Join me in some incoherent ranting about the winners of the SF Weekly Readers' Poll!

So my friend Kahla and I just happened upon the SF Weekly Readers’ Poll winners of 2010. We’ve been embroiled in a heated discussion over Facebook Chat for the past hour, and all I can say is, wow, most of these are pure WTF. You can find the winners here.

(New Village Cafe; THIS is what a delicious greasy spoon breakfast looks like!)

First of all, what is up with some of the categories? It seems as though many of them were created with a specific business in mind. As much as I love Kozy Kar minus all the Marina-ness, it doesn’t make sense to vote a place “Best Place to Get Drunk on a Waterbed” when, as far as I know, it’s the only bar with waterbeds, which most of the time are unusable anyway since all the Marina people throw their coats on them. As for “Best Club Night to Wear Flannel,” let’s be honest, most people who go to Debaser probably wear flannel every other night they go out. Overall I think the nightlife ones are the worst. For one thing, we aren’t exactly sure how Supperclub is a Bizarre Nightlife Experience, other than that it’s, as Kahla eloquently puts it, “full of tacky people with no style.” If we wanted to see that, we’d skip the $70 dinner, roll to some happy hour bar in the Financial District and maybe have the added bonus of finding me a rich, absentee husband. If the category were “Best Cocaine-Fueled Shithole” instead of “Best Hipster Bar,” I can see how Delirium would be a shoo-in, but I’m not hating. Clearly those elusive hipsters they speak of didn’t vote in this poll, but hey, least the SF Weekly hasn’t blown up a bar that I actually like.

I could quibble with the Food & Drink winners for hours, and I recognize that much of it is just a matter of taste — evidently, I have better taste than most people who vote in SF Weekly reader polls — but I really couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t address “Best Greasy Spoon.” The Pork Store? Really? Having a lot of cholesterol in your food does not a greasy spoon make. Readers, do yourselves a favor and take your broke, hungover asses to one or more of the following: Golden Coffee on Sutter & Leavenworth, New Village on Polk & California or Mission’s Kitchen on Mission & 23rd … unless, of course, you’re one of the people who voted for The Pork Store and you like overpaying to clog your arteries. Seriously though. Golden Coffee. Order the pancake sandwich. Greasy enough to block alcohol from further absorbing into the lining of your stomach, but not so greasy to necessitate a Tums pregame. If that’s not perfection, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, did this incite violent anger in anyone else but me? Which winners did you agree or disagree with, and who deserved the award?

Comments (15)

It seems as though many of them were created with a specific business in mind.

So… this is the first time you’ve encountered a “best of” issue of a local weekly?

i love that you’re trying to be a jerk, but as it turns out … you’re right, i’ve never actually read one of these things before. and lord, seems i haven’t missed much.

OMG exactly!

Back when The Wave was still a good paper, they made jokes about their Best Of issue being a total sham that existed solely to cater to advertisers.

1. this post makes me hungry
2. i will find out who these sf weekly voters are tonight at their “Best of Party” at…get ready…RUBY SKYE! lmao! no judgmental commentary necessary on this one.
3. signs that this party might be a disaster? i’m pre-gaming despite the open bar access being on the vip list gives me.

Psst. The wacky categories are all editors picks because the general public isn’t smart enough to vote for anything good! No disrespect to Taqueria Cancun, Best Burrito 1995-2010, but the Readers Poll awards seem to reward the classics and the lowest common denominators. Not to mention the SF Weekly’s obviously skewed readership (Who goes to Ruby Skye?)

They are basically two different sets of awards. Which you choose to give the most salience to is obviously a judgment call.

Love,
Jamie

Winner “Best Party to Rub Privates and Lather Yourself in the Sweat of Strangers” 2010

All weeklies, here and elsewhere have added like, a million categories over the years, partially to accommodate things like those newfangled blog-internet things, but mostly to attract advertising.

The Guardian does the same thing. Plus, with an open ballot where anyone can write in anything, the reader’s choice section can get weird ,especially if people mis-spell names, etc. The editors picks are in there so when Arizmendi Bakery and other perennials win, they can add in something else to make it interesting to read.

The only reason I was hoping to win something was because I wanted to book end it with my Guardian win, and go to the party, but I got to go to the party anyway. WOOO HOOO! RUBY SKYE! free drinks!

Seriously the SF Weekly folks are cool, but I agree about Pork Store. Art’s Cafe is way better.

Hey, I like Ruby Skye! Best ever handjob in a bathroom there. True story.

are you the same elliot who commented on my last post saying my friend is cute? if so, sorry, but i don’t think you’re her type.

Word. I got two Best of the Bays and two Best of the SF Weekly’s now! I’m excited to make my taqueria wall. I hope there’s a plaque!

Well the trope is around pointing out unusual venues with *clever* features as the draw. It would go something like this:

“Best blog written by hipsters with outstanding bench warrants”

But the thing has been overdone somewhat, like mojitos, tattoos, tagging, fixies, asian inspired tacos, and snarky comments, like mine.

We are all, slightly… overdone. Which is why god invented summer recess.

Ditto on the advertising notations above, but I just wanted to issue a quick little bravo for praising the New Village Cafe. I’ve never ever seen that wonderful little place discussed anywhere, ever.

man i haven’t been to mission’s kitchen in a couple years. thanks for the reminder!

Did anyone else notice how there’s places advertising that they won, but didn’t actually win this year?

Ever notice that this blog is run by a yuppie from Mass.

Ever notice this post was authored by Jane? But good try!