You folks showed up in droves this year to vote on everything from Books to Crab Cakes to Women's Clothing. We had record numbers, in fact—even after we surgically removed the inevitable ballot-stuffing, there were still more than 2,000 submissions.
As usual, there were some landslides (Stan Stovall for Best Male Anchor), and there were some close calls (Costas' Inn by a mere one vote over Bill's Terrace Inn).
And since we didn't require answers to every category, some were much more popular than others. For the record, Best Pizza was the most voted-upon category, with 1,490 votes; followed closely by Best Burger (1,341 votes), Crab Cake (1,263 votes), and Radio Station (1,256 votes).
So without further ado, the results of our 2009 Best of Baltimore Readers' Poll.
FOOD
WINNER: Panera Bread
SECOND: Greg's Bagels
THIRD: Goldberg's NY Style Bagels
Best Bread
WINNER: Panera Bread
SECOND: Atwaters
THIRD: Stone Mill Bakery
Best Breakfast
WINNER: Miss Shirley's
SECOND: Blue Moon Café
THIRD: Jimmy's
Best Brunch
WINNER: Little Havana
SECOND: Miss Shirley's
THIRD: Mama's on the Half Shell
Best Burger
WINNER: Five Guys
SECOND: Abbey Burger Bistro
THIRD: Alonso's
Best Chinese
WINNER: P. F. Chang's China Bistro
SECOND: Ding How
THIRD: Café Zen
Best Coffee
WINNER: Starbucks
SECOND: Zeke's
THIRD: Dunkin' Donuts
Best Crab Cake
WINNER: G&M Restaurant
SECOND: Center Club
THIRD: Faidley's
Best Crabs
WINNER: Costas' Inn
SECOND: Mr Bill's Terrace Inn
THIRD: Obrycki's
Best Ice Cream
WINNER: Cold Stone Creamery
SECOND: Moxley's
THIRD: Maggie Moo's
Best Italian
WINNER: La Scala
SECOND: Amicci's
THIRD: (tie) Sabatino's and Aldo's
Best Mexican
WINNER: Nacho Mama's
SECOND: Holy Frijoles
THIRD: Arcos
Best Outdoor Dining
WINNER: Little Havana
SECOND: Ambassador Dining Room
THIRD: Bay Café
Best Pasta
WINNER: Amicci's
SECOND: La Scala
THIRD: Sabatino's
Best Pizza
WINNER: Matthew's Pizza
SECOND: Joe Squared
THIRD: Iggies
Best Seafood
WINNER: Oceanaire
SECOND: Mama's on the Half Shell
THIRD: McCormick & Schmick
Best Soup
WINNER: Atwaters
SECOND: Soup's On
THIRD: Panera Bread
Best Steak
WINNER: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
SECOND: The Prime Rib
THIRD: The Capital Grille
Best Sushi
WINNER: Ra Sushi
SECOND: (tie) Sushi Hana and Matsuri
THIRD: Edo Sushi
Best Tapas
WINNER: Pazo
SECOND: Tapas Teatro
THIRD: Mezze
Best Wings
WINNER: Kisling's
SECOND: Bateman's
THIRD: Looney's
FUN
Best Band
WINNER: Flipside
SECOND: Can't Hang
THIRD: Kelly Bell Band
Best Bar
WINNER: Brewer's Art
SECOND: Max's Taphouse
THIRD: Wind-up Space
Best Blog
WINNER: Midnight Sun
SECOND: Dining @ Large
THIRD: Foodandwineblog.com
Best Columnist
WINNER: Dan Rodricks
SECOND: Kevin Cowherd
THIRD: Elizabeth Large
Best Festival
WINNER: Fells Point Fun Festival
SECOND: Artscape
THIRD: Honfest
Best Gym/Club
WINNER: Merritt Athletic Club
SECOND: Maryland Athletic Club
THIRD: Brick Bodies
Best Movie Theater
WINNER: Landmark Theatre Harbor East
SECOND: The Charles Theatre
THIRD: Senator Theatre
Best Museum
WINNER: American Visionary Arts Museum
SECOND: Baltimore Museum of Art
THIRD: The Walters Art Museum
Best Music Venue
WINNER: Rams Head
SECOND: 8x10
THIRD: Ottobar
Best Oriole
WINNER: Nick Markakis
SECOND: Brian Roberts
THIRD: Adam Jones
Best Park
WINNER: Patterson Park
SECOND: Federal Hill Park
THIRD: Druid Hill Park
Best Bar for Watching the O's
WINNER: Pickles Pub
SECOND: Mother's
THIRD: Looney's Pub
Best Bar for Watching the Ravens
WINNER: Mother's
SECOND: Looney's
THIRD: Della Rose's
Best Radio Station
WINNER: 89.7 WTMD
SECOND: 88.1 WYPR
THIRD: 97.9 98 Rock
Best Raven
WINNER: Ray Lewis
SECOND: Joe Flacco
THIRD: Ed Reed
Best TV Anchor (Female)
WINNER: Denise Koch
SECOND: Mindy Basara
THIRD: (tie) Donna Hamilton and Mary Beth Marsden
Best TV Anchor (Male)
WINNER: Stan Stovall
SECOND: Don Scott
THIRD: Rod Daniels
SHOPPING, ETC.
Best Bookstore
WINNER: Barnes And Noble
SECOND: Borders
THIRD: The Ivy
Best Men's Clothing
WINNER: Joseph A. Bank Clothiers
SECOND: Hyatt & Co.
THIRD: Nordstrom
Best Salon
WINNER: Studio 1612
SECOND: Sprout
THIRD: About Faces
Best Shoe Store
WINNER: DSW
SECOND: Nordstrom
THIRD: Ma Petite Shoe
Best Sporting Goods Store
WINNER: Dick's Sporting Goods
SECOND: City Sports
THIRD: REI
Best Women's Clothing
WINNER: South Moon Under
SECOND: Babe
THIRD: Urban Chic
©2009 Baltimore magazine