Best of Orlando 2012

Press here to Vote! 

The Orlando Weekly “Best of Orlando” poll is active through June 27th. I of course hope you will vote for Analog Artist Digital World as the Best Local Blog. They ask for a name and address, but that wasn’t a big deal. You have to vote in at least 15 categories, and you can’t use the same answer in more than 5 categories. The list is dauntingly large, so I am writing down my votes in this blog post to help you get a jump start. Most of my votes go to places I have sketched. The sketch above was done in Tanquerey’s, which got my vote as the best local dive bar. If I left out any notable local establishments,  then please leave me a comment. You can vote from anywhere in the world, and encourage your friends to vote. The following list is not all inclusive, it is just intended as a jump start. Of course your tastes might vary.

Food and Drink

Best French……………Chez Vincent

Best Greek…………….Mediterranean Deli

Best Tai…………………Viet Garden

Best Vietnamese…….Viet Garden

Best Barbecue……….4 Rivers Smokehouse

Best Cupcake…………Rhapsodic Bakery

Best Tea house……….Dandelion Communitea Cafe

Best Pub Grub………..Fiddler’s Green

Best Vegan……………..Loving Hut

Best Food Truck……..Big Wheel Food Truck

Best restaurant when someone else is paying…Chez Vincent

Arts and Culture

Best Art Night (recurring)…Mystery Sketch Theater

Best Art Gallery………………Gallery at Avalon Island

Best Arts Advocate…………Parker Sketch 

Best Dance Company………Drip

Best Arts Event/Festival…..Fringe

Best Local Playwright……..Aradhana Tiwari

Best Local Artist……………..Dawn Schreiner

Best Movie Theater………….Enzian

Best Mural………………………Who’s Line is it Anyway?

Best Museum…………………..Mennello Museum

Best Poet/Spoken Word Artist… Tod Caviness

Best Theater Company……….Orlando Shakes

Best Theater Space…………….Jamie Mykins Theater

Music Nightlife

Best Club DJ……………………..DJ Nigel

Best Folk Act…………………….Jubal’s Kin

Best Jazz Act…………………….Monday Night Jazz at the Grand Bohemian

Best Music Club………………..Back Booth

Best Music Festival……………Southern Fried Sundays

Best Mainstream Rock Act…Andy Matchett and the Minx

Best Open Mic………………….Tom and Jerry’s

Best Pop Act……………………..Britt Daley

Best Bar (smoking)…………….Will’s Pub

Best Craft Beer Bar…………….Redlight Redlight

Best Dive Bar…………………….Tanqueray’s

Best Gay Bar………………………Parliament House

Best Pub/Taproom……………….Will’s Pub

Best Sports Bar……………………Sportstown

Local Color

Best Kept Secret………………….The Timucua White House

Best Local Charitable Group…Second Harvest Food Bank

Best Local Cheerleader…………Jeffrey Pfaff

Best Local Website………………The Daily City

Best Local Blog………………….Analog Artist Digital World

Best Local Publication…………..The Orlando Weekly

Best Local Radio Personality….Julie Norris

Best place to take visitors from out of town…Stardust Video & Coffee

Best reason to live in Orlando…Sunny days in Winter

Best reason to leave Orlando…..Sunny days in Summer

Best use of public money………..Fixing Lake Eola Fountain

Best waste of public money…….Speakers around Lake Eola

Goods and Services

Best Adult Entertainment Store…Fairvilla

Best CD Store…………………………Park Avenue Cd’s

Best Comic Book Store……………A Comic Shop

Best Farmers Market……………….Audubon Community Market

Best Garden Center…………………Palmer Feed Store

Best Spa…………………………………Barefoot Spa

Best T-Shirts……………………………Mother Falcon

Best Tattoo/Piercing Parlor……….Black Chapel Tattoo

Best Vinyl Records Store………….Park Avenue Cd’s

Sports and Recreation

Best Billiards Hall……………………Sportstown

Best City Park………………………….Lake Eola

Best Day Trip…………………………..Cocoa Beach

Best Sports Team……………………..Psycho City Derby Girls

Best Place to Bike…………………….West Orange Trail

Best Place to Canoe/Kayak………..Wekiva Springs

Best Sports Complex………………..Amway Arena

Best Yoga Studio………………………Yoga Matrix

Best Zipline……………………………..Zoom Air Adventures