Just Pizza, 286 Willow St., 623-6565

Best Ice Cream
Puritan Back Room, 245 Hooksett Road, 669-6890
This was easily the category-most-voted; it seems Manch Vegans love their ice cream. The Puritan boasts 36 flavors of ice cream — from ginger to cherry seinfeld — that have been tantalizing Manchester’s taste buds since 1917. Try the ice-cream cookie sandwiches, if you dare.
Runner-up: Goldenrod Restaurant, 681 Candia Road, 623-9469

Best Grilled Cheese
The Red Arrow, 61 Lowell St., 626-1118
There is nothing quite as comforting as a grilled cheese sandwich. Healthy, maybe not, but soothing. The Red Arrow has been making these babies for a long time and has the formula down pat. Add bacon and/or tomato for a little zip.
Runner-up: (Tie) Goldenrod, 681 Candia Road, 623-9469, and Blake’s Family Restaurant, 353 S. Main St., 669-0220

Best Ribs
KC’s Rib Shack, 837 Second St., 627-7427
These babies are messy but oh so tasty. Add the tangy zip of KC’s barbecue sauce to some unfortunate cow and you, my friend, have yourself a multi-napkin-needing treat. Top it all off with a quart of iced tea and some KC’s cornbread and you are guaranteed to go home groaning in over-stuffed pleasure.
Runner-up: Famous Dave’s Barbeque, 1707 S. WillowSt. Manchester, 668-1220

Best Cheap Eats
Red Arrow, 61 Lowell St., 626-1118
Feed three people, sit-down-style, for $20? Believe it. A burger, a grilled cheese, coffee, sodas, fries with gravy, chicken tenders, two pieces of pie and — tah dah! — you are full. And then you waddle home.
Runner-up: Chiggy’s Place, 372 Kelley St., 627-5755

Best Cocktails
Element Lounge, 1055 Elm St, 627-1855
New last year, Element got a lot of votes in this category. Designed in a New York frame of mind, Element is a drink-sipping delight. Ask one of the bartenders for an old standard, a house special or a surprise created on the spot just for you.
Runner-up: Cotton, 75 Arms Park Dr., 622-5428

Best Asian Food
Thousand Crane, 1000 Elm St., 634-0000
The vote was very close in this category last year, but the 2004 runner-up, Thousand Crane, pulled off an upset this time around. Located right off Elm Street, Thousand Crane is the place to beat for sushi, as well as cooked Chinese and Japanese dishes.
Runner-up: Aloha Restaurant, 901 Hanover St., 647-2100

Best Beer Selection
Winner: Strange Brew, 88 Market St., 666-4292
With 48 beers on tap, it’s a no-brainer that the Strange Brew has Manchester’s best beer selection. It won by a mile. The question is: How many people have actually tried all 48 and are some beers never tried at all? (And are they lonely?)
Runner-up: Milly’s Tavern, 500 N. Commercial St., 625-4444

Best Subs
Nadeau’s Subs, 776 Mast Road, 623-9315, and 100 Cahill Ave. 669-7827
Everybody likes a good sub, their way. Hold the mayo, throw a slice of Swiss and a pickle on top, add more ham. Nadeau’s does it all and does it well. There are even two locations, so you can test the same sandwich at both. Try to stump them.
Runner-up: Dave’s Cosmic Subs, 10 Lake Ave., 623-1555

Best Vegetarian Menu
Cafe Momo, 1065 Hanover St., 623-3733
Way up on the end of Hanover Street is a gaily decorated eatery that has some of the best food in town. Chef and owner Bhola Pandey does things with rice and vegetables that you never thought possible. Come summer, make sure you try the Cucumber Cooler.
Runner-up: (Tie) India Palace, 575 S Willow St., 641-8413, and Jewell & the Beanstalk, 793 Somerville St., 624-3709

Best Steakhouse
Hanover Street Chophouse, 149 Hanover St., 644-2467
Juicy ... Rare ... Elegant ... Meat. Whether you order the “Prime dry aged cowboy steak” or the “natural porterhouse” you are sure to get a mouthful at the Chop House. Skip the crappy beef at McDonald’s for a few weeks and save your dollars for a nice dinner here.
Runner-up: Gaucho’s Brazilian Steakhouse, 62 Lowell St., 669-9460

Best Wine List
Unwined, 865 Second St., 625-9463
A firm believer in spreading the gospel of wine, owner Scot Kinney and his staff at UnWined are happy to give customers a few lessons on the art of picking out and drinking a nice bottle. As with wine bars abroad, Kinney says, his bar offers predominantly native wines — mostly from California and other West Coast vineyard hot spots. A recent expansion offers plenty of room for the winos.
Runner-up: Cotton, 75 Arms Park Drive, 622-5428

Best Seafood
Tinkers Seafood, 545 Hooksett Road, 622-4272
Try the chowder and the baked stuffed seafood casserole, or order up a batch of steamers — you are a winner either way. The fish is fresh, the prices are reasonable and the service is great.
Runner-up: Starfish Grille, 33 Commercial St., 296-0706

Best Poutine
Chez Vachon, 136 Kelley St., 625-9660
What is it about this unholy mess of French fries, cheese curds and gravy that keeps us coming back for more? In eastern Canada, poutine is sold by nearly all fast food chains (such as New York Fries and Harvey’s) in the provinces, as well as by small diners and pubs. International chains like McDonald’s, A&W, and Burger King sell poutine there, too, but their product is scorned as being an inferior reproduction. Fortunately, in Manchester, there is Chez Vachon.
Runner-up: (Tie) Billy’s Sports Bar, 34 Tarrytown Road, 622-3644, and Puritan Back Room, 245 Hooksett Road, 669-6890

Best Restaurant Overall
Puritan Back Room, 245 Hooksett Road, 669-6890
Clawing its way back to the top spot, Puritan is home to the city’s best chicken fingers (according to Hippo readers), allegedly the best mudslides and those awesome cookie ice cream sandwiches that feel so good after a hangover. Where else can you get quiche Lorraine and chicken pot pie from the same menu?
Runner-up: Piccola Italia Ristorante, 827 Elm St. 622-3785

PEOPLE
Best Live DJ
DJ Brian at the Breezeway, 14 Pearl St., 621-9111
Spinning some of the best club music around, DJ Brian does his stuff at Breezeway Pub, one of Manchester’s top gay-friendly clubs, on Wednesdays.
Runner-up: DJ McKay, Breezeway

Best Local Sports Team
Monarchs, 555 Elm St., 644-5000
If the phrase “Chuck-a-puck” means anything to you, you’ve no doubt been to a Monarchs game. With affordable tickets and non-stop action, it’s no wonder the Monarchs are the city’s favorite team.
Runner-up: The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, One Line Drive, 641-2005

Best Politician
Bob Baines, former mayor
Much of Manchester was in a state of shock last November, when multi-term Mayor Bob Baines was defeated by a guy who has only lived here seven years. But it happened. Why? Only the history books will know for sure. Baines was oft heralded as the shepherd of the city’s renaissance but critics say he spent too much tax money doing it.
Runner-up: Frank Guinta, current mayor

Best Chef
Nate Baldwin, Baldwin’s on Elm, 1105 Elm St., 622-5975
For this year’s Best Chef, it all started with that most common of teenage dreams: a car.

To get one, a 15-year-old Nathan Baldwin got a job washing dishes in a pizza-and-sub joint. At 16, and legally able to handle a knife, he moved into the restaurant’s kitchen.

A year or two later, he was assisting the chef at the Marriott hotel in Nashua, who convinced him to go to culinary school. And the rest, as they say, is history. Having owned and operated Baldwin’s on Elm for five years now, Baldwin has once again been named Best Chef by readers of the Hippo.

“With the growth of the upscale restaurant business downtown and across the city, it really is an honor to be named best of the best again with all of the increased competition,” Baldwin said.

With an emphasis on seasonally inspired cuisine and the use of local and organic produce as often as he can, Baldwin and his staff have continued to impress the Manchester area’s increasingly demanding dining public.

“My philosophy of food is Keep it Simple, Stupid,” Baldwin said. “That’s why I like to use seasonal products. They’re at the height of quality and you can have the best availability at the best price.”
Runner-up: Richard Vareschi, Richard’s Bistro, 36 Lowell St., 644-1180

Best Local Radio Host
Mike Morin, WZID 95.7, Mike Morin in the Morning, 5 to 10 a.m. weekdays
You hate him because his voice makes you think of morning and the drive to work, but you love him because he distracts you from the pain. Morin and his pals put on a high-energy show every morning, prompting many to wonder how the hell he manages to be that peppy that early in the morning.
Runner-up: Greg Kretschmar, Rock 101, Greg and the Morning Buzz

Best Manchester Athlete
Chris Carpenter, NL Cy Young Award winner, St. Louis Cardinals
This Bedford pitcher was signed by the Cardinals in 2003, even knowing he would miss most if not all of the season recovering from shoulder surgery. After a tentative beginning this year, Carpenter’s stuff came all the way back as the season progressed.
Runner-up: Tyler Roche, Central High School basketball star

Best Local Cover Band/ Performer
Mama Kicks, plays the Brimmer every Wednesday night
Mama Kicks has been a fixture in the Manchester music scene since they formed in 1994. A self-described old-school cover band, Mama Kicks plays gigs across New Hampshire. But Manchester residents probably know them best from the Black Brimmer, where they have performed nearly every Wednesday night for the past eight years.
Runner-up: Last Kid Picked, frequently seen at the Brimmer

Best Local Original Band/ Performer
Joe Deleault Trio, often seen at Unwined
In a city of cover bands and metal acts, Joe Deleault is bringing jazz to the masses. “He can dazzle with his melodic work, and when the chords kick in, too, you know why Scott Joplin called that rag “The Entertainer,” one reviewer said.
Runner-up: The Asthmatics, high-energy punk

ART
Best Public Art
City Hall exhibits
They’re open every working day, they’re free and they showcase the efforts of local artists. Plus, they give City Hall a décor facelift every month or so. Who wins? Everybody.
Runner-up: Mill Girl statue in front of the Amoskeag Mill

Best Place (Not the Currier) to see Art
Langer Place, 55 S Commercial St., 668-3490
Art galleries, artists’ studios, new art being created all the time — Langer Place is truly the mecca of modern Manchester artists.
Runner-up: New Hampshire Institute for the Arts, 148 Concord St., 866-241-4918

Best Live Theater Performance
Chicago, The Palace Theatre, Hanover Street.
Chicago sold out nearly every night and gave the Palace its best opening night in recent history. The show was smart, funny, sexy and, best of all, professional. It was much better than Cats. I’m going to see it again and again.
Runner-up: The Nutcracker, The Palace Theatre

NITE
Best Place to Play Pool
Jillian’s, 50 Phillip Cote Dr., 626-7636
Wood tables, brass fittings and a summer deck to knock your socks off. What can you lose? Enjoy a few games of 8-Ball and then head to the bar for drinks and snacks. Service is friendly and there is usually some kind of live music going on.
Runner-up: Raxx Billiards, 1211 Elm St., 625-0029

Best Place to be Seen
The Black Brimmer, 1087 Elm St., 669-5523
Right there on Elm Street, with big windows on two sides, the Brimmer started the downtown party and remains one of the most popular nightspots in the city. Following a recent trend, the Brimmer just went smoke-free. This means, without the clouds of cigarette smoke, it’s even easier to be seen there.
Runner-up: W.B.’s, 20 Old Granite St., 641-2583

Best Sports Bar
Billy’s Sports Bar, 34 Tarrytown Road, 622-3644
There may come a day when every sports bar in the world is judged by Billy’s standards. TVs are everywhere, the signature Billy Burger is great and the crowd of excited fans and a generally jovial atmosphere make Billy’s a great spot to view the day’s game.
Runner-up: J.W. Hill’s, 795 Elm St., 645-7422

Best Dance Club
Wally & Bernie’s (W.B.’s) 20 Old Granite St., 641-2583
New to the area, W.B.’s appearance on top of this category is a surprise. It must be that Miami-club vibe the owners have built in that gave it a boost in the voting. With two bars and a good menu, W.B.’s shows its true colors later in the night by turning up the tunes and filling the dance floor.
Runner-up: The Black Brimmer, 1087 Elm St., 669-5523

Best Bar for Live Music
Black Brimmer, 1087 Elm St., 669-5523
Offering live music five nights a week, the Black Brimmer is Hippo readers’ king of live music offerings in the city. Featuring such acts as Mama Kicks and Last Kid Picked, the Brimmer also has a good-sized dance floor and a nice menu.
Runner-up: Strange Brew, 88 Market St., 666-4292

Best Pub
Wild Rover, 21 Kosciuszko St., 669-7722
If you are looking for a pub, you are looking for a kind of warmth and charm that the Irish and English have perfected over the centuries. At the top of the local list is the Wild Rover, a cozy Irish pub offering an array of beers from the British and Irish isles, as well as authentic pub grub like bangers and mash — not to mention that Nacho-Crusted Chicken Sandwich.
Runner-up: The Shaskeen, 909 Elm St., 625-0246

CITY LIFE
Best Date Place
UnWined, 865 Second St.. 625-9463
When wooing that special someone, romance is everything but good wine helps. With low lighting, a wine list a mile long and fondue for two — if you don’t get lucky after going to UnWined, it’s your fault.
Runner-up: Cotton, 75 Arms St., 622-5488

Best Makeout Spot
Home
As Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home” — for getting it on. There’s the stereo playing Barry White tunes, candlelight and easy access to the Fridge. That tops the family car — at least most of the time.
Runner-up: The Manchester Airport parking lot

Best Break-up Spot
Arms Park, Arms Park Drive
Why this attractive riverside park is the perfect break-up spot, we have no idea. Maybe it’s something about the water and the old saying that you can’t step in the same river twice. Who knows? And now I’m too depressed to talk about it. (This also got quite a few votes for Best Makeout Spot.)
Runner-up: The Mall of New Hampshire

Best Gym
Planet Fitness, 736 Huse Rd., Manchester, 621-9919, and 195 McGregor St., 627-5566
They’ve got your free weights, your weight machines and about a million treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical trainers. They also pride themselves on being a “judgment-free zone.” They even have a “lunk alarm” which supposedly goes off when someone judges.
Close Runner-up: Gold’s Gym

Best Pick-Up Place
The Black Brimmer, 1087 Elm St., 669-5523
If you are looking for love, Hippo readers say the Brimmer is the place to be. With good music and good beer on tap, the Brimmer is the perfect spot to go out with friends and leave with potential lovers.
Runner-up: Wally & Bernie’s, 20 Old Granite St., 641-2583

Best Radio Station
96.5, The Mill
Apparently telling people to “shut up and rock” works. Who knew? The Mill changed from oldies to classic rock, leaving locals with no place to get their Big Bopper fix. The change raised some dander and eyebrows but seems to have been generally accepted, if this vote is anything to go by.
Close Runner-up: Rock 101

Best Place to Go After Last Call:
The Red Arrow
Open 24 hours, the Red Arrow is just about the only place to go after last call, unless you count the hotdog stand that usually is parked in front of the Brimmer. After three or four cups of Red Arrow coffee, a grilled cheese and a slice of pie, you just might be in good enough shape to drive home.
Runner-up: Home, sweet home.

Best Park
Livingston Park, Hooksett Road
With a really cool playground and a running track, Livingston Park is hard to beat. It’s an all-season park for dog walkers, three seasons for various ball games and perfect for a light, health-making jog.
Runner-up: Derryfield Park, Bridge Street.

Best Community Event
The Downtown Jazz & Blues Festival, in June on Hanover Street.
Last year, the festival brought the awesomely good Preservation Hall Jazz Band to town, as well as Buckwheat Zydeco and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. And those are just three of the top-notch bands that you saw if you came out to the show and ponied up $10 for a full day of sweet, sweet music.
Runner-up: Glendi

Best Laundromat
Bird Bath, 253 Lake Ave., 622-2694, or 1000 Hanover St., 623-6826
Laundromats are like saunas for the brain. You go there, drop your quarters in and watch all your grime and sins spin away. Then there’s the folding, wherein you can feel the hot clothes ease away the tension from your carpal tunnel-prone wrists.
Runner-up: Kelley Street Laundromat, 340 Kelley St., 296-0808

Best MCAM Show
WAW Aftermath
WAW Aftermath checks in again to claim the title of the best cable-access show in the city. Running up against channel 23’s usual god, psychic and right-wing fare, WAW (and possibly the juggling show) are the only local programs that could keep you awake that late at night. In any event, it’s fun to see our friends and neighbors get the crap beat out of them every week. Airs 11 p.m. Friday nights.
Runner-up: The Joe Kelly Levasseur Show, 8:30 p.m. Thursdays

Best Place to Take a Visiting Relative
The Currier Museum of Art, 201 Myrtle Way, 669-6144
Right in your backyard is an internationally renowned art museum, and they let you in free Saturday mornings! You can show your family that you are all cultured and stuff and won’t have to pay a fricking dime!
Runner-up: Any event at the Verizon Wireless Arena

Best Place to Take Your Kids
Livingston Park, Hooksett Road
Fresh air, a really cool playground and places to play ball — who can beat it? Pack a picnic and throw a Frisbee and a few books into a tote bag and you have a whole day’s worth of entertainment.
Runner-up: Fisher Cats game

Best Place to Take Your Kids on a Rainy Day
SEE Science Center, Commercial Street, 669-0400
Possibly the best thing about SEE, ignoring all the cool hands-on exhibits that actually show you how various scientific principles work, is the huge box of LEGOs on the bottom floor. Plunge your hands into this baby and you can come up with enough building blocks of various shapes, sizes and colors to construct anything you could possibly want.
Runner-up: The Mall of New Hampshire, South Willow Street

Best Non-Mall Place to Shop
Downtown Manchester
The downtown doesn’t have an anchor store yet, but there are plenty of places to shop. Dad can poke around George’s while mom browses for sheet music at Ted Herbert’s. Junior can shop for sports gear at All Outdoors or Indian Head Athletics.
Runner-up: Target

Best Salon/Barbershop
Not-So Plain Jane’s, 155 Dow St., 622-5971
What makes Not So Plain Jane’s the city’s favorite salon? The answer could be its sheer volume of services — haircuts, colors, waxing, manicures, pedicures, body treatments, customized facials and even hot-stone massage. With 60 employees on board, this full-service spa has enough offerings to entice a girl — or a guy — to stay for the whole day.
Runner-up: Salon Beauchesne, 32 Hanover St., 621-0500

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About a dozen voters claimed there was “no such thing” when voting for Best Politician, with one person going so far as to say “they all stink.” My personal favorite was the vote for “whoever bans the f---ing odd/even parking.”

Many of you said the Best Place to Take Visiting Relatives was the airport, with one vote suggesting “to the cemetery with their graves dug.”

The police station was a fairly popular suggestion for Best Break-Up Spot and apparently there is a lot of making out going on in “my pants,” “my car” and “seems to be wherever my ex wife is.”

Only a few seemed to know what a “Mancunian” was — hint: If you live in Manchester, you are one — so most responses boiled down to “huh?” The best response was probably “The Mancunian Candidate.”

The Best Place to Be Seen category received a lot of attention, with some of the more interesting responses being “with me,” “convenience store security camera,” “drunk in the alley between Elm and Chestnut,” “front page of the Hippo” and “in my pants.”

And vegetarians are not particularly popular in Manch, as many responses to Best Vegetarian Menu boiled down to “who cares,” “give me beef” or “Carnivores rule!!! Food eats vegetables!”
—Robert Greene